Thursday 12 May 2016

Paddington Deli And Epicerie - Review

What do you do when hubby has no clients or employees in for the day?  Go off for lunch that's what.  So go we did.  We headed off to the western suburbs, which funnily enough are a bit hard to get to from the northern suburbs that we live in.  Brisbane is made up of lots of hills and ridges, so you have to take a circuitous route to get around to some areas.  But never fear, we got there in plenty of time for lunch.


the view from our outdoor table-they have high chairs and a dog bowl and a lollipop bush  



Paddington has been a trendy suburb for many years, and the main road through it has lots of boutiques and cafes.  We decided on Paddington Deli, as it is part of a complex that contains a very old (former) cinema now an antiques centre.  I couldn't miss a chance to check it out again.




Brut Monmousseau bubbles from the Loire Valley $10    

You have your choice of various wines and beers from Australia, France, New Zealand and so on, with prices being average for a local cafe.  Our charming Italian waiter told me I had made a good choice, but just between you and me I think they always tell you that!



the inevitable strawb. milkshake for Mr P.- $6   

You can get all the usual suspects here - frappes, coffee, tea, soft drinks, and even coconut water if you feel the need to replenish your electrolytes.




yep Eggs Benny with smoked salmon $18      

I know, I know, I am a creature of habit.  But this is lunch eggs Benny so that clearly means it is different :=)  The asparagus was lightly blanched - I know, it looks raw - and rather crunchy.  Not to everyone's taste I think, but okay by me.  Better than being limp anyway.  Hollandaise is house made so that's a winner.  My eggs were overdone sadly - I like them runny, and my sourdough bread was too crusty.  I really hate fighting with my food.  I just couldn't cut through them so I ended up leaving most of the crusty bits.  Not a bad dish over all, it just needs tweaking to be perfect.  




house made beef cheeseburger $18   


Mr P. was happy that his beef burger had relish on it, and that it came with an extra amount too.  He has been vociferous lately about dry, relish-free zones on his burgers. I was surprised by a comment from an English blogger that they are relish-free there too. What has come over the global burger arena?  Bring back the relish!

The beef pattie was flavoursome when I tried a bit; the salad dressing "great" according to Mr P. - just the right amount of balsamic.  He was unsure of the cauliflower in his salad though.  I know cauli is trendy but...

I would like to regale you with tales of other dishes tried, but Mr P. had to get back to work.  And I had to have a peek into the Antiques Centre; so many lovely and expensive things there.


The Deli is now open for Friday and Saturday night dinners too, so we must get along to check it out.  And don't forget that it is a deli also, so you can buy provisions like cheese, olives and oils while you are there.




looking into the brick-lined cafe   




the lovely character-filled interior  



153-155 Latrobe Tce., Paddington 4064
Ph: 07 3367 8819



Paddington Deli & Epicerie Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

14 comments:

  1. Oh I would love to there the Eggs Benny looks delicious and so does the fizz x

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  2. I'd never say no to a home made Hollandaise. In the 80's, it seemed I spent my life in Paddington - it was just so cool. Now days of course, there are many cool little villages tucked throughout the city so Paddington barely gets a look in from us. I got a cocktail cabinet from that antiques centre several years ago and it still draws admiring gasps from all when I open it!

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    1. we used to go there alot more when we lived in the western suburbs but now we go further afield. as you say there are so many villages around town these days to try. we have a lovely piano stool that we bought at the antiques centre - such a beauty.

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  3. Hi Sherry, your eggs Benny looked the part, such a shame the eggs were over done. I love a nice crusty bread, but not so crusty have to fight with it, so it would have ruined it for me too.

    On the other hand your husbands burger looks a winner; homemade, with cheese and relish. It's making me hungry and I've just eaten. I'm also not sure about cauli in salads, it's not really got much taste.

    xx

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    1. hubby is always on the lookout for great shakes and burgers and he loves housemade patties so this was good.

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  4. Eggs Benny with a glass of bubbly....now that is my sort of lunch.
    Especially with the hollandaise being made in house. SO often you order and you find the hollandaise tastes like it came straight out of a pouch from a well know brand. :-(
    I admit it I am a hollandaise snob ;-) It is my favourite sauce and I make it so often I get cross when it isn't right.

    The burger looks good too. Perhaps I could go and have benny for brunch, drink a few more glasses of bubbly and have a burger for an early tea?

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    1. i always find that hollandaise has no lemon in it. i love really tangy, lemony sauces so they always disappoint in cafes. sad!

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  5. Yay for sauces!! I can never get enough of them and am always pleased when there is extra :)

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  6. I love it when they put the sauce or relish on the side, so many of them are average or they get slathered on with a trowel so I like to have control over if I want it or not, but equally important is that it IS there. Same with butter, mayo, sugar for coffee. Nice that is is licensed and you can have a drink with lunch.

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    1. I always like my cafes to be licensed Stella!:))

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  7. Shame about the classic eggs benny! We always need this one to be good. I was talking to someone the other day about how some bread served is too hard to cut and it's just all too hard :(

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    1. yep i just give up on the bread when it's that hard Jem:) It even cuts your mouth sometimes when the crispy bit is too crispy. i think English muffins or turkish bread goes best with eggs benny.

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