This wasn’t the first time that I’d been to Sotto on West. Since discovering it a couple of months back, I’ve visited several times. It’s conveniently located just five minutes walk from my family’s apartment in Crows Nest, where I am staying while in Sydney, and they have free WiFi to boot. Boom.
They also have tea served in fancy teapots!
The only problem is, even though I have been to Sotto on West a few times now, I have eaten the same thing every time. I know, I know. That’s very unlike me. And aside from that, it’s not a very good way to sample the length and breadth of a menu.
But the problem is, the first time I ate the Ron Burgundy** I was hooked. I wanted more. So much so, I went back the following week. And again. And again. Most of these times I went by myself, in search of a hearty and wholesome breakfast.
You see, this dish gives me a kind of warm fuzzy feeling on the inside. Except instead of warm fuzzy, it’s more like a cool, re-energised feeling that goes right from my mouth all the way to my stomach. It’s a wholesome feeling, like my insides are thanking me with sunshine, for feeding them something so nutritious and good.
Yes, after eating the Ron Burgundy, I actually feel like I am glowing from inside to out.
Sotto on West is one of the few cafes I have seen around Sydney that is still serving bircher muesli, and the Ron Burgundy is Sotto’s fancy name for their bircher muesli dish.
This homemade dish is prepared with oats soaked in beetroot juice, then served with red apple, seasonal fruit – which this time included melon, grapes and strawberries, poached burgundy and elderflower pears, nuts, dried coconut flakes, and finally topped with organic honey, yoghurt and cinnamon.
For me to order this dish every time I visit means that it must be good. After all, I am a firm believer that brunch is no brunch without eggs on the plate, but in this case, I really have to make an exception.
It’s not just the Ron Burgundy that draws me to this place. The cafe itself is set back on an residential street in North Sydney, one of the trendy lower North Shore areas that is known for it’s cute cottages, bustling cafe culture, and perfectly turned out young families.
The location is nice and quiet, away from the busy concentration of cafes and restaurants up near the Pacific Highway. This particular time I was lucky enough to score a table outside, where I sat enjoying the peaceful Friday morning and warm summer sun.
Inside, a plain wall has been given a new lease of life in the form of a “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” mural, although the TV right smack bang in the middle of the painting kind of spoils it a little. Nevertheless, little bit of colour surely spices up the morning of those who are stopping by for a quick coffee dash, leaving as quickly as they arrive, with paper coffee cups in hand.
The Mad Hatter theme continues to the ceiling, where upside down tea cups and tea pots double as lampshades. These hanging lights remind me not to take life (or light?) too seriously.
Aside from the aforementioned Ron Burgundy, the menu offers other Sotto on West specials such as “Stop Being So Corny” or “The Hangover Cure”, which in common terms translate to corn and zucchini fritter or a bacon and egg sandwich. If you are looking for something a little more straight forward and simple, you could have the “Two Free Range Eggs Anyways”. Because you know, brunch means eggs.
I will keep on returning to Sotto on West while I am in Australia, but don’t count on me ever exploring the other choices on the menu. The Ron Burgundy is my favourite here, and I’m going to keep going back for more of the same.
Sotto on West – 67 West St, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
**I should mention, for the benefit of my fellow gluten-free friends, that the Ron Burgundy is not listed as gluten free. The first time I visited Sotto on West I enquired about this dish and I found out the only gluten ingredient is the oats, and I know that, like many gluten free and celiac people, I don’t react to oats. But I don’t want to be responsible for anyone’s misfortune!
Have you visited Sotto on West before? Perhaps you know of some other great brunch spot that I should check out? Tell me about it in the comments below! If you are a travel and/or food blogger who would like to share your favourite brunch with the world, contact me!
If you enjoyed this post you can keep up with my real time updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Suze The Luxury Columnist says
That Mad Hatter theme looks very fun!
Whispering Gums says
Love brunches … and I reckon it’s ok to order it every time. The fruit changes, after all, doesn’t it? I tend to often order the same things but I go to so many different places that I still see myself as adventurous. It’s just that here I always like X, and there I always like Y. And, of course, with food intolerances, there’s often not a lot of choice available to me at any one place anyhow. (People wonder why I can choose what I’m going to eat so quickly. Easy, I say. There’s not much I can choose from!)
Anyhow, I look forward to your brunch posts. And, if you are ever in Canberra, we have a few we could take you to.