Walking into Cafe Luxembourg from the street is like a breath of European air. Its interior design creates a feeling of old elegance and comfort immediately without cluttering the surprising amount of seating, which unveils slowly as you walk in. Before lunch people happily type away on their laptops or discuss bound contracts in a mess on their table, undisturbed by the wait staff.

I sat and enjoyed eggs Benedict with salmon, without the usual saturation of Hollandaise and was uninterrupted except by good coffee until lunch. The Wifi was a secure network without the annoying login page and at no point did I have an interuption in service the three hours I was there. I happily replied to emails and generally caught up on my online duties while enjoying some of the freshest euro styled food I have had in New York.

IMO it was parisian level food coupled with excellent new york service + wifi.

http://www.cafeluxembourg.com/

You could do this place for a group, but I’ve always come here for something more intimate. And on either account, the food doesn’t disappoint with reliable but interesting choices every time. Mushrooms and chorizo on toast with poached eggs are a safe but worthwhile option, but the real standout on our visit was egg baked with creamed spinach, bacon and gruyere toast. This little number was an absolutely breakfast gem – not so out there that you couldn’t justify it for breakfast but not the everyday breakfast choice either.

Heeley Street Espresso is not a place to go in cold or wet weather, but a perfect place to go if you want something casual, or you have a dog to watch or you started to walk up Healey Street and then gave up (those who’ve done it know what I’m talking about). It’s a great place to bunker down by yourself with the paper as well. Really what I’m saying is that if it’s a nice day, you’re hungover and you’re in paddo, this is a great brekkie choice. And with all day brekkie on the cards, why not trip down to the pub once you’ve finished for a cocktail and pick up a Sonoma loaf from Sonoma at Five Ways on your way home.

Gin’s my poison of choice and a classic gin martini is on the cards for tonight.  The bartender recommends moving away from the British gins that I know and love to a lovely drop by a local Margaret River producer.  Next comes a dish piled high with green olives and liquid nitrogen for the coldest martini the world has ever seen, “it lengthens the botanical flavours in the gin” says the bartender.

Now.  I know you’re skeptical.  Fancy pants cocktailing techniques is hardly the same as 16 hour slow braising of pork belly. But I think I’ll believe him this time- the coldness of the gin does indeed make for a longer aftertaste, the room is buzzing, the music has groove and the barmen are cute. Perhaps its not all hype.  And it’s open til 1 most nights of the week.  Get to it.

That in mind, this was the perfect venue to meet up with a long standing friend who I hadn’t seen in a year – interesting but not too controversial menu choices, time conscious staff and a view of Potts Point human traffic to fill in any lull in conversation.

We ordered pancakes with spiced pears and ricotta and a ham, provolone and mustard toastie. Each what we expected, well made and tasty and  the menu was diverse enough that there was something for everyone. This place is a worthy contender in the vicious battle between potential brunch venues in Potts Point and should certainly be added to your folio of possibilities.

So when it came time to take out a very hungover, hungry and impatient group of lawyers for breakfast, including one from interstate, I decided that no-one could stay angry after an almond croissant… Or one of the many other tasty breakfast treats at Sel et Poivre.

Always full enough to be enticing but empty enough to know there’ll be a table and with sweet (most of the time genuinely) French speaking staff, it’s easy to suspend belief for a second and pretend you and your group are being all very Parisienne while munching on anything from French Toast to Eggs Benedict to mushroom tartine with French Brie.  I have always known the food to be reliable and a safe bet when you need the setting to be seamless enough to fade into the background while you have a great catchup or just a selfish hungover morning all on your own.

And if you’re especially enthusiastic and in a French mood, why not hang around for some of the wonderful lunch options, like steak tartare or lamb loin with thyme jus and ratatouille? 

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrkkkkkkk.

When looking for somewhere casual enough not to be a big deal, but
special enough to be worthy of such a reunion, the Tilbury is your friend. With an intelligent menu (think entree of quail legs with cauliflower purée, chestnuts and apple reduction or simple fresh and plump oysters with lemon and eshallot vinegar) a robust wine list and a dessert selection that mates frumpy with fun, Tilbury is a fun choice for Saturday afternoon lunch in the impressive/casual dining wedge.

Just watch out for the service- if you and your crew can’t laugh at your entree and main wines coming out together before entree, or being forced to gobble your entree as the waitress stands at the table with your main in hand, then perhaps you should try elsewhere.

But I’ve been back here twice now, and it’s not to satisfy my drug habit, but rather my Tom Yum habit and a friend’s craving for mango and sticky rice that he’s had since visiting Thailand in 2007.

Opium Den may not be the most exciting or impressive place on the block but it’s worthwhile for a super casual catchup or that night when everything in the fridge is moldy and the thought of cooking is just too damn hard.

The pictures here are of the amazing spaghetti with garlic, oil, chilli, lemon, breadcrumbs; parpadelle with pork and veal meatballs; lamb ragu, rosemary and chilli, tubetti (the red one without meatballs); Pickled beetroot salad, soft egg, crisp pancetta and gorgonzola dressing; and rigatoni al forno with cauliflower, gorgonzola and sage (the one in the cast iron pot) . All great, the parpadelle if you like something bolder, the spaghetti if you’re into subtle.

Oh, and as for the no bookings thing, either get here early or prepare to be so drunk by the time your table pops up that you have to rely on the pictures here as your only memory of your evening.

 They are pretty awesome here with never to disappoint food and people who give a shit serving it. I come here either by myself to write or for a morning after booze soak up and it really is the ideal place to drown yourself in a coffee and pretend that the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

Let’s at least start with the good stuff. The ham hock terrine with sour cherries and sourcraut is what you’d expect- tasty, well balanced and in two sizes depending on how hungry you are. Classic breakfasts are also winners, but if you like your Birchers flavorsome and interesting, perhaps this is not your place.  Prawn spaghetti with chilli and oil is lovely as well, although perhaps you might have had it better elsewhere and the pulled lam shoulder sandwich is just what you need if you want the lovechild of a reuben sandwich and nan’s Sunday roast.