Have you lost your car in a shopping centre car park? I once thought mine was stolen only to discover I had absentmindedly parked elsewhere (doh!). Now I take photos to remind me and I did exactly that at Castle Towers. Yellow 1A Row 3, tick. The Reject Shop, tick. Now where in the world is The Baron? 


After 20 minutes I found it outside the shopping centre, near the bus stop on Old Castle Hill Rd. Oozing with some serious cool factor, it's filled with conversations mixed with kitchen clatter and some funky beats. Small wooden tables for two line the bare concrete walls opposite the open kitchen and a restored communal table is the centre piece.

Regular $3.50 Large $4.20

The simple all day menu is a play on your breakfast classics proudly supporting their local suppliers. It's creative and the jams, relishes and sauces are all made in house. I do like the way they pour their coffees but if you don't like coffee there's also milkshakes, tea, juices and sodas.

Return of the avo on toast $14

If I had to pick a favourite so far, it would be the return of the avo on toast. Simple yet so delicious, there was feta, avocado and confit tomatoes with a salsa verde. My friend who loves her bircher says the muesli is a close favourite with yogurt, jam and peanut butter powder.

PB&J muesli $15

BAE roll $12

This BAE roll is the BAE of all BAEs. When you have a perfectly fried egg with lots of bacon, bread smothered with aioli and tomato relish and a bonus of avocado, that's a winning combo (if I do say so myself).

Baron benny $15

Hate to be the eggs benny nazi but a 63 degree egg just doesn't work on the Baron benny and my bacon needed a bit more time in the pan. Though the sourness of the cucumber pickle, heat from the english mustard and the sweetness from the brioche went well with the delicious hollandaise sauce.

Maxx power 3.0 $16

Deliciously filling, Maxx power 3.0 will have you covered for breakfast and lunch and is satisfyingly healthy. I rolled my soft boiled eggs into the quinoa and savoured each bite with some of the side diced sweet potato, raisins and macadamia nuts.

Sam's affogato with popping candy $6.50

As a treat, there's cakes and slices but I ordered Sam's affogato. Trying to be clever with my food pics, I shocked myself as I posed for an action shot with the coffee pour. True to the word, the candy popped and spat everywhere (and the photo a disaster)!


This modern industrial chic cafe has something good going, so good the guys have opened up another cafe The Tuckshop in Glenhaven. I'm still to check it out but I have managed to drop by The Baron three times in one week catching up with friends - I don't even need to take a photo of my car anymore :)

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

♥♥ All day, everyday  Regular $3.50 Single origin roasters Modern Australian Order at table, pay at counter Toast with condiments $5 A bit noisy, really busy, gets really cold

The Baron - Shop 461, 4 - 16 Castle St, Castle Hill
http://thebaron.co/


BRUNCH♥NJOY instagram
BRUNCH♥NJOY facebook
BRUNCH♥NJOY email

Tucked away from the busy centres of St Leonards and Crows Nest, get ready to be whisked away at the Wooden Whisk. One of my favourite brunch spots, I am never let down and the seasonal specials keeps things interesting.


On arrival, I am always greeted immediately and luckily haven't had to wait in a queue (yet?). Once seated, a menu and tap water is provided and my coffee order is taken. This is often now seen "as expected" at cafes but I am always still delighted when this happens.


The coffee is a Wooden Whisk blend by Single Origin Roasters and is very easy to drink. It is more on the sweet side without the bitterness.

Breakfast special stack $16.90 with side of bacon $3.00

The first time I was here, I ordered the breakfast special stack ($16.90). Stacked beautifully was grilled haloumi, roasted tomato and poached eggs on sour dough bread. It tasted as good as it looked but I was naughty adding bacon ($3.00) to a decent vegetarian meal.

The Crossfit $16.90

On another visit, I got the the Crossfit ($16.90) from the seasonal specials which was an enticing spread of avocado, haloumi, hash brown, crispy bacon, poached eggs and sauteed kale and cherry tomatoes.

Croque madame $14.50

From the regular breakfast menu, the classic croque madame ($14.50) is served up with a perfectly poached egg. The toasted sandwich contained double smoked ham, swiss cheese, french mustard and oozing béchamel sauce. Also available is the croque monsieur ($11.50).

Eggs benedict with bacon $15.50

My trusty benchmark, eggs benedict hits the mark here with a choice of bacon, ham, mushroom, spinach or smoked salmon. The classic is dressed in a rich and creamy housemade hollandaise and sits on a toasted muffin that is still soft on the inside but crispy on the edges.

Smoothie, fresh juices $6.20

There's a great selection of hot and cold drinks. For fresh juices there are four set combos which are very appealing - Beet Beauty? Vegie Patch? Kale Crave? The Detox?

Kale Crave $6.20

The Kale Crave ($6.20) is a refreshing mix of kale, apple and mint with cucumber to balance the sweetness. There is also the option of creating your own juices.


The Wooden Whisk is a place where you can easily sit back, relax and enjoy your brunch and even take advantage of their free wi-fi. The kitchen noises mixed with the many conversations creates an upbeat buzz and you will always see Sean (the owner) working hard on the floor and wiping down tables - now that's special service!

Original post 16 March 2014 ♥♥
Re-review post 8 February 2015 ♥♥♥

In a nutshell ♥♥♥
All day breakfast, Monday - Saturday
Coffee: ●●● Single Origin Roasters Wooden Whisk blend
Food: ●●● Delicious, fresh, good variety, organic and gluten free available
Service: ●●● Friendly, attentive, efficient
Price: $($)
Atmosphere: Relaxed, busy, homely. Suits singles, couples. groups, families, pets

The Wooden Whisk - 38 Albany St, St. Leonards
http://www.woodenwhisk.com.au/

Looking for a nice brunch spot? Bathers' Pavilion Cafe is a gem with sparkling beachfront views, serving the Grounds coffee and a simple yet uniquely sophisticated breakfast menu until 12pm. You can then enjoy a walk along the beach or in the warmer months go for a dip in the calm waters.

The view of the beach from a window seat

It has a stylish beach interior theme and a casual family friendly setting with smaller tables by the windows, bigger tables in the middle and booths at the back to relax in. Over the many years I've visited, the menu seems to change and I am always torn between what dish to order.

2014 - Hot smoked salmon $24.00

One year, I ordered the hot smoked salmon ($24) and without fail I was impressed. The presentation was picture perfect and the flavours and textures worked so well. I loved the surprise element of roe popping in my mouth. First time I ever had it for breakfast!

Eggs benedict $21.00

Another time I tried my old brunch benchmark - eggs benedict ($21.00). This classic was served on an english muffin and should be given a miss to make way for the other delicious breakfast options - unless you are craving for it.

Cold drinks are a little pricey so it can be very tempting to have a glass of champagne instead. The cranberry juice cocktail seen in the above pictures were $7 and freshly squeezed juices $9.50

2015 - Mushroom & spinach tart with poached eggs, chive hollandaise $22. Gorgeous field mushroom on top of a mushroom & spinach pesto (I think!) filled tart.

2009 - Salmon & pea tart with a poached egg, chive hollandaise. Phone camera quality at its best back then.

Bathers Pavilion on a winters day 2015

The Bathers Pavilion now an institution in Balmoral was just that back in the 1920s. Now it is a Cafe, Restaurant and Kiosk with the Cafe located on the ground floor. It is busy during their breakfast service so there is always a wait on the weekends and they don't take bookings. I have visited once during the week and it was fabulous without the queues and busy service.

Original post 2 February 2014 ♥♥♥
Re-review post 14 June 2015 ♥♥♥

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

♥♥♥ 7am - 12pm, licensed  Regular $3.70, The Grounds Classics with a gourmet twist Casual, friendly and fast Pastry & jam $4.00 Feel good, beachy, busy. Suits all

Bathers' Pavilion Cafe - 4 The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach
http://www.batherspavilion.com.au/


BRUNCH♥NJOY instagram
BRUNCH♥NJOY facebook
BRUNCH♥NJOY email