As with all the trendy places in Sydney nowadays, no booking was allowed for Kitchen by Mike. After the experience at The Grinds at Alexandria, we knew better to get there at a respectable (translation - ungodly) hour to secure a table, avoid the queues, and get the goodies before they run out.
So we made it at 8:45 (!!!). I live 5 minutes from work and don't actually get to work until nearly 10am. Then again, I will get up early if I have to ... Clearly dessert is something I willingly get up early for. Just as well, we easily secured a table, leisurely made our orders (overheard by the counter - "there's only 10 serves of pancakes left"!!) before the mad Sunday breakfast rush (which happens about 10).
The greedy duo (aka KT and CS) went for the following: Honeycomb and ricotta on toasted fruit and nut bread, strawberry muffin, sourdough pancake with lemon curd, chocolate twist, lemon lime and pineapple juice, and a berry smoothie. One of the more sensible dessertees opted for a healthy wholesome bircher museli flavoured with apple and lime juice.
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| Oh that lime millefeuille is one of mine. We put it there because it fitted in perfectly :p |
The smoothie was very thick, but tasty, a fab meal on its own. The muesli was gorgeous - it was soaked in lime and apple juice so the tang really woke us up with the first mouthful. The honey-ricotta toast was hearty, and next time we'll just opt for honey drizzled over the top rather than trying to chew wax. Strawberry muffin was light, more like a cupcake, which I preferred. Chocolate twist was good but compared to everything else, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The piece de resistance - the pancake which ran out - it was VERY interesting. It did taste like sourdough, but it was a pancake. The lemon curd was gorgeously tangy (we like our tang!). Top pick for the day - and get in early!!
Carrying our very heavy stomachs, we walked to Grandma's Little Bakery at Alexandria. Unscheduled stop, but it was on the way, and we have heard of it, so why the hell not! It's a cute cafe with a distinctly Mediterranean menu. Plus there's a $20 buffet breakfast special we're sure to return for!! Rosewater and pistachio "Malabi" was like a rose-scented panna cotta. Warm apple strudel actually looked like a puffy apple danish and was light and flaky. Cheese cake was light and crumbly (could do without the top crumble, some say). Iced coffee was an excellent cooling slushy made of real coffee, I could have this any time (maybe not in the middle of winter, mind you).
You'd think we'd stop by now, but we have one more scheduled visit! Bread and Circus Wholefoods Canteen was a relaxing stop with open plan kitchen, fresh produce on display (and for sale), and vegetarian. Not having butter in my desserts is rather unusual but we'll give it a try. I do find the location something to chuckle at, as you can see it's between two construction sites, and within a revamped warehouse very simply fitted out with a kitchen and some tables. Still, it's funky, unpretentious and airy.
The chocolate spread was VERY dark, which meant apart from the strong cocoa I really couldn't taste the coconut it was meant to have. The juices were fresh - you could taste the individual fruits. We had the lime pineapple and mint (like a rumless mojito) and watermelon lime and mint (watermelon mojito maybe?). Both quite tart, but we like tart... 
If I must buy coffee, I tend to try and look for Campos if it's available nearby. Generally they have good beans and the baristas are those who care about the coffee they serve their customers. Right next to Bread and Circus was Don Campos, so I had to get my afternoon espresso pick-me-up. After flirting with one of the staff members (!!!) I got my espresso and ... hm. Initial flavour was good, lovely crema, but then it left me with a bitter aftertaste. Hm. It was an award-winning Colombian blend too. Must think twice about Campos ... maybe stick with their house blend.
We always seem to return home fat and happy at the end of our monthly tour, and this was no exception. Love these inner city revivals, love the fact that people who care about what they put in their systems also care about what they put in OUR systems. My compliments to the chefs!
CS
