The Rag Land, Redfern – Rating: 20.5/25

Step into a quaint world where the faces are friendly, the food is exciting and almost everything is for sale!

The antique (aka vintage aka pre loved) furniture of The Rag Land is an interesting talking point because if your bargaining skills are up to scratch, you may be able to leave with an item or two under your arm.

From a customer’s perspective, everything seems to happen at a slower pace here.  Don’t get me wrong, the service is on the ball but thanks to an enveloping calmness you’ll feel so at ease here that you’ll want to sit back and converse for hours.

Golden Cobra cups of coffee (regular $3.50, large $4) sure hit the spot and were served in quaint cups.  Filtered or Aeropress cold brew ($4.50 each) are also available.

Teacraft tea ($4) is available as good morning English breakfast, Earl Grey, blueflower, organic peppermint, cloud & mist green tea or masala chai.

Bacon and egg roll?  Pfft!  Feast your eyes on the pork belly and egg roll ($8).  An outrageously good price for a delectable snack.  The pork belly below the egg did not have as much fat as I expected so you can feel good about yourself as you bite down on this crunchy roll!  The sweet relish on top blends perfectly between the egg and pork.  Highly recommended.

The spicy smashed egg and avocado on toast ($8) is another dish that I haven’t come across before.  A pesto with a spicy hit sits on top of the smashed hard-boiled egg with avocado spread below.  I think the egg would have worked better if it wasn’t completely hard boiled and some more avocado would have been appreciated but overall my guest enjoyed her dish.  The ingredients were fresh and the bread was exquisite (thank you Brasserie Bread).

Heavenly Rag Land French toast ($12) that was so good, even the staff couldn’t resist taking a photo on their phone!  The grilled banana is something that I don’t see enough of which is a shame because it tastes amazing when done well and Rag Land does it well!  As if the fruit on the toast on the plate wasn’t enough, a berry compote is served alongside.  The serving is more filling that it looks with two slices of toast and plenty of maple-soaked fruit!

You’ll find some interesting and unique specials from week to week as well so be sure to enquire what’s on offer!  The weekend-only dish is nasi lemak ($12) which I’m looking forward to returning for.  Also be sure to try the baked egg with white bean ragout ($12), pea fritters, poached egg, rocket and tomato chutney ($12) and The Ra Land eggs Benedict, served with smoked salmon ($13).

I think that The Rag Land could easily be my go-to café whenever I’m in the area so keep an eye out for a re-review in coming months!