West Juliett, Marrickville

In a continuation of my brunching adventures around Marrickville, we stopped by West Juliett for lunch. Unlike Cornersmith, West Juliett is located in the quieter streets of the suburb near Enmore Park. While it is not too far from the nearest bus stop, it is still a bit of an effort to get there if you rely on public transport compared to Cornersmith which was only minutes away from Marrickville train station. On the other hand, it is really easy to get parking which is a huge bonus.

Mocha ($3.50)

I ordered my usual mocha, which had a creamy and frothy texture with a milder flavour but still very nice to have especially on a cool day. For those who know their coffee lingo, West Juliett uses White Horse Coffee blend from Sutherland - which is roasted locally.

Watermelon, Pineapple and Lemon fresh pressed juice ($4.90 / $5.90)

CC was very satisfied with her pressed juice that she was keen for seconds. Not overwhelmingly sweet too. Perfect to have on a nice sunny day. Missing those summer days again right now to be honest.

Bowl of hand cut chips with crisp herbs ($5.90)

We literally devoured all of these chips in a flash! They were nicely crispy and not too salty. Also the chips went really well with the herbs which mostly consisted of fried sage leaves, basil and rosemary to name a few. Would order this again next time.

Soft scrambled eggs with cured salmon, sorrel, yoghurt, fennel on toast ($15.90)
- with a side of bacon ;) ($3.90)

I'm not a morning person so an all-day breakfast menu in addition to a lunch menu is enough to get my undivided attention to try out a cafe without the need to get up so early on the weekend. The scrambled eggs were certainly very soft, flavoursome, creamy and milky especially when paired up with the yoghurt. For me, the winning elements were the cured salmon to balance the flavours with its smokey and salty taste as well as the fennel and veggies for that added crunch when it got overwhelmingly creamy. A great dish to have if you love scrambled eggs.

Twelve hour pork sandwich with peach mostrada, pimenton aioli and rocket ($12.90)

I spent a good amount food envying CC's twelve hour pork sandwich. It was seriously one epic sandwich consisting of two very thick slices of (sourdough) bread stacked with loads and loads of pulled pork. Because it was stacked so high, I was wondering how on earth you could hold that sandwich together but CC managed it with little mess. Did not have much but from what i tasted, the pulled pork was quite tender. Would definitely order this or the pork salad next time.

Pink salt chocolate chip cookie ($3.80)

Before coming to West Juliett, I check out the food on instagram (as you do lol) and saw that nearly every photo linked with this cafe was simply just a chocolate chip cookie. Not just any choc chip cookie but a gigantic pink salt choc chip cookie! I know what I will be getting for my sweet tooth. Sure enough the cookie did not disappoint us. While it was a tad crispier on the edges, it was soft, chewy and gooey as you take more bites into this. If pink salt cookie sounds a bit random for you, fear not! It was actually tasted quite sweet and not too salty. Could buy a couple more of these next time. There are also plenty of baked goods and pastries at the front cabinet near the register if you are opting for other sweet treats. And they are all baked in-house!

While there was still the usual hip vibe from the general crowd, the atmosphere was quiet, chilled and cozy. There was also a few families when we were dining there at the time as well as customers with dogs at the outdoor seating area. Service was lovely, polite and accommodating to our needs. Though the stand out for me was the massive servings for their dishes with very reasonable prices that will keep you full and satisfied for hours. My only qualm is that West Juliett does not open on Sunday which is a bummer if you are working during the week. Looking forward to making another trip back here for the famous pulled pork salad sometime soon.

West Juliett

30 Llewellyn Street, Marrickville NSW 2204

(02) 9519 0101

https://www.facebook.com/westjuliettcafe

Mon-Sat: 7:00am - 4:00pm

Cornersmith, Marrickville

How good do those eggs look? Can you believe that you will get amazingly poached eggs in places like Marrickville? If it was 5 years ago I would be very surprised actually. Back then, Marrickville was renowned for their cheap Vietnamese feed for anyone who did not want to travel all the way to Cabramatta, Canley Heights or Bankstown. These days, there are plenty of cafes serving perfectly poached eggs like these bad boys. With all the cafes and casual dining joints sprouting up around this suburb, you might think that it's becoming as hipster as Surry Hills. Almost.

One of the cafes that has been putting Marrickville into the Sydney cafe scene was Cornersmith. When I first heard about it, I thought it was another hipster cafe joint serving yummy brunch food. What stood out was its focus on sustainable and ethical produced ingredients, including their house-made pickles. When you are waiting to be seated, just write your name and the number of people on the chalkboard then wait for your name to be called out when the table is ready. Most days I've been there were quite busy, however it's quiet on weekdays if you end up having a day off.

Mocha (S - $4.00, L - $4.50) 

Very pleased with the coffee here. Got the right balance in terms of sweetness from the cocoa and bitterness from the coffee beans. Plus it delivered a smooth texture and it has certainly got me energised for the day since I was very tired that morning. And the coffee art is very pleasing to the eye to the point that I did not want to ruin it. If you are a fan of Mecca coffee then you will be very happy to hear that Cornersmith sources their coffee beans from them.

Chai Tea ($4.50)

Did not try the chai but it had a fragrant aroma when I was able to smell it from across the table. CC was quite pleased with this version.

Soft Poached Free Range Eggs with Sourdough Toast and Green Tomato Relish ($9.00) plus Kale and Apple Salad, and Pasture fed Ham ($5.00 per side)

So glad with my dish choice this time. I was seriously amazed at how these eggs were poached perfectly especially with the egg white casing itself around the soft-cooked egg yolk. Just makes you feel reluctant to cut into it but then you gotta have the runny egg porn goodness, which was thankfully worth it. I was pleased with the sides as well. The kale apple salad and the green tomato relish delivered a combination of sweet and sour touches to the whole plate. Plus the pasture-fed ham tasted so good with the egg and toast. Wouldn't mind coming back for a second serving. My only minor issue with this dish was that the sourdough toast was too hard for us to cut so we eventually ended up picking it up by the hand. Apart from that, I was happy with this dish and would certainly order this again at a later visit. 

Runny egg porn

Ploughman's Plate (Single - $18.00, Shared - $30.00)

The Ploughman's plate was an organic feast consisting of pasture fed ham, Maffern cheddar cheese, pickled beetroot, Pepe Saya butter, pickles, radishes, grapes and toast. During my last few visits here, the ingredients in this platter has changed depending on what's available in stock on the day. I tried a bit of the cheese which had an aged vintage taste as well as the pickles, beetroot and the grapes. Both CC and I thought that each element on the platter was a tasty, refreshing, healthier and surprisingly not too heavy feed. It's a good way to explore the various homegrown food produce available at this cafe.

This is a great place to go when you want a healthier meal with freshly made ingredients that is ethically sourced from local food producers. There are also plenty of vegetarian dishes and salads, which is great for your non-meat eating friend. The serving sizes were reasonably substantial though not overwhelming and the prices were actually quite cheap for most of the menu items. You can even buy one of their pickles, honey jars or other food produce in store to take home. The menu at Cornersmith changes regularly depending on what produce is available in stock at the time. This ensures that everything served here is freshly sourced. Because of the constant menu changes, it will certainly keep me coming back to see which fresh produce is available in store next time.

EDIT: At the time of this post, it has just been announced that Cornersmith was awarded Best Cafe at the SMH Good Food Cafe Guide Awards 2014. Congratulations to the Cornersmith team for this achievement! :D

Cornersmith

314 Illawara Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

(02) 8065 0844

https://www.facebook.com/Cornersmith

Mon-Fri: 6:30am - 3:30pm

Sat-Sun: 7:30am - 3:30pm

PHD, Marrickville

Being close to Cabramatta, I don't head out to Marrickville as often as I would have liked to. But when I end up closer to the city and have the odd craving for decent pho, Marrickville is one of your guaranteed bets with a tremendous amount of Vietnamese restaurants in this side of town. It almost feels like Cabramatta or Bankstown but in the Inner West. While I initially planned to head to Marrickville to try out Cornerstone, the breezy weather was enough for me to go for a nice warm bowl of pho. 

I remember trying out the pho at Pho Bac Hai Duong back in my uni days and I absolutely loved every bit of it. Back then, Pho Bac Hai Duong was one of those classic restaurants (like Pho 54, Pho Viet and Pho Minh in Cabramatta to name a few) that was operating for as long as I could remember. As of early 2011, the restaurant has moved a few blocks, changed its name and has gotten itself a new fancy makeover. Seriously, the one thing that stood out the most about this eatery was the amount of red used from the sign to the interior decor to the red bowls and plates. 

Except for this :p

The menu is full of delicious choices for Vietnamese food but of course I cannot say no to a bowl of pho especially when it's cold. Not only was there a generous amount of broth and thick rice noodles, there were reasonable servings of beef, coriander and crunchy onions. While the noodles were slippery, the texture remains consistent and did not go too soft. I especially loved the fragrant broth which was quite sweet and incredibly flavoursome even before I started adding the condiments. Although I ordered a regular size, it still filled me up for the rest of the day. There is even the choice to have your standard beef pho with the addition of brisket, beef ball, tendon or tripe for 50c extra or just have the whole lot with one of the Special Beef Pho Combination (Pho Dac Biet). If you prefer to have chicken with your bowl of pho (Pho Ga), then PHD has a decent selection. You can also get a Seafood and Vegetable Pho or Beancurd and Vegetable Pho (not sure if they still use a meat-based stock so check with that if you are vegetarian). 

Pho Rice Noodle Soup with Medium Rare Beef/Pho Tai (R: $10.00, L: $13.00)

At some restaurants, I heavily relied on the condiments plate containing Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts, lemon and chilli to enhance the flavour. Although the Vietnamese mint, some bean sprouts and a little squirt of lemon was eventually put into good use, I didn't rely on them as much for PHD's version because it was already full of flavour. 

While the weather wasn't great, I couldn't help to get a glass of soya bean milk (or sua dau nanh). Very refreshing and a nice balance within the ingredients. How cool is it that their drinks were presented in those good old fashioned milkshake glasses?

Soya bean milk - price unknown (I'm sure it was heaps cheap)

Although more cafes have been popping up around Marrickville lately, it's always good to head into one of these Vietnamese establishments for one of their well-priced dishes. With the slightly fancy decor and the delicious food, you can see why this one stand out above the competition. Quick service, cheap prices and a decent feed that will satisfy your hunger for hours. Will definitely consider coming back here to try some more dishes.

PHD Restaurant
308 Illawara Road, Marrickville NSW 2204
(02) 9559 5078