easternbeachesboys

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I began with breakfast and ended the week with dinner, walking away deliriously satisfied with the experience and very full bellies. The coffee is strong and made to perfection, there's certainly no mucking about, the service is fast and efficient while very down to earth, you're not just another person here, but someone they want to get to know.

I ate the french toast, only word to describe it was sublime, crispy, crunchy, fluffy goodness smothered in real maple syrup with the most perfect crispy bacon. Later in the week I ate dinner, starting with stuffed zucchini flowers which were again perfect!

For my main I ate the sirloin with paris butter, no doubt about the meat was tender and cooked to perfection, the chips the perfect morsels of crunchy, salty goodness, with green beans that were crisp and just lovely. The pannacotta for dessert with mango salad is out of this world!

The service is relaxed and fun, while maintaining a high level of efficiency, the young guy and the tall red head on the floor make for a killer combo! The place looks great, it's warm, and the music was cool, so nice to have something like this in Coogee, no longer do I have to go into the city to get great food!

Dec 10, 2011

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

I love this cafe! My partner and I have made it our home away from the big smoke. We try to come up at least once a month to sink into the Stockmarket's truly wonderful space.

This space is pumping. The young waiter knows his food and his coffee, and he cranks out a glorious latte when he's on the machine. If he's not on the machine don't be disheartened, his mum (it's family run) makes one of the best coffee's going. The vibe is wonderful, they have fun, you can feel it, and you can taste the love and care in the food. They know their locals and their out of town regulars too, it's a nice change to the usual tourist trap in towns like these.

The music pumps, the coffee pours and the space jumps. It's an eclectic little hole in the wall that deserves to be set on a dais. The chef's french toast is other worldly, it's crispy and gooey and slathered in delectable real maple syrup! The center like custard contrasting brilliantly with the crispy bacon. The mushies are amazing, pile high on lively sourdough. I've never had better mushrooms anywhere, but get them with a side of haloumi and you are in heaven!

Lunch is on par with breakfast, I can never go past the soup, constantly changing yet always lovely, the last I had was a lame and fennel, so yummy! My man ate a haloumi and prosciutto salad which was something else, a brilliant marriage of flavours. Dessert? Anything baked there is worth a go, the pear and ginger cake is by far a stand out along with a lindt chocolate fudge, have both with ice cream.

The food, coffee, space and staff are great, it's really nice to be in a ridiculously rainbow friendly space, I'm not sure if they have straight staff but for myself and the boy this isn't an issue! The only problem I have is that it isn't bigger and they aren't open at night, so we never get to stay over and eat here more!

May 27, 2011

6.5 Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  10      Service  6      Value  5     

Leura Garage is the newest establishment to grace this small town, and has done a great job of opening up the town in the evening, however, it's a shame to see such a great space let down by the rest of the operation.

My partner and I regularly make the trip up from Sydney, usually just for the day, and so we tend to go to our regular lunch haunt. We both agreed to give this a go on several occasions, yet never we're blown away like the other reviewers.

It is always packed, this doesn't necessarily equate to a great venue though. On our first visit we waited almost 40 minutes for a glass of wine, even though we pestered the staff three times! When our "share food" arrived we were disheartened, you only get one piece, and for two post gym hungry boys this wasn't really enough, so don't except the generosity of Bodega. The lamb was okay, it had a very strong mutton flavour. The risotto was under cooked and gluggy, and boyfriends pasta was too al dente. We had waited another hour and forty minutes for this.

Our next venture saw service improved, it was much quicker, yet let down by the need for staff to confer every time we too, asked questions! We got a pizza and salad to share. The pizza was bland, and the potato was raw. The base, doughy and splitting like a bad scone. Not much to rave about here. We also bore witness to a number of locals come in, and when told they couldn't sit at a table reserved for the owner tell the manager that they were only going through a honey moon period, to then walk out. I can't help but think that this is the truth, perhaps, we should stick to our day time trips.

May 27, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I began with breakfast and ended the week with dinner, walking away deliriously satisfied with the experience and very full bellies. The coffee is strong and made to perfection, there's certainly no mucking about, the service is fast and efficient while very down to earth, you're not just another person here, but someone they want to get to know.

I ate the french toast, only word to describe it was sublime, crispy, crunchy, fluffy goodness smothered in real maple syrup with the most perfect crispy bacon. Later in the week I ate dinner, starting with stuffed zucchini flowers which were again perfect!

For my main I ate the sirloin with paris butter, no doubt about the meat was tender and cooked to perfection, the chips the perfect morsels of crunchy, salty goodness, with green beans that were crisp and just lovely. The pannacotta for dessert with mango salad is out of this world!

The service is relaxed and fun, while maintaining a high level of efficiency, the young guy and the tall red head on the floor make for a killer combo! The place looks great, it's warm, and the music was cool, so nice to have something like this in Coogee, no longer do I have to go into the city to get great food!

Dec 10, 2011

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

I love this cafe! My partner and I have made it our home away from the big smoke. We try to come up at least once a month to sink into the Stockmarket's truly wonderful space.

This space is pumping. The young waiter knows his food and his coffee, and he cranks out a glorious latte when he's on the machine. If he's not on the machine don't be disheartened, his mum (it's family run) makes one of the best coffee's going. The vibe is wonderful, they have fun, you can feel it, and you can taste the love and care in the food. They know their locals and their out of town regulars too, it's a nice change to the usual tourist trap in towns like these.

The music pumps, the coffee pours and the space jumps. It's an eclectic little hole in the wall that deserves to be set on a dais. The chef's french toast is other worldly, it's crispy and gooey and slathered in delectable real maple syrup! The center like custard contrasting brilliantly with the crispy bacon. The mushies are amazing, pile high on lively sourdough. I've never had better mushrooms anywhere, but get them with a side of haloumi and you are in heaven!

Lunch is on par with breakfast, I can never go past the soup, constantly changing yet always lovely, the last I had was a lame and fennel, so yummy! My man ate a haloumi and prosciutto salad which was something else, a brilliant marriage of flavours. Dessert? Anything baked there is worth a go, the pear and ginger cake is by far a stand out along with a lindt chocolate fudge, have both with ice cream.

The food, coffee, space and staff are great, it's really nice to be in a ridiculously rainbow friendly space, I'm not sure if they have straight staff but for myself and the boy this isn't an issue! The only problem I have is that it isn't bigger and they aren't open at night, so we never get to stay over and eat here more!

May 27, 2011

6.5 Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  10      Service  6      Value  5     

Leura Garage is the newest establishment to grace this small town, and has done a great job of opening up the town in the evening, however, it's a shame to see such a great space let down by the rest of the operation.

My partner and I regularly make the trip up from Sydney, usually just for the day, and so we tend to go to our regular lunch haunt. We both agreed to give this a go on several occasions, yet never we're blown away like the other reviewers.

It is always packed, this doesn't necessarily equate to a great venue though. On our first visit we waited almost 40 minutes for a glass of wine, even though we pestered the staff three times! When our "share food" arrived we were disheartened, you only get one piece, and for two post gym hungry boys this wasn't really enough, so don't except the generosity of Bodega. The lamb was okay, it had a very strong mutton flavour. The risotto was under cooked and gluggy, and boyfriends pasta was too al dente. We had waited another hour and forty minutes for this.

Our next venture saw service improved, it was much quicker, yet let down by the need for staff to confer every time we too, asked questions! We got a pizza and salad to share. The pizza was bland, and the potato was raw. The base, doughy and splitting like a bad scone. Not much to rave about here. We also bore witness to a number of locals come in, and when told they couldn't sit at a table reserved for the owner tell the manager that they were only going through a honey moon period, to then walk out. I can't help but think that this is the truth, perhaps, we should stick to our day time trips.

May 27, 2011