If you haven’t visited this Boundary Street surprise package you could be forgiven for assuming it’s just another little West End hole-in-the-wall café. Venture inside and you’ll see that there’s far more to it than initially meets the eye.
If you’re in the mood for a bit of live music on the weekends, go no further than the front bar. Pull up a stool for a schooner of Fortitude Pacer for $6.50, or a Coopers Pale for $7. Fancy something a bit more intimate? Perhaps a glass of wine and a bite to eat; keep walking past the front bar, up a small flight of stairs to the dining room. Order a meal if you’re not in the mood for communal dining, otherwise you can’t beat the ‘Tasty Morsels to share’ menu. A plate of aged cheddar with pickles and tangy relish is a safe bet. Spicy sobrasada pork sausage with fennel and lemon packs a spicy punch spread on pieces of charred bread, or go for a classic combination of anchovies on smoked tomato tostada.
If you feel the need to get away from it all, keep walking past the dining room and emerge into a hidden oasis out the back – a big leafy courtyard over two levels. It’s a great spot for lazy Sunday brunch in the dappled sunlight – think haloumi, mint and pea bruschetta, or a Wagyu beef burger with all the trimmings. It’s one of the most extensive breakfast menus in town, and perhaps the booziest, with an Earl Grey or Espresso Martini, along with a Good Morning Bellini of sparkling wine and mango pulp, or our favourite: the breakfast martini of Tanqueray and Cointreau, shaken with a spoonful of orange marmalade and lemon juice. If all those options don’t leave you feeling spoilt for choice, there’s even an upstairs veranda where you can gaze upon all the goings-on of Boundary Street, smug in the knowledge that you may well have discovered West End’s best-kept secret.
