Two Good Eggs Café, Surry Hills – Rating: 22/25

Two Good Eggs Café

With a distinct lack of CBD cafés among my reviews, I’m always happy to add one to the list! Two Good Eggs first opened in 2005 before it was purchased by the current owners Andrew Menczel & Laci Csobonyei. The name was apt for their vision of the café, so it remained.

The interior is large enough to cope with a reasonably large crowd. It’s eclectic and warm. The design has taken a lot of influence from Andrew and Laci’s studies in fine arts. Laci’s paintings adorn the walls as well as the floor and Andrew remarked that “the large photo of Budapest is on the wall because Laci is Hungarian and my father was born in Budapest.” Small touches like this really put a unique touch on the atmosphere at 2GE

Cappuccino

Flat white

Skim cappuccino

English breakfast tea

Every beverage that we ordered was presented superbly but more importantly tasted even better. My guests and I relished our coffees ($3.80). Elbon Coffee from Double Bay is put to good use here. It’s a brand that I haven’t tried before but has been producing exquisite beans for decades. I’ll definitely be back to enjoy more cups at 2GE.

Mango and passionfruit smoothie

There’s only one daily smoothie ($6.90) available and on this day it was mango and passionfruit. The blend was delicious; thick and full of fruit with a great tang and crunch of pips from the passionfruit.

Vegetarian stack

Vegetarians rejoice! There are more than a few vegetable-adorned plates at 2GE. The vegetarian stack ($17.90) was presented well as were all of the other dishes. Two slices of quinoa and soya toast with a spread of avocado and spinach. This was topped with roasted mushrooms and soft Danish feta.

Almost everything on the plates at 2GE is made inhouse and it shows in the quality and flavour of the foods. The banana bread, pear bread and pastries are the exception to the inhouse rule.

Goats on toast

Side of bacon

Surprisingly, probably my favourite dish on the table was also the simplest. Goats on toast ($15.90) is based on two slices of sour cherry fruit toast. If that isn’t a great start then I don’t know what is! This is topped with warm goats cheese, smashed walnuts and a drizzle of honey. Andrew remarked that their intent is to provide “simple breakfast and lunch dishes but use exceptional ingredients” and that’s exactly what comes through.

Some slices of apple on the side complete the flavour combination and it works extremely well. My guest, the bacon addict, added bacon ($4) which itself was also crispy and delicious. She thought it combined well with her dish but I preferred it just as it was served.

Two Good Eggs vegetarian breakfast

The Two Good Eggs vegetarian breakfast ($18.90) differs from the Two Good Eggs breakfast by substituting haloumi and baked beans for bacon and hash browns. My guest added the latter back in for $4 though. They were made of mashed potato within as opposed to strained so they were had a very smooth consistency. The haloumi was grilled to the point where it developed a crispy, golden exterior which was quiet extraordinary. The beans were nothing special, simply from the can. The roasted mushrooms and poached eggs were prepared as expected, professionally and with care.

Eggs Benedict

My eggs Benedict ($18.90) was on the specials menu but hopefully it’s there for a while because it was fantastic. Served on a base of sourdough, you have a choice of bacon, ham, mushroom or smoked salmon. All of these come on a base of spinach and are topped with two poached eggs and a thick, well formed hollandaise that’s rich and flavoursome. Included on almost every plate at 2GE is a small jar of relish which is a tribute to the Spanish Tomate eaten in Spain. “We pay homage to our European roots in many of the dishes” said Andrew, “Spain, France and Hungary are some of the main influences.”

While the relish doesn’t work with the creamy hollandaise, it’s a nice touch that compliments many of the dishes it’s served with.

Parmesan, roast tomato and poached egg bruschetta

This shot of the parmesan, roast tomato and poached egg bruschetta ($18.90) is here for no other reason than to look pretty! Some generous and friendly fellow patrons offered me their plate to snap a shot. It comes with crispy prosciutto and pesto… one of the many unique dishes on the menu that’s presented well and offers flavours that work harmoniously.

Buttermilk pancakes

After we had all enjoyed our dishes so much, we decided it was apt to top it off with something sweet. The buttermilk pancakes come with either bacon & maple ($14.90) or blueberry & rhubarb compote and vanilla marscapone ($16.90). A killer price for a scrumptious dish with spongy pancakes that did their best to absorb the compote making them plump and juicy. These pancakes were gone in a flash, highly recommended.

Interior

Some other dishes on the menu that will start your mouth watering? The Brissy Street special (warm croissant with herb scrambled eggs, bacon, caramelised onion and aged cheddar with fried chat potatoes, $18.90), toasted muesli, seasonal fruit salad and yoghurt with blueberry & rhubarb compote and drizzled honey ($13.90), gym guru breakfast (egg white, spinach & tomato with avocado, mushroom & smoked salmon, bacon or ham, $19.90) and Spanish baked eggs with spicy salami, black olives and manchego cheese served with sourdough ($17.90).

Each day, you’ll find the counter to be adorned with a range of baked goods. The muffins are baked in house while the sourdough is supplied by Brasserie Bread. From the beverages to the savoury food and the sweet dishes, there was little that Two Good Eggs did wrong. The friendly service and outstanding beans have made this a café that I’ll surely be returning to.

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