Another Day, Another Café

AUSTRALIAN SLANG OF THE WEEK: “AFTERNOON” (US) = “ARVO” (AUS)

Yes, Australia is known for its gorgeous landscapes, warm weather, and friendly locals, but let’s stop and talk about FOOD for a second…something I am sure you’ve been wondering about.

When it comes to world cuisine, Australia has it all. Just 30 seconds from my apartment is the bustling area of King Street, Newtown. Here, you will find restaurants catering to American, Mexican, Italian, Portuguese, and especially Thai, tastes and cravings. Luckily for me, I can get student discounts at a variety of restaurants with my student ACESS card provided by the University of Sydney.

If breakfast isn’t your favorite meal, it will be if you ever travel to Australia. I’ve learned that the Aussie’s here take breakfast or “brekkie” so much more seriously than the US. It’s almost something to look forward to when I go to bed at night. I feel that breakfast is treated as a more popular time for people to catch up and/or do work as opposed to lunches. My favorite thing to get in the morning would probably be a ham and egg roll from any local café. Not only is it cheap, but is very similar to a pork roll, egg & cheese, us New Jersey natives love to have on a daily basis. *SPOILER ALERT* For those of you who love bagels, it is unfortunately not a thing here in OZ. If you are planning on traveling here for a long period of time, you might want to stock up on as many bagels as you can and get them cleared through customs. If there is anything I miss most about the US it would probably be a nice poppy-seed bagel with cream cheese from my town’s deli. Regardless, breakfast has personally become my favorite meal, as I am always searching for new places to eat on the weekends.

Aside from restaurants, cafés have to be one of my favorite aspects to Sydney. Each café is unique to their offerings. I haven’t been to a café in Australia that has been like any other. What I love about the cafés here is the energy that they bring about. If you are looking for a place to sit down and crank out a five page paper that’s due in the next three hours, there are wonderful cafés with quiet and quaint atmospheres that will help you focus. On the other hand, there are so many cafés that provide outside and even rooftop seating for you and your group of friends. Service here is incredible. Something that I can’t wrap my brain around is the idea that Australians, especially those who work in restaurants and cafés , do not work for tips. They get paid by the hour, and yet they provide outstanding service which is something I really appreciate. I can’t tell you how many times my waiter or barista has stopped to take time out of their busy schedule to ask me about my time abroad, and how I like Sydney as compared to the United States.

Australians take coffee quite seriously here as well. While I miss my usual Dunkin Donuts hazelnut iced coffee, I can’t help but enjoy Australia’s take on iced coffee which includes ice cream. Yes, you read that right. A lot of places don’t actually use ice in their iced coffee, which was something I had to get used to during my first weeks here. I supposed the ice cream is used as a substitute! But hey, I’m not complaining at all. Before my three hour lecture class, I’ll usually order a long black coffee from the Sydney Uni coffee vendors, that are spread throughout campus. I also get discounts with the use of my ACCESS card, which is also very convenient. Overall, I am very pleased with the food here in Australia, and I can’t wait to satisfy my cravings at more restauraunts and cafés!

Check out some photos form my favorite brekkie spots! :) Enjoy!

(Ham & Egg Roll at Hoochie Mama Cafe, Newtown, NSW)

(Please take me back here.... Acai Bowls at Culture Bean Cafe, Kograh, NSW)

(Brunch at Three Williams Cafe, Redfern, NSW)

(Another Ham & Egg Roll at Clipper's Cafe, Glebe, NSW)

(Cronuts & Iced Coffee at Brewtown Newtown, Newtown, NSW)