It was about time for Kulinary Adventures of Kath and I to have another foodie date, and while we both had a Friday morning free, we both needed to be at Macquarie University by lunch time, me for my Pilates class, her for a law tutorial. I was stuck for suggestions as to where to go when she had the ingenious idea of visiting Pablo & Rusty’s in Epping. While I’ve been to their Gordon cafe, I was yet to visit the Epping branch and I was interested to see how it compared.

I got to Epping by train and the cafe is a very short walk from the train station, along Langston Place. It’s simply decorated in minimalist style with white walls and chairs, high ceiling, and tables in either pairs or communal arrangements.

There’s a selection of a few freshly-baked muffins and cupcakes in the glass counters at the front. Kath works at a cafe close to her home and says that they have the same supplier for the cupcakes and said they’re very good, but I was more interested in the clipboard menu.

The clipboard menu has your usual breakfast favourites such as bircher muesli and bacon and egg rolls, but also has some exotic-looking things like Mango-Soaked Chia Seeds and Sourdough French Toast.

Kath decided to go for the Sourdough French Toast ($12) which came out presented beautifully.

There was a lot of ricotta and a lot of fruit, the whole thing having been drizzled in honey and topped with micro-herbs. Kath enjoyed her first taste of pomegranate however couldn’t seem to locate the cinnamon crumb mentioned on the menu. But it was tasty regardless, and she washed it down with an Iced Chai Latte ($5.50).

On the other hand, I was more in the mood for something savoury and so decided to go for the Free Range Poached Eggs ($13) which came with crushed peas and quinoa, and you can add either kurobuta ham or bacon for $3, so of course I went for bacon… because the world is always a better place with bacon!

It came out set out in almost antipasti platter style, meaning you tore the bread apart, topped it with the various elements, and occasionally ate the elements alone. The quinoa had been cooked to perfection in stock and wasn’t flavourless like I had been fearing.

And those EGGS. Lordy, those eggs.

A gloriously dribbly, runny mess which I mopped up with my sourdough toast. I can never get enough of runny yolks.

Oh yes, and I had also ordered a coffee. My favourite, a skinny hazelnut latte ($3.50+syrup 30c) that was simply perfect.

What a breakfast! In hindsight it probably wasn’t the best idea to go to Pilates straight after this epic breakfast! But I still ended up going regardless…sometimes I just never learn.

An amazingly fresh and delicious breakfast and it’s lovely to see a cafe with so many organic and free-range elements on their menu! Beautiful and honest food, presented well and good value for the quality of ingredients.

Pablo & Rusty’s
42 Langston Place,
Epping NSW 2121
(02) 9868 4828
www.pabloandrustys.com.au