Chef's Palette - Strathfield, NSW

We've had quite a scorcher of a long weekend right? For some odd reason, these last couple days have been unbearably hot for spring but that's just Sydney weather for you I guess. As the warmer weather heralds the coming of Summer, most people would be heading to the beach to enjoy the surf and sand but the Mrs and I decided to go to brunch instead (obviously to avoid the crowds). We decided today to try a place that we hadn't yet had the opportunity to try: Chef's Palette.

Situated where My Sweet Memory "used" to be (more on that later), the cafe's quant looking but quite a bit more spacious than it used to be...mostly a result of doing away with the stationary section and replacing that with a kitchen. It wasn't as busy as we'd expected it to be which was great since we could have a pick of any table we wanted. The Mrs and I quickly seated ourselves and once we'd decided what to order, I got up and ordered our food and drinks at the counter.

As expected, the drinks came first: the Mrs' iced coffee and my iced monkey. The iced coffee was pretty standard...nutty coffee mellowed out by creamy ice cream and then chilled to a refreshing coolness which really helped fight off the heat. Definitely not the worst we've had but nothing all too spectacular either. My drink (the iced monkey) was like a blended chocolate frappe with banana powder in it which meant  it tasted like korean banana milk with a hint of chocolate...definitely something different and worth a try.

The food came after a short wait which was great because by this point, the Mrs and I were starving. The Mrs blew out and ordered a house made ricotta cheese dish with extra spinach, bacon, grilled tomato and eggs (she didn't know it came with one egg but the more the better right?). The house made ricotta was really nice and creamy which really worked well with that doughy sonoma toast and overall it was a delicious dish but my one criticism was that they were a bit light-handed with the truffle. As it was, we really couldn't taste any truffle (though we did choose to have the dish not as it was intended so that could be a factor). 

My dish was certainly a highlight: pull pork eggs benedict with a really well made hollandaise sauce and saucy pulled pork that made it a really satisfying dish. You get that moreishness from the eggs and that beautiful hollandaise sauce which gets cut through by that tart tomato based pulled pork. The abundant meatiness made the each bite more enjoyable. I can't say I was a big fan of the slaw though (mainly because the Mrs and I don't like apple) and I found it a bit too sour which really numbed my palette quite a bit. 

I normally really like to see and emphasise the good points of each restaurant I visit but for my experience at Chef's Palette, I unfortunately had to admit that it wasn't all too impressive. Don't get me wrong, the food was definitely not bad or anything but it definitely wasn't substantially different or impressionable either. The items were lacking in the refinement and ingenuity we normally see when we dine out and I was also a little shocked to see My Sweet Memory show up on my banking app after. I'm not too sure if this was a transitional thing or if Chef's Palette is really just a rebranding of MSM...regardless, if they really want to be competitive (especially with such a great little cafe just a little further down the road) they really need to get a few things that help them stand out.

Badmanner Thymes Espresso - Parramatta, NSW

Another weekend, another opportunity for the Mrs to drag me to brunch...well, not so much drag anymore. I'll admit, I secretly do look forward to the opportunities I get to go and enjoy a quiet and quaint meal with the love of my life. She's been able to convince me that additional to the delicious food, I get the time to just slow down and just enjoy moments of tranquility between us. That, I believe, is the most precious part of brunching.

The Mrs decided to take me to a local favorite of hers (one which I've yet to come to). Located right opposite of another popular brunch destination, Paper Planes Cafe...Badmanner Thymes is the perfect place to come when you're looking for an alternative to their ever popular neighbour. I really don't see why this place isn't as packed (or more so) than Paper Planes as there's a huge and spacious dining area with ample seating and the food comes out so quickly....people are missing out.

We ordered some beverages to start off with: the usual coffee for the Mrs and a green tea latte for myself. The coffee was very good however, the green tea latte was a bit stronger in the matcha flavour than I'm usually accustomed to...still, I enjoyed it thoroughly as it made me really slow down and sip at it which meant that over time, I got to liking the drink a lot more.

Despite the other really delicious sounding items on the menu, I opted for the safe option of eggs benedict as I was feeling particularly breakfast-y that day. This was a great choice as the eggs were on point...perfectly poached eggs sitting on top of some smoked salmon, avocado (additional to the order) with some shallots and wilted spinach to accompany it all. They didn't cover the thing in hollandaise which meant you really got a well balanced breakfast.

As usual, the Mrs picked the better brunch dish as she had ordered the black forest with additional chorizo. If (more like when) I do go back for brunch, I will 100% order this next time...it is actually divine. The combination of ricotta cheese and mushrooms along with the eggs done sunny-side up (my favorite way) just made the whole package undeniably delicious. The addition of chorizo meant that if meat was important to you, you didn't miss out on it. The salty, spicy pork sausage just made you crave the other components more.

The more I visit Parramatta, the more excited I get about the prospect of becoming a permanent member of this community. I can say with confidence that one of the only things that matters to me (the abundance of food) is well and truly catered to here. The level of quality this establishment provides and the service we received made the whole experience unforgettable.