Four Ate Five, Surry Hills – Rating: 22/25 (re-review 2)

Four Ate Five

I’m back at one of my favourite cafés so I’ll keep this brief! I’ve reviewed Four Ate Five twice before (and visited many more times). I’m happy to report that it remains as popular as ever and it’s still one of the top spots on my list.

Experienced staff and a reputation for churning out consistently outstanding dishes are two solid reasons why FAF continues to thrive. It’s situated in Surry Hills (food heaven) and the menu continues to evolve so you can expect a few surprises each season.

Single origin cold drip

Single Origin is in use here and the cold drip ($4) served over ice is certainly a great way to enjoy it. While it was one of my guests who tried this, they had nothing but rave reviews. Regular coffees will set you back $3.80 so it seems as though the price is steadily rising around town.

World Par Tea ($4) is also available in a plethora of flavours.

Orange, pineapple and passionfruit juice

Fresh juices ($6.50) are available in a few varieties: apple, pineapple and mint, orange, pineapple and passionfruit, watermelon, pear and mint or carrot, apple and ginger. The addition of a decent amount of passionfruit set this apart, it wasn’t just there for fun. Served ice cold, it was delicious!

Strawberry and vanilla smoothie

Smoothies ($8) are available as banana, cinnamon and honey or strawberry and vanilla. Mine was reasonable but didn’t blow me away. The flavour relied too much on the yoghurt so I was left wanting more of the promised strawberry and vanilla.

Baked eggs

Side of bacon

I keep going back for the baked eggs ($18) at FAF because it’s one of my favourites. I have no idea why they removed the labneh because it made it even better but I still have to order this dish when I visit. The base is thick and filled with Moroccan spices, the almonds give a good crunch and the eggs come out just right. I added bacon ($4) on the side and the serving was plentiful. I couldn’t help but leave the toast to soak up all of the sauce until it lost its structural integrity!

The Mexican

Side of potato & fennel hash

The Mexican ($17) is a black turtle bean and chipotle chilli base with crumbled feta and coriander on top. And of course it’s not a breakfast dish until you add two poached eggs which FAF has done. In my guest’s opinion they aren’t needed as they added more water too the dish. Chorizo can be added for $2 and I highly recommend doing just that. Overall we all loved this wholesome, savoury dish.

My guest ordered the potato and fennel hash ($3.50) which is a dense (but soft inside) block of mashed potato and fennel (although not too much) with a super crispy exterior.

Eggs Benedict

The hollandaise of the eggs Benedict ($16) was almost on point, just lacking more of a lemon tang. This special was served on a croissant making it especially decadent. It was filling with loads of ham and two eggs; one that I’d definitely order again if it was available.

Four Ate Five is definitely a Sydney breakfast institution in my eyes. One of those cafés that churns out delicious dishes reliably well with friendly staff that make you feel at home but it still has that sense of this city’s urgency. It represents a perfect start to your weekend day before you kick on with your next adventure.

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