Burnt Orange, Mosman – Rating: 20.5/25

Burnt Orange

Deep within Mosman’s suburban streets and surrounded by natural bush is a café that has eluded my reviews for a long time. Burnt Orange opened six years ago with the concept of a café and restaurant that feels like an extension of your own home. And owner Padraig Devlin has achieved just that as the house that Burnt Orange occupies has a quaint yet grand approach to decor. The design is thoughtful and refined with a layout that flows easily from one room to the next. This includes a home and giftware shop.

Parking is available directly next to the café or you can stop further up the street and take the scenic walk down.

Verandah seating

Most tables are situated on the expansive wrap-around verandah which has views over the water and headland so it’s easily one of the most scenic spots I’ve visited. It really is quite an idyllic setting. The waitstaff were plentiful and definitely knew what they were doing. Our waitress was exceptionally bubbly which I always welcome.

Flat white

Coffee ($4.30) by Single Origin is certainly on the more expensive side but my guest and I enjoyed our cups which were strong and flavoursome.

Also available is hot chocolate ($4.50), chai latte ($4.50) and an assortment of tea ($5).

Summer berry smoothie

One of my favourite smoothies in recent weeks! My summer berry smoothie ($8) was absolutely loaded with fresh berries. It was thick but still easy enough to enjoy through a straw. Some crushed ice was mixed through which made it cold and added some crunch. Other flavours are mango, passionfruit & orange and banana, coconut and wheat germ.

Buttermilk pancakes

The buttermilk pancakes ($18) come with two options: strawberries and ricotta or double smoked bacon and maple syrup. The pancakes themselves are definite winners. They were tall, springy, fluffy and definitely not dry. The bacon had a slight charring which I loved.

Alaskan king crab Benedict

The Alaskan king crab Benedict ($26) features a lavishly topped brioche bun. I was expecting something impressive from this dish and it met my expectations thanks to the combination of chopped as well as large pieces of crab, perfectly poached eggs, spot-on hollandaise and a topping of roe. The rich combination was blissful. I really have nothing but praise for the dish so I can only applaud chef Nick Maoudis and sous chef Andrew Fletcher.

The Benedict is also available with Barossa leg ham ($20) or Tasmanian smoked salmon ($22).

Tea and coffee sets

We didn’t get to sample one of Burnt Orange’s signature dishes: the scones ($6). They are baked twice daily and come as plain, date, wholemeal or mixed berry (all served with Chantilly cream and house-made mixed berry jam). Assistant manager Kevin Killeen proudly went on “we also have a choice of house-made slices, salted peanut and caramel, rocky road and triple Belgian chocolate brownie. There’s also three cupcakes to choose from: raspberry, salted caramel and red velvet with white chocolate.”

The menu changes seasonally but currently some other dishes that you can expect to find include fresh Summer fruit salad with sheep’s milk yoghurt ($16), chia breakfast bowl (almond milk, coconut, passionfruit and mango, $16), Cedar Street buffalo milk halloumi with spiced poached egg, cucumber, mint and warm flat breat ($20) and breakfast bruschetta (vine tomato & avocado with smoked bacon and poached egg on grilled sourdough ($22) just to name a few!

Needless to say I was enthralled with my visit to Burnt Orange. Yes, it’s on the more expensive end of the scale but I’m glad to have spoiled myself. Only two stars for Value simply because I have to rank the prices with other Sydney alternatives. When it comes to the food though, it was incredibly hard to fault.

Taste:
Presentation:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Value: