Cafe by day, Georgian restaurant by night, the Urban Cat Cafe in Erskineville just might be the best kept secret of Sydney. For proof, we can look no further than their big breakfasts – possibly the biggest that Sydney has to offer under $20, and the among the tastiest too.
The cafe offers two big breakfast options: one for the meat eaters (The “Urban Big Breakky”, $17.50) and one for the vegetarians (The “Veggie Big Breakky”, $16). Both options give you two eggs to your liking with your choice of bread. Fresh spinach, mushrooms, grilled tomato, a hash brown and a healthy splattering of baked beans cover both plates. The meat option throws in bacon and sausage, while the veggie option gives you a pile of haloumi in their place.
The plate arrives overflowing with food – I had to ask for a side plate just to try and butter my bread and tackle the pile of breakfast in front of me. And by no means is it a small plate.
While some cafes in Sydney have trended towards the more gourmet side of things – homemade baked beans, freshly grated hash browns and the like – Urban Cat Cafe are giving it a more British approach. The Baked Beans are likely the classic tinned variety, the hash browns probably frozen. But to my personal taste, it’s exactly what I want at 11am on a Saturday morning. Yes, I’m a late riser.
It would be hard to argue that this isn’t what you’d get at your local greasy spoon for 5 quid in London. Slightly less greasy, but just as satisfying. I haven’t had a better, bigger breakfast in Sydney, and I challenge everyone out there to show me something of similar value that achieves just as much. My Saturday morning hangover never stood a chance.
Of course, the rest of the menu has more creative flair that will cater for the less gluttonous customer. Their Breakfast Bruschettas and Benedicts are worth the trip alone. You just can’t go wrong here. So avoid the queues of the hyped cafes nearby and come to Erskineville for some of the best breakfasts in town. Indeed, this is one mighty fine meal.
Urban Cat Cafe
106 Erskineville Road
Erskineville NSW 2043
Tel: (02) 9557 944
Opening Hours
Sun – Tue: 07:00 AM – 04:00 PM
Wed – Sat: 07:00 AM – 11:00 PM
To find out more about the cafe and the restaurant, head to: http://urbancatcafe.com.au/
