A few years ago, Sutherland was a bit of a gastronomic wasteland. There was a decent butcher and a pretty good (if overpriced) fruit market, but apart from that there was a Franklins, a Gloria Jeans (shudder), a couple of second-rate cafes and too many dodgy Chinese takeaways.
Don't get me wrong - there is definitely a place in the world for second-rate cafes and dodgy Chinese. Not too long ago I took delight in frequenting these places with friends who lived nearby. Now all these friends have made their escape from the Shire and I am no longer able to wake up late on a Sunday morning and say, "Hey, let's drop everything and go have brunch!" I am also, sadly, no longer able to stomach dodgy Chinese.
But Sutherland has been changing in these few years. It started with White Horse, a cafe of the variety usually seen in Surry Hills or Paddington, with proper baristas, their own beans and coffee that has recently made a list of the top 10 cafes in Sydney. And let me tell you, it's damn good.
White Horse was the start. Before long, the dodgy butcher next to Franklins got bought out and refurbished and now sells a rather wonderful range of cuts and has a small but decent deli section. It's not exactly Victor Churchill but for a small suburb it's respectable. The fish-and-chips-and-chinese deep-fried salmonella factory on Flora Street closed for a few weeks and reopened with a shiny, stainless steel interior, excellent takeaway fish and chips and a window full of very fresh-looking produce. The opening of the Supabarn also widened the food horizons. Their fresh food section, although of supermarket standard, has a huge range and should hopefully encourage competitiveness in the existing fruit market. Their deli selection is impressive (ashed goat's curd anyone?) and they have a decent range of high-quality brands.
I knew something was really going on in Sutherland, however, when I walked through the little arcade on Eton Street and found a brand-new shiny coffee haunt with coffee that nearly rivals White Horse in taste. Two amazing coffee places? In Sutherland? Hooray!
I think I should go on a mission to make Sutherland a proper Foodie destination. We already have an annual Coffee Fair, how about a weekly or monthly Farmers Market? There's great coffee, good butchers and decent fresh food, how about a good deli? Anyone looking to start a small business?
I think that a farmers market would probably suit that area very well. Not where I used to live of course, a couple of flamethrowers and some breeding restrictions are far more suited to that particular apartment building.
ReplyDeleteWhite Horse coffee is the greatest thing to ever happen to Sutherland. If I was anywhere other than King Street, or 'the place that cafes are born', I would miss that place.
You can ALWAYS call me at the last minute on a Saturday morning for an impromptu brunch. It'll be just like old times :-)
ReplyDeleteHeh indeed :o) What I really meant though was that with the Wiggle it's not really practical to drop everything and go out with no notice anymore. *sniff*
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