Cafe Giulia
| Where | 92 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale, NSW, 2008—View map |
Contact | 02 9698 4424 brekkie@breakfastout.com.au |
Website | www.cafegiulia.com |
Open | Tuesday to Friday 6.30 am to 4.00 pm |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Diners, AMEX, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Unwelcome |
Into Temptation
Natalie Ward 29 November 2008
Café Giulia is a long, thin extrusion of a café that has developed something of a cult following amongst Chippendale locals. During the week creative types from surrounding warehouse offices drop by for their daily fix of coffee and home-made bagels (something I think more Sydney cafes could definitely learn from). But it's on the weekend that this cafe really comes into its own, with one of the most extensive breakfast menus in the inner city making Café Giulia the perfect place to indulge.
On this particular morning however I am determined to keep it light. It's been a busy week of wining and dining and I am considering an early start to my post-festive-season detox. It all begins so well. I order the freshly squeezed pineapple, apple, ginger and mint juice at the front and grab a table with my friends in the sunny rear courtyard. One sip and I sense those dastardly toxins have finally met their nemesis. With no menus at the table I duck inside to check the extensive blackboard menu stretched above the open kitchen. There are plenty of wholesome options to choose from, and I am seriously tempted by the Tuscan toast with tomato, feta and basil, but as soon as I spy the Belgian waffles I know its game over.
After ordering at the counter I return to my table and attempt a pre-emptive strike against my planned sugar splurge by polishing off the last of my juice. My breakfast arrives shortly after, a glistening stack of lightly caramelized waffles, crowned with stewed rhubarb, brown sugar and a generous dollop of creamy mascarpone. After letting all around me know how I don't think I could possibly eat the whole thing, I proceed to do just that. As I artfully assemble the perfect composition of ingredients into each forkful, I sneak a sideways glance at what my breakfast companions have ordered.
To my left sits the French toast served with two lightly grilled nectarine halves. The waitress apologizes that they have run out of bananas but I think they might be onto something here. Opposite me, two ‘extra easy' poached eggs ooze languidly over the obligatory sourdough toast. As I mop up the last of the melted brown sugar I become philosophical about the modern obsession with detoxing. Life is simply too short to pass up food this good.