John Montagu
I was very impressed when I first visited John Montagu. It is now on its third owner but I am happy to report that not only has it stayed true to its roots, but the the coffee and food is still of outstanding quality. I had received misinformation, the owners of John Montagu have remained the same!
Both the locals and staff are exceptionally friendly and if you’re looking for a spot to relax with a breakfast that’s sure to hit the spot, this is the café for you!
Cappuccino
Flat white
All of the comments around the table were positive about the coffee ($3.50). They also serve a wide variety of tea ($4) as well as bespoke chai tea/latte ($4), iced coffee/chocolate ($6), the same outstanding cold press coffee (single origin, 18 hour cold infusion, $4) that I sampled last time and more…
Bacon & egg bun
Mushrooms part 2
Side of crispy bacon
You’ll see from the last review that I tried the mushrooms. Now they have mushrooms part 2 ($17) which comes with herbed pan fried mushrooms. These were rightfully so the star of the dish. In the centre of the plate was a serving of truffled polenta and parmesan with a coddled egg on top. My guest definitely enjoyed the meal overall however she would have preferred the polenta to have been cooked more and been less watery. Perhaps polenta sticks…
She added a side of bacon ($3), asking for it to be crispy and JM certainly delivered! It was outstanding bacon
Beef cheeks
This tower of absolute deliciousness was the beef cheeks ($17). In my eyes this was simply JM doing what they do best: sandwiches. Go and have this before it’s taken off the menu!
The 12 hour beef cheeks were not only ridiculously soft but they were actually loaded with flavour, smoky and a bit sweet. Add a healthy (unhealthy?!) amount of melting cheddar as well as sauerkraut and Spanish onions for crunch, rocket for freshness and smoky house glaze.
Definitely one of the best tasting dishes I have had for a long time and that’s saying a lot.
What else is available? Yoghurt (honeyed natural yoghurt, stewed cinnamon apples and cranberries and candied walnuts, $7.50), Maffra cheese & sage toastie ($5, add ham for $1), eggs anyway on toast ($8) with a huge amount of sides available or the salmon (house cured salmon, avocado, dill cream cheese, salmon roe, rye bread ($16, add truffled coddled egg for $2).
An outstanding menu and I’m certainly glad I decided to visit for a re-review!
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Overall Rating: 22.5/25
Website: https://www.facebook.com/johnmontagusandwiches
Address: 144 Cathedral Street, Woolloomooloo, 2011
Payment Options: Credit card, EFTPOS, cash
Sydney on Sunday 