Every now and then you find a little gem of a cafe that completely surprises you and blows you away – like The Wooden Whisk in Crows Nest/St Leonards.
It’s not like the Black Stars or the Bourke Street Bakeries that you hear about all the time – it’s an understated little cafe on the North Shore that kicks butt with its food. It’s on an unassuming street – and of course that means I made assumptions about it. But as soon as I walked into The Wooden Whisk I knew there was something different about it. First off, the menu was huge, with a whole list of specials on a blackboard as well. The second thing I noticed was how packed the place was – that’s a sure sign of a good place.
Coffees and chais first of course (priced at $3.80 each) and then Sean, the lovely owner of The Wooden Whisk, saw that we were having difficulty deciding on what we wanted to have so he said he would just bring out a selection of things for us to try! Brilliant! He brought us out three incredible dishes – first off the Fresh tomato, avocado, ricotta, poached egg and light rye toast ($15.50) was quickly snapped up by S. (ummm I thought we were supposed to be sharing?!) because it was pretty much her ideal breakfast dish. Love the micro herbs and general presentation – a little bit goes a long way!
This crazy colourful salad was in the middle of our table. Grilled haloumi and raw vegetables with beetroot, fennel, rocket, green beans, pickled carrot and apple balsamic vinegar ($16.50). We both really enjoyed this dish – I was especially surprised as I don’t really like salad (okay, I just don’t like leaves!) but this was super tasty. Would have again!
I took on this incredible Field Mushroom Stack which I don’t think was on the normal menu. Look at the size of the thing! At the bottom you have a chunky field mushroom. Then a layer of spinach, then a layer of bacon. Then a layer of this incredible mixture, almost like a tepenade, of mushroom, garlic and truffle oil (this stuff was MINT!). All of this topped with poached eggs and asparagus. Incredible. Especially when you pop your poached egg and the yolk mixes in with all that…Ugh I wish I could eat it for breakfast now!
All in all, I’d really encourage you to check out The Wooden Whisk even if it is a bit out of the way for you. It’s really worth it and the cafe will be a pleasant surprise for you!
The Wooden Whisk
Shop 7 & 8
38-46 Chandos Street
St Leonards
http://www.woodenwhisk.com.au/
Disclaimer: talk&spoon and S were invited to eat at The Wooden Whisk, with thanks to Claire from CPM Online Marketing.
