Baffi & Mo Espresso
It has been a while since we visited one of Redfern’s busiest cafés, so I decided to return and see if it still deserves its reputation. Unlike last time, it is now summer so there were stools and tables sprawled out onto the sidewalk. The interior is dominated by a large share-table and there is also a comfortable couch you may be lucky enough to nab!
There were only two waitstaff servicing everyone this time and while we did find them very friendly, it did take a while for them to get to all of the tables. This was not a big deal though as it gave us plenty of time to soak up the sun and people-watch.
Long black
Strong, vibrant flavours from the coffee ($3.70). If you enjoy yours supersized, Baffi’s Mega Mug ($5) should hit the spot.
The beverage menu is massive so you will definitely find something you’ll enjoy. Teas (port for one, $3.70/pot for two, $6.50), tisane (mint, ginger and lemon steeped in hot water, served with honey, $4), Baffi’s luscious Belgium chocolate (dark, milk or white, regular $5/large $6), freshly squeezed juices ($6), milkshakes ($5) and more!
Banana smoothie
Smoothies ($5.50) are available as strawberry, blueberry, mixed berries or banana. I was disappointing with mine. Rather than the yoghurt, honey and milk blend that the menu promised, I could only taste banana and milk. A lot of the pieces of banana were too large to sip through the straw.
Fruit salad
The fruit salad ($12) had enough variety of bite-sized pieces to keep us interested. Just fruit here, no yoghurt, honey or other additions so it’s hard to be critical of such a pure dish!
Corn/pea fritters
Corn/pea fritters
Two guests ordered the corn/pea fritters ($15). Even by themselves, the fritters taste fantastic; fluffy inside with a golden crispy exterior. They are served with oven roasted tomato sauce and haloumi on top but I recommend adding some bacon ($3.50) on the side. Overall it was delicious. The other sides ordered were mushrooms ($3.50) and an egg ($2).
Eggs Baffi
You would hope that a dish named after the establishment was worthy of the name. The eggs Baffi ($15) certainly impressed. In the words of my guest “the spinach and mushrooms were fresh and lightly cooked, the eggs were done to perfection and I’m a fussy egg eater”. The hollandaise was tangy and a good consistency between runny and thick. Once again, another happy patron, especially with their bacon side order!
Baked eggs
The baked eggs ($20) came out in the extremely hot pan it had been baked in. It comprised of sobrasada (which had either been ground and spread out or not included because I couldn’t discern whether it was there), roasted tomato, capsicum and mountains of mozarella. It was accompanied by more than enough tasty grilled bread. The entire dish was too overcooked for my liking – the egg yolks were very well done, almost to the point of being crumbly. The flavours infused by the tomato and capsicum were enjoyable but the overall lack of liquids was a letdown for me. I’m sure next time they would oblige if I told them I wanted my eggs cooked a bit less…
With a broad menu including some great flavour combinations, a vibrant crowd and well presented, hearty food, Baffi & Mo is a café I can recommend and would return to myself. There are plenty of shops to explore around the area as well so you may as well make a day of it!
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Overall Rating: 18/25
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baffi-Mo-Espresso/131871963528671
Phone: 9690 0877
Address: 84 Redfern Street, Redfern, 2016
Payment Options: CC, EFTPOS, cash
Sydney on Sunday 
I heard this cafe has changed ownership, which is unfortunate if true because I also hear it used to be amazing.
My partner and I had brekkie here, and when I wasn’t happy with my meal, I was told to just deal with it. No offer to fix it or exchange it or drain the two cups of oil from the eggs so I could actually eat them. Apparently, the owner was our server. It is not pleasant to have a nasty meal, and it is very unpleasant to be treated like you just want something for free. I suspect it is because I’m a person of color (in Redfern that can count against you sometimes), or maybe she just doesn’t like gay people. But she made us feel really crap, and then her chef called us poor and mocked us on Facebook and then private messaged me after he deleted his offensive comments. Classy establishment!
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