Botanica Garden Cafe

Opening in 2012 just across the road from Waverton train station sits the funky yet relaxing Botanica Garden Café. Built and creatively sitting around giant trees, water features and little garden beds, it emulates a garden paradise with a seemingly random assortment of recycled furniture creating a homely space. 

Botanica has a large menu offering both breakfast and lunch (it’s open from 8-4pm Tuesday-Friday and 8-3pm on weekends). If you’re an early riser you can’t look past the Botanica Breaky with both meat and vege options ($17 and $18 respectively). The vegetarian breakfast includes eggs, grilled haloumi, mushrooms, baked beans, spinach and tomato, and personally I think it’s the best offering on the whole menu! Be sure to order a coffee while you're at it.

If late wake up calls are more your style the lunch menu also provides amazing food. The Botanica Signature Sandwich is a jam-packed favourite, with char-grilled Scotch fillet, Swiss cheese, beetroot relish, homemade pickles and Dijon aioli served with a basket of homemade fries and slaw ($17). 

The quaint café also caters exceptionally well for families with kids. There’s a fenced in kids playground located up the back of the café and the coy fish in the small pond next to the kitchen always draw a crowd. There are breakfast and lunch menu options available for the kids ($7.5-$9.50), as well as specializing in babychinos.

So next time you’re on the T1 train line, jump off at Waverton and if nothing else, grab a takeaway coffee!

By Cara Fisscher

Image Sources:

http://brunched.com.au/botanica-garden-cafe-waverton/

http://www.brasseriebread.com.au/blog/2013/08/botanica-garden-cafe-waverton/ (for images 2 and 3)

The Butcher's Block

Located in the quaint Wahroonga Village on Sydney’s North Shore, The Butcher’s Block is open 6am-5pm daily (minus Sunday's) and is the perfect location for your weekend lunch. Getting its name from the fact it used to be a butcher’s shop, you can expect all the meals to have the highest quality meat products, but served at a reasonable price!

Taking a browse through the menu you can’t look pass the classic Beef Burger, with a locally sourced wagyu patty and pulled smoked brisket. Or perhaps chicken is more your style, where you can’t go wrong with the peri peri chicken, aioli, mint and coriander pita dish. 

All lunch options include a side of their delicious chips, but I’d recommend ordering a plate of the sweet potato fries. Order along with a serving of their homemade aioli to dip the chips in and you’ll be in heaven! 

So get your gang of friends together and go for lunch at The Butcher’s Block this Saturday! Make sure to grab a pastry from the front counter on your way out as well! 

By Cara Fisscher

Image References: 

https://www.facebook.com/242205025906381/photos/pb.242205025906381.-2207520000.1463121464./594682517325295/?type=3&theater

http://www.the-butchersblock.com/lunch/

http://www.the-butchersblock.com/restaurant/

Bondi Wholefoods

Located a few streets away from Australia’s most famous beach is what should be considered one of Australia’s most famous cafes, Bondi Wholefoods. Serving up completely organic, nutritious and untainted food to the locals and tourists, the small café (which doubles as an organic grocery store) aims to promote health and longevity for all its customers.

The menu is extremely inclusive of all types of diets. It outlines if meals are gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly, if a meal has added sugar or not and if meals can be made vegan or not. A personal favourite from the breakfast menu is the vegan Acai Antiox Breakfast Bowl ($15.90) that includes cinnamon almond granola and seasonal fresh fruits.

A popular option on the Wholefoods menu is the numerous amounts of super smoothies sold. Customers have the opportunity to build their own smoothie, starting at $10.90, with all including chia seeds, coconut oil, and rice syrup and protein powder. Customers can choose their flavour, type of milk and an optional protein powder and for an extra boost (and for an extra $2), they can add a superfood in (such as maca powder or a raw energy supplement). 

Definitely worth a visit when you’ve just completed the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk. 

By Cara Fisscher

IMAGES:
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Flower Child Cafe

By Cara Fisscher

The hunt for a good feed and a quality coffee can be a tricky one, however rest assured if you ever find yourself wandering the streets of Chatswood, look no further then the newly opened Flower Child Café. 

Located underneath a massive skylight in Chatwood Westfield, the overflowing greenery and flowers certainly help it live up to its name and its description of “bringing the beauty of the outdoors indoors.”

Boasting an affordable all day breakfast menu, with prices starting from just $7 (and up to $19), it’s the perfect place to grab an Instagram worthy brunch. Try my personal favourite Breakfast Plate ($19), including poached eggs, avocado, bacon, grilled asparagus, goat’s curd, tomatoes, quinoa, figs and sourdough. Or for those non-breakfast-food eaters out there, the Flower Child lunch menu is just as impressive (and reasonably priced). Who could go wrong with a dish of haloumi, squash, zucchini, quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint and feta (Flower Child Tabbouleh, $15)? 

Another boasting point for the café is the coffee. Supplied by another one of my favourite Sydney cafes, The Grounds of Alexandria, you know you’re paying good money for a quality coffee, if not the best in Chatswood. If you’re not a coffee drinker, you can’t go past the smoothies, all $7. Try out the Salted Carmel & Date to satisfy your sweet tooth, or the dairy free option of Lychee & Mint.

Manly Wine

By Kezia Brooks

As a Northern Beaches local my absolute favourite thing to do in my free time is spending time with friends at local cafes. One of my favourite venues is Manly Wine as it is a café and bar with the most picturesque place in Manly (in my opinion) overlooking the horizon at South Steyne Manly Beach.

The venue is beautiful with amazing boho and beach themed décor and interiors, as well as many seating options such as stools, chairs, couches and private rooms with various views of the beach.

The food is amazing at Manly Wine and their various menu options are to die for such as The Healthy Manly - poached eggs, smoked ocean trout, beet relish, sweet corn fritters, apple & kale, cress (GF) in the Breakfast Menu and Pan fried market fish, melted tomatoes, peppers, basil, garlic, “grenobloise” from the Lunch and Dinner Menu. Manly Wine also has an extensive drinks menu with the best-known wines like Pierro Chardonnay 2012, Margaret River, WA, champagnes such as Dom Perignon 2005, Hautvilliers, France, local craft beers by 4 Pines and Nomad Brewing co, and an extensive cocktail list.

With such a location and amazing food and drink options, to dine at Manly Wine is quite expensive, particularly for university students. Whenever I visit my favourite manly venue I always opt for the cheaper options on the Lunch menu such as coffee and sweet potato fries with garlic aioli that are priced $10, the sweet potato fries come in a massive rustic boat bowl so big that I can never finish it all, a definite recommendation to try. However By the next cheapest item on the menu is Korean Fried Chicken wings, sticky chilli caramel, pickled yellow radish, sesame seeds at $17. The Breakfast Menu is also relatively expensive with the average price of a meal on the menu at $18.

If you’re happy to splash the cash and enjoy the view, Manly Wine is the perfect café/bar to visit and try. Their food is amazing and their view is just as spectacular.