A friend of mine is back in town for a few months working at Concord Hospital so I took that as a mission to find a new brunch place for a girly catch up. Just eight minutes from the hospital, the Little Tarte has an all day breakfast menu and a display of the most delicious looking sweets.

Lemon meringue

Bathed in the sunlight on the corner of Tennyson Rd and Edwin St, this cute cafe is directly opposite Breakfast Point. Small and intimate, you can sit on the bar stools by the windows looking out or outside where you can entertain your pet(s) or if there is a spare seat, join the large communal table inside.

Large cappuccino

The three of us sat at the end of the communal table engrossed in the latest dramas, so much that we didn't even realise it was order and pay at the counter service. By paying at the counter your eyes get to feast on an array of little tartes and scones, yummy! Maybe this is on purpose?

Corn fritters $15 additional fried eggs $3

The breakfast menu has nine choices covering both sweet and savoury and for the hungry or not so hungry. I was the hungry one and couldn't decide between the Sauteed wild mushrooms bruschetta $15 or the Corn fritters. I got the latter with extra fried eggs which was a perfect combination.

Scrambled eggs $10.50, additional smoked salmon & spinach $7

If you like to make up your own breakfast plate there is an option of fried or scrambled eggs on sonoma toast plus additional sides of your choice. Here the scrambled eggs was a huge mound of fluffiness covering almost half the plate.

KIN by Uel + Shanelle (us)

That's the beginning of the puns and dad jokes. If you remember the "newly weds" from #MKR2014, Uel was the King of dad jokes. You only need to look at the menu to see his influence on the names of dishes. It's a cleverly named cafe and you definitely feel welcomed and a part of their foodie family.


Greeted by Uel, I was slightly star-struck and lost for words. He definitely is a man of charm, schmoozing with the guests and playing the host role. Meanwhile without breaking a sweat, Shanelle is plating up for everyone in the busy open kitchen.

Turning up fashionably late, I was lucky Jenny (from Jenny Chews) was already waiting in the queue for about 15 minutes with the many other hungry people. We were seated shortly after on a long wooden communal table where we were served pretty quickly.

Regular cappucino $3.50

Reuben Hills coffee is offered in pretty porcelain bowls with no handles. You can choose from the house blend or single origin and have it either black, white, iced or sweet. A good addition for brunchers that crave the caffeine fix.

Congee $15.00

The first time I ever had Congee out, it was 2am at Superbowl in Chinatown. I had no idea what a chinese doughnut was then, so when I saw it on the menu here I was ready. Fresh ginger and chilli accompanied this dish along with the crunchy chinese doughnut and the surprise egg sitting at the bottom. Quite the traditional Asian dish.

Miso yummy $17

Miso yummy was definitely so yummy. I loved the flavours of the spinach ball rolled with sesame along with the lightly battered salmon fillet and the gooey eggs. Definitely a favourite for me.

Snap crackle plop $10

Snap crackle plop is Uel's favourite dish and you can see why. The crispy chicken skin crackle just snaps and dissolves in your mouth while the plop of egg adds another layer of texture to the traditional fried rice.

NaNa FuFu smoothie $7

For two girls, we could only eat so much so we had to skip the other tempting dishes like the waffle belly and bao cheeky wow wow (you might need to ask Uel about that one!).  We did order from the drink list with Jenny braving the NaNa Fufu smoothie. Jenny approved the mix of banana, tofu and honey.

Oolong tea $4.50

I went for the safe bet and had Oolong tea.  Perfect for the wind down after the big brunch feast. The interior here is very relaxing and inviting with low hanging lights and quirky bird cages. The walls are lined with knick knacks from the couples family home.


Overall, this cafe serves up homely Asian cooking with heart and soul. It's popularity cannot be overlooked and no doubt will continue. If you ever scroll through instagram, KIN by us has a distinct and consistent style in plating and quality of food. Why not give it a try?

Read more here for Tym Yee's great article about the start up of KIN by us with an interview with the couple behind the concept.

In a nutshell  Breakfast Coffee ●● Food ●●● Service ●●● Price $$ Atmosphere

♥♥ All day from 7am, Mon - Sat  Regular $3.50, Reuben Hills Modern Asian Friendly, fast Toast $5 Good vibes, cheerful, really busy

KIN by US - 2 Saunders Close, Macquarie Park
http://www.kinbyus.com/


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I rode my brand new bike for the first time around Parramatta river and after an hour of riding it was time to reward myself with a decent big brunch. In amongst a few other new trendy cafes near Rhodes train station, I picked Lid & Jar mainly because it oozed a cool hippy industrial warehouse appeal and there was somewhere for my bike.

Cold pressed juice $8.60, Cappucino $3.80

Keeping it simple, there are 12 options on the all-day menu which is a hybrid of breakfast and lunch aka brunch :) There's bircher muesli, brioche french toast, bacon & egg roll and an interesting version of chorizo salad and quinoa porridge.

Big breakfast $16.50 with avocado $4.00

The big breakfast makes an appearance as a generous serving of bacon, chorizo, roast tomato, mushroom and spinach on sourdough with a choice of fried or scrambled eggs.

Herb corn fritters $13.50

Another usual suspect on the menu is the corn fritters. Herbed corn fritters with smoked salmon, avocado, rocket, ricotta and tomato salsa. Not quite like Bill Granger's classic but more like floury pancakes with corn folded through.

Smoked salmon and smashed avocado on rye $13.50

For the lighter option, there's "smashed" avocado on rye with smoked salmon, baby beetroot and crumbed fetta and rocket. I was actually more interested in the croissant with smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and swiss chesse but sadly they had ran out of croissants.

Sugar glazed cronut $5.00

Last on the menu but probably the best, the croissant donut! This devilish indulgence was amazing and worth every single calorie count and grams of sugar and fat - yummo.

Big breakfast $16.50 (traded the chorizo for avocado)

Looking at the drinks list, I think it may have been longer than the food menu. The latest craze, cold pressed juice is made daily with local fresh produce. Pricey at $8.60 a glass, my favourite is the green juice with green apple, pear, spinach and coconut water.

Large mugs extra 50c

Coffee is nice served in decent mug sizes (didn't realise there was a difference) and bonus points the barista is the Latte Art runner up in this year's NSW coffee championships. Perhaps you could ask for a little something special with your coffee?


New to the all day breakfast scene, this franchise Lid & Jar in Rhodes has the right elements with the fancy water jug, cold pressed juices, good coffee and yummy Brewtown Newtown cronuts. It's a shame they don't have a proper kitchen to make poached eggs - a staple of all brunches and yolky-licious oozing right?

In a nutshell ♥
All day breakfast until 3pm
Coffee:●●● Coffee brothers brew (locally sourced from Mona Vale)
Food: ●● Modern Australian, no poached eggs
Service: ●● Friendly, efficient, order at the counter service
Price: $$
Atmosphere: Relaxed, cool and casual. Family, kids, pets (and bikes)

Lid & Jar - Lot 3, 7 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes
http://lidnjar.com/



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In amongst an industrial deserted looking area, the only sign of life on Ryedale Road is where Element6 spills out onto the footpath full of happy diners. If you look up the periodic table, chemical element 6 is C. C for carbon or alternatively organic? I'm not sure and forgot to check if the food was organic.

Green with envy smoothie $7.50, Sultans sunrise $6.00

We got lucky and were able to snag two seats on the bench looking out onto the street. I started off with my usual coffee and decided to be brave and try the green with envy smoothie. It sure was green! The combo of kale, celery, spinach, mint, cucumber, apple and agave was tasty - how does one come up with these crazy combos? Adding pomegranate to orange juice was a nice refreshing twist in the sultans sunrise.

E6 mushroom meal $16.00

Along with salmon and eggs, I love mushrooms and couldn't surpass the E6 mushroom breakfast. With an assortment of mushrooms I was a happy little vegemite. Who needs meat when you have mushrooms and spinach?

Avo on sourdough $14.00 with an extra poached egg $2.50

The surprise element of a salad adorning the avo on sourdough was a winner. Healthy and tasty, I loved the pumpkin seeds and the addition of an extra poached egg completed the meal.


Portion sizes were just right and the crumply brown paper menu contained a nice list of classic breakfast dishes with a modern twist. Unassuming, Element6 is up there with the usual brunch suspects of Surry Hills or Newtown. The bohemian vibe with the mix match of knick knacks and vintage trinkets gives the place a real character that you can't miss. No doubt this would be a favourite with the locals.

In a nutshell ♥♥
All day breakfast
Coffee: ♪♪♪ Five senses
Food: ●● Modern Australian, Mediterranean breakfast
Service: ☺☺☺ Happy, friendly and fast
Price: $($)
Atmosphere: Quirkly, relaxed and casual. Family, kids, group and pet friendly

Element6 - 65 Ryedale Road, West Ryde
https://www.facebook.com/element6cafe



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