Review: Bread & Circus
There's a reason why Matt Moran has been tweeting about it.
Hidden away in the (once) industrial suburb of Alexandria, new dining spot Bread & Circus Wholefoods Canteen is part of the recent warehouse conversion trend in Sydney.
The inner-West space is bang on with a bunch of other trends, too: almost to the point of being contrived, but it's done very well.
Organic and locally sourced food? Check.
Daily menu responding to the market? Check.
Open plan cooking area, informal buzzing dining space, and random decorations placed everywhere? Check, check, and check.
Speaking of checks... The bill doesn't come cheap.
We paid $16 for their "not-so-scrambled" eggs with a side of fresh sourdough, spinach, and tomato.
It sounds pricey for breakfast, but when scrambled eggs are that beautifully smooth and come with real truffle oil, you can't really complain.
Then there was the signature purple drink that's garnering notice: the seasonal smoothie.
It was $9, a pricetag worthy of the famous diner line in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction: "I'll have the five dollar shake".
And to quote John Travolta, "I don't know if it's worth nine dollars, but it's pretty f**king good".
Apparently, raw green smoothies are on their way in the next week, which will only add to the buzzing sound of food being made heard throughout the space.
The service was surprisingly quick, especially when considering how packed full of young families, quirky young people, and trendy urbanites it was on the Sunday morning we visited.
The smiling staff (there's a lot of them!) were also happy to change around our orders without charge, such as substituting soy for cow's milk in that thick berry smoothie with flax.
Vegetarians are well catered for at breakfast and lunch. Salad plates to share or hoard are the specialty for the latter.
Expect descriptive phrases like "curry-spice-kicked cauliflower", "bright green broccoli", and "a splash of appleish saba".
But really, what makes Bread & Circus worth it is the little details... like the doting Lebanese parents of the owners, Amanda Bechara and Danny Goldstein, sitting in the middle of the space skinning oranges.
It's heartwarming to see produce made for the day fresh in front of your eyes.
All in all, it's not hard to see why Sydneysiders are making the 370 bus trip down to Bread & Circus on the weekends, Matt Moran included.
So what are Amanda and Danny's thoughts on those tweets?
"Matt Moran tweeting about B & C translates into one thing only: we're now solid enough to get away with pumping ABBA during business hours. Can you hear the drums, Fernando?"
We doubt even think wailing 70s tunes could keep us away.
Bread & Circus Wholefoods Canteen. 21 Fountain St, Alexandria. Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch: 6.30am to 4pm on weekdays, 7am to 4pm on weekends.
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