What is the recipe for being one of the best cafes in Australia? Great food, great coffee, great service? Yes, but on top of that you need hard work and dedication. The doors have only been open for two weeks at Sayers Sister in Northbridge, yet they are already nailing this recipe for greatness. (Along with their recipe for caramel slice which is to die for.)
Now before writing this review, I had already dined there three times — not (I hasten to add) because I wanted to give them more chances, but because I was consistently blown away all three times. And there is still so much on the menu that I haven’t tried yet. They have a larger-than-normal menu including all the specials, quiches, house-baked cakes, pies and — did I mention the caramel slice already?
Sayers Sister is by no means the first café to introduce the notion of a communal table. However for the (solo) breakfast enthusiast, there is no daunting feeling when you look up from your menu and see the couple across from you locking eyes for a second before smiling awkwardly and looking away. With the middle of the table filled with fresh flowers, local olive oil for sale and even more sweets, this table works to break the room up and give it more ambiance and colour. For me particularly, I can pop in to Sayers quickly and grab a bite to eat at the table before I have to go back to work.
On my last visit, I ordered a Potato Rosti with mushrooms, a cappuccino and a long black. In my defence, it was 10am on a Saturday. The potato had a hard crunchy outer coating with an incredibly soft centre. I’m not too sure if my senses were playing up, but I swear I could taste a hint of pear in there as well. The bacon was crispy and the eggs were perfectly poached, with the slightest touch bursting the yolk. For the cappuccino, I had the Sayers Sister house blend. This gave me notes of butterscotch and caramel and a long, lingering finish. The long black was juicy and sweet with soft pineapple acidity. Once I had finished my meal and was sitting back sipping my coffee, out came a procession of quiches and all of a sudden I had massive food envy. Bacon and chorizo and tomato and mozzarella quiches, a chicken and mushroom pie and a lemon meringue tart passed me by. I told myself I would come back another day. Well, not for the lemon meringue pie. I got that takeaway!
Sayers Sister is cash only and they don’t take EFTPOS, but for those card users like me, Sayers have the added convenience of an in-store ATM. Now I could probably talk more about how great Sayers Sister is, and about all the wonderful things that Mark and Stephanie are doing, but you should just go and check out my new local. Be warned however — it’s addictive.
Sayers Sister
236 Lake Street
Northbridge, WA
Opening hours
Tuesday — Saturday 7:00am — 5:00pm
Sunday 7:00am — 5:00pm
© Photos provided with permission by Matt O’Donohue from Abstract Gourmet. All rights reserved by photographer
