Finally, I don't have to trek it all the way to Surry Hills or something for a decent cafe eatery. Apparently us South/South Western Sydney Siders enjoy a perfectly brewed cup of coffee and gourmet sandwich as well. Thank you, Circa, for answering all my food prayers. Located just behind Parramatta Westfields shopping centre, you step in and you feel like you're taken elsewhere. Wooden furniture, zebra print cushions, graffiti walls, and an old Asian man playing some funky as jazz on guitar. Check, check, and double check!
Our lovely waitress sat us outside for a coffee while we waited to be seated. It's quite small inside, fitting maybe 20 people max, though it definitely gives it that warm cosy feeling. Their coffee beans are from Single Origin Roast (as previously mentioned in Three Blue Ducks) which has this lovely coffee aroma to it. That, plus perfectly froth milk (right amount of froth for a latte) equals one happy Emily! Previously working at cafes, and through age I have learned to enjoy and differentiate a really good cup of coffee, something that is hard to find unfortunately. But if there was ever a time to whisper sweet nothings to coffee, I would to it to this one - it just knows the way to my heart.
Single Orgin Roast Coffee - Latte $4
Beef Kofte - with bocconcini, house beetroot relish, caramelised onion, aioli & rocket sanga $12
HCAT - Double smoked ham, gouda, vine ripened tomato, avocado, house tomato & capsicum relish & aioli sanga $10
Portobello Mushroom - Stuffed with ricotta, walnuts, basil, on sourdough toast with rocket, basil pesto & Gorgonzola dolce $12
Home-made banana bread with passionfruit butter - $6
Healthy, gourmet sandwiches at a great price that's not too far from home? Yes, please! I had the portobello mushroom one as recommended by a friend. The slightly melted ricotta with the mushroom and pesto complimented perfectly together, with the sourdough giving all those flavours a balance. Unfortunately I have never been a fan of beetroot, so I didn't enjoy the Beef Kofte as much. My friend, who loves beetroot in burgers and sandwiches though, highly recommends this. The HCAT is a fairly standard type of sandwich, just made by magic hands/ingredients. What really finished the meal beautifully was a nice toasted piece of banana bread. What made this banana bread so good was that passionfruit butter! It was sweet, but tangy which went really well with that mushy taste of banana bread. As you can see from the above photo, it's not of a really creamy consistency however it still melts in your mouth in a "omg, drool this butter just melts in my mouth" sort of way. Normal butter will not suffice with banana bread any longer.
Circa also has daily specials, including a variety of soups, pastries and even pastas from the kitchen! Kitchen closes at 2pm though, so it's great for brunch. On weekends they even have French Toast as a speciality! So sad we missed this!
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Interior: 4/5
Revisit: 5/5
Labels: food