Brickfields, Chippendale – Rating: 17.5/25

 

 

A trip to Brickfields was long overdue as I had heard rumblings of fabulous baked goods from this contemporary bakery over the last few months.

Parking isn’t hugely abundant in the Chippendale back streets but most of the patrons seemed to be on foot so a spot wasn’t too hard to find.

With no formal line or order for seating you had better keep your wits about you and your eyes eagle-like if it’s an outside table or inside counter spot you’re after.  Otherwise (and this was my result for the morning) you’ll find yourself relegated to the wooden sleepers which surround the trees just outside.  This wasn’t an issue though – with the sun streaming down and a cup of coffee, everything was going to be alright…

With long weekend lines, you’ll wait between five and ten minutes for a coffee.  While the flavour of the Mecca espresso was good, our cups were not as hot as we would have liked.  If you drink skim milk, you’re out of luck.  With what is a first in all of my reviews, you have the choice of regular or soy only.

Being a bakery, Brickfields dishes are all based on their bread and patries except for the granola with yoghurt and fruit ($10.50).  But I didn’t come here for oats.  I came for things like… the pork belly roll ($13).

Firstly, the bread and rolls produced by these ovens are fantastic.  If bread is your thing, I recommend you drop by for a visit.  The pork belly roll is reminiscent of Turkish bread – light and airy but with a spring that bounces back when you squeeze on it.  While, as you can see, there was plenty of cabbage inside, there was also an abundance of pork belly.  The meat was moist and soft, the skin had the crunch I was after and the chilli, coriander and peanuts add not only flavour but great textures too.  The pick of the morning.

My mantra of “you can improve anything by adding bacon and/or cheese” meant that I was always going to be sampling the bacon, cheese, pickles, mayo and greens ($15) sandwich.  The combination does sound superb and it was presented well but the sharpness of the cheese with the very salty bacon and pickles didn’t balance well.  Once again superb bread but the ingredients did not win me over.

On the other hand, the classic ham and cheese croissant pleased everyone who tried it from the buttery croissant to the abundance of ham and the provolone (which worked very well this time).

Simply one of the best brownies I have tried.  It held together well and didn’t crumble as I bit it.  The crunchy hazelnuts and melting white chocolate and brownie base were tremendous.  Heaven for $4!

While the custard in the custard and date tart ($4.50) looks quite solid, it is soft and slightly runny inside.  The base was a surprise too – a thin layer of dates.  The pastry, as you can see, was flaky and light.

 

With a changing sandwich menu, it’s understandable that you can have your hits and misses.  Brickfields mainly hit the mark and their baked goods really show some expertise around the oven!  While the drinks menu is limited and there are not many hot breakfasts served, I would return for their pastries or a quiet sandwich on a weekday to avoid the cramped weekends.