Urban Bites - a bit underwhelming

A few weeks ago, I went to meet my friend Margaret for brunch in Newtown. On this particular day, we were meeting for brunch at a cafe called Urban Bites in Newtown.  This is one of the many spots I've noted on a warm, sunny day, and had been jealous of the people actually eating there.  Today, it was my turn.  The forecast was particularly sneaky; when I got dressed, it read 23, so jeans were appropriate.  However, by the time I reached the midpoint, the temp. had shot up to 31 degrees and I was dying; having to call M to tell her I'd be delayed since I could barely function putting one foot in front of the other, let alone doing it quickly.  

I'm pretty used to the Sydney temps these days, but when you're not dressed for it (as in, wearing as little clothing as possible), it's a bit of an ordeal for a Newfie girl.  When I got to the resto, after downing about a litre of water, I noticed a canine a few feet away.  Normally, I'm not a fan of animals in restos (it's gross; am I wrong here?) but M and I agreed that this pathetic-looking pooch pretty much summed up how all of Sydney was feeling that day.

Margaret ended up ordering the Big Breakfast - I think - which consisted of bacon (back bacon) 2 eggs and (sourdough) toast for something ridiculous like $8.  This is a bargain, folks.  I also love how Aussies tend to add a grilled tomato to breakfast - that's my kinda garnish.  

Big Breakfast? 

I was feeling eggs and smoked salmon of some kind, so I went for the scramble with spinach.  It was delicious.  I felt like shoving the whole thing between those two slabs of Turkish toast and making an awesome sambo, but I erred on the side of conservative calories, and simply had my pile of eggs with a touch of toast. 

Smoked Salmon & Spinach Scramble
w/ Turkish Toast ($15-$17ish)

I also ordered a pretty good coffee - but one that ended up costing me about $6! Australians are serious about their java.  I once ordered an iced coffee and received a glass of the brew topped with about two scoops of vanilla ice cream.   I wanted cold coffee, not a calorie fix!  Anyway, on this occasion, I ended up with a frappucino-y type-thing, which sated my fix for both caffeine and a cold  drink -  though it wasn't wallet-friendly.

That being said, I recall my b-fast bill being about $24 for the eggs/java, so l likely won't head back to this spot again.  And in Sydney, why would you - when there are so many options for bfast right around the corner.

Countless options for bfast at the Clipper Cafe

Last week, I met my friend Margaret for brunch in Glebe. Margaret is a pal that I 'borrowed' from my sister - they met in Manhattan. Actually, Margaret is the wife that my sister 'borrowed' from her boyfriend's best friend.  Keep up people!  Anyhow, luckily for me, M now lives in Sydney as opposed to Manhattan, so I get to meet her sporadically to catch up; talk about life, food, fun and how much we both miss my sister.

Since we met up in her 'hood (Newtown) the last time, we decided to reunite in Glebe on this sunny Tuesday am.  We decided to go to the Clipper Cafe because: a) my gal pal Christine works there, and b) I wanted to introduce Mags to the amazingness that is La Banette.

When I arrived, M was already waiting patiently with her latte in hand, so we set about ordering some bfast.  Having already poured over many of Sydney's food blogs at images, I decided on the baked eggs Napoli while M decided on a panini sambo.

Baked Eggs Napoli w/ Chorizo & Mushroom

w/ Toasted Sourdogh ($10ish)

Sadly my gal Christine wasn't at work, however, one of her colleagues assisted me with my dilemma: Instead of having to choose between Chorizo and mushroom (pancetta was the other option), she suggested that I have 1/2 and 1/2!  And she didn't charge me extra either.    But seriously; this was such a fantastic dish - and such a creative one too.  The poached eggs (which were a little runny for my taste) were nestled deep within the tomato sauce, topped with a pile of the piquant sausage and tender 'shrooms.  There were even bits of halloomi cheese scattered about.  In all honesty, I haven't eaten this much in one sitting in a long time, but it was just so good - and not something I was going to get packed up as a takeaway.  And, who doesn't love to mop up the tomato sauce left at the finish?

Toasted Sandwich
w/fresh tomatos, pesto & Bocconcinni ($8)

I didn't try M's sambo (I had enough to deal with), but she did rave about the quality.  Looked delish, as did the Prosciutto, mushroom and Brie option.

And once we were finished, I took M over to La Banette where we ooo'd and aww'd over the precious baked goods.  Naught was had however - were were both ready to roll down GPR at this point after our uber satisfying and well-priced bfast at Clipper.  Return visits are soon to happen too, as ther were so many tantalizing options on that menu board. I should note too, that many of the items were vegetarian friendly. :)