The Laneway Café
This small laneway in Cammeray between Miller Street and the Cammeray carpark plays host to three cafés all vying for attention. But The Laneway Café was recommended to me so that’s where we went!
The outdoor seating was thankfully bathed in morning sunlight. The seating area inside is actually quite spacious while the kitchen is tucked into the corner up some steps.
Service wasn’t immediate but after the staff noticed us, they were very attentive.
Skim cappuccino
With a distinct lack of beverage menu, we defaulted to coffee. Our cappuccinos were served fast and were enjoyable. Giancarlo are the beans of choice here and we’ll definitely keep en eye out for other establishments using them.
Mixed berry smoothie
Banana smoothies are normally available but because berries were in stock today, a berry smoothie it was! Flavoursome and with lots of ice cream it was also quite milky but in this instance it worked and gets the thumbs up.
Unfortunately there is no shot of the housemade pear and raspberry bread with ricotta ($5) as we uncharacteristicly dove right in before snapping pictures! It was thoroughly enjoyable but bore no resemblance to bread (other than the shape). For a breakfast cake, it was a perfect start!
Spanish baked eggs
Two baked dishes are available. The Italian baked eggs ($17) comes with tomato, mushroom, bocconcini, sliced prosciutto and basil. I opted for the Spanish baked eggs ($17). This dish shows that North shore baked eggs can hold their own against those offered South of the bridge. The whole thing comes out piping hot in a heavy pan. The tomato base sofrito was rich and flavoursome with lots of herbs and a decent amount of chorizo. The three eggs still had runny yolks which gave great substance and were topped with manchego cheese. While there were spices such as paprika, the dish overall was not spice-hot but with so much flavour it didn’t matter.
Mushroom and goats cheese bruschetta
The mushroom and goats cheese bruschetta ($17) also pleased. The basil pesto was the star and a perfect mix for the mushroom. The poached egg on top had been cooked just right and oozed open as we sliced it. We would have preferred bacon to prosciutto which we found added saltiness but not much flavour.
Other breakfast dishes to try include corn and coriander fritters, oven roasted tomato and avocado salsa ($16) and slow baked beans, smoked ham hock and soft poached egg ($16). The lunch menu also made our mouths water: pulled pork sandwich, apple slaw and iceberg ($15), salt and pepper squid, Asian herb salad and chilli lime dressing ($16) and chicken or beef burgers ($16 each).
Overall we enjoyed our visit to The Laneway Café. The dishes show inspiration and moments of flair. If we were in the area, we would visit again.
Overall Rating: 16/25
Phone: 9460 1602
Address: 5/457 Miller Street, Cammeray, 2062
Payment Options: Credit card, EFTPOS, cash
Sydney on Sunday 