Smalltown
Avalon certainly has that coastal (small)town feeling. Your worries will melt away as you walk through the beach-adjacent streets and browse the gift shops. I paid the area a visit because smalltown has been making waves on the Northern Beaches scene for months now thanks to its housemade doughnuts and reputation for travel-worthy coffee.
Seating isn’t an issue and it’s nice to see an establishment that actually doesn’t cram as many tables into its space as possible. Our experience with the waitstaff was fantastic, they really went out of their way to ensure that we were taken care of.
Flat white
Tea
After hearing so much about the coffee ($3.50), I was honestly expecting much more. My cup, while prepared well, just didn’t have the strength of flavour I would have liked.
Teas ($4) available include green sencha, peppermint, Earl Grey and lemongrass.
Banana smoothie
“It tastes like banana bread dough” exclaimed my guest! With an abundance of fresh banana and hints of honey, this is definitely a smoothie ($8.50) worth ordering and is also available with berries.
Milkshakes ($5) are also available as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or house salted caramel.
Big boy’s bacon & egg roll
While there is a bacon & egg roll ($9.50) available, the big boy’s bacon & egg roll ($13.50) is where it’s at! Loaded with bacon and two eggs it also comes with cress, cheese, BBQ sauce and aioli on a toasted bun. The bun was toasted, soft and condensed down nicely and every ingredient was cooked very well. The creaminess of the aioli tied everything together. It’s a b&e obviously made with care so roll lovers will surely enjoy it. The price is also fantastic.
Free range eggs with sides
This dish is essentially comprised just of sides. The eggs ($4), bacon ($4.50), tomato ($5), mushrooms ($5.50) and feta ($4.50). It’s once again proof that the dishes at smalltown are put together with love. I can still recall watching the chef carefully sprinkle the sesame seeds and place the leaves on the plate. The mushrooms were fried very simply and most of the other ingredients were left to shine on their own. The scrambled egg was cooked through but not dry. I would have liked to have seen my guest order the 63° eggs as it’s quite rare to find cafés that make them.
Other items on the menu worth considering include the lemongrass and star anise bircher (coconut milk soaked grains in house coconut yoghurt with lemongrass and star anise poached pear toasted coconut chips, ginger and almond praline, $16), buckwheat waffles with thyme roasted peaches, toasted almonds, vanilla cream, panela and Australian bush honey ($17) and toasted banana bread with whipped butter ($7).
The menu is a concise one but even if you order something remotely close to flavours that your like, you’re bound to enjoy what the kitchen produces for you. While not every dish was perfect, overall this location definitely left an impression. If you need a getaway from the Sydney CBD, then it’s worth taking a trip to Avalon.
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Overall Rating: 19/25
Website: https://www.facebook.com/SMALLTOWN-1406216622977828/
Phone: 9443 2286
Address: Shop 1, 21-23 Old Barrenjoey Road, Avalon
Payment Options: EFTPOS, credit cards, cash. 10% surcharge on public holidays
Sydney on Sunday 