Don’t wait until the middle of the day to check out Manly’s newest café, Noon. And that’s because it’s probably the most exciting morning offering we’ve seen in the coastal town of late – and this is coming from a born-and-bred Northern Beaches local. (Effie’s serves a cracking coffee and eggs with chilli jam, but they’re up the road in Balgowlah). Noon is by the Good Good Company, the team behind some of Manly’s best spots including the fun-times-only Japanese-ish Sunset Sabi, pasta and vino haven Busta, and OG date-night spot, Chica Bonita, spearheaded by owner Luke Miller. That’s all to say: you’re in good hands at Noon. The café has opened on a sunny corner on Raglan street – locals will know the location well – that used to be the former home of Deus.
This isn’t your average café. There’s still avo on toast of course, and a bacon and egg roll made with focaccia from Pioik Bakery in Pyrmont, free-range eggs from Peats Ridge, and bacon from Marrickville’s Whole Beast Butchery. But it’s the other dishes that get us most excited. Take the mince on toast, a nostalgic plate made up of Blackmore Wagyu mince that’s spiced and served with toasted almonds, currants and crème fraîche on a thick slice of sourdough. Dads, eat your heart out.
We also love the sound of the house-cured trout with a boiled egg, hempseed loaf with creamy Turkish tzatziki. Feel like something hearty? Go for the potatoes carnitas with crisp, golden spuds and pulled pork topped with a fried egg, hollandaise and pops of buckwheat. There’s also a hash brown with a dippy sauce on the menu, so you should probably order that, too. Just be sure to wait 30 minutes before you hit the surf.
Coffee beans are sourced from Melbourne’s Seven Seeds, and there’s a handful of pale-blue seats outside where you can enjoy your morning brew in the sunshine. The snazzy uniforms and cool branding was created by One and One, a Sydney-based design studio.
Noon’s fitout is retro and slick, with a sunken reddish-brown banquet seating, olive-green walls and glass blocks, which were big in the ’80s. Add on the fact that you’re less than a minutes’ walk from Manly Beach, and things are looking bright at Noon. Even if you’re not a morning person, you’re going to want to make an exception.
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