Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery33 Bridge St
Erskinville, Sydney
Erskineville is no stranger to excellent coffee and good food so it's not surprising that "Foodcraft Espresso and Bakery" decided to open in this part of the inner west. Boasting a great design with a mixture of copper, exposed brickwork and 3.8 metre high ceilings, resembling something of half warehouse half bakery - 'Foodcraft Esprsesso & Bakery' has already become a local favourite with streams of people outside their doors waiting to try their great coffee and tasty treats every day.
Located at 33 Bridge street, under a newly built apartment complex, the recently opened café is just a stone's throw away from Erskineville train station. There is plenty of street parking available too.
We arrived on a very cold morning to a full cafe and although quite a few brave souls were eating outside, we were lucky to get a table inside, right away.
We took our seats and in a matter of minutes our coffees arrived. We usually order a long black and a macchiato but today Count J ordered a long black too, so we had two of the same coffees at our table. We were quite impressed with the coffee. Very smooth and rich and at the right temperature so we can start drinking straightaway.
After our coffees, I was in the mood for something sweet so I ordered the Nutella Frappe. Wow, what a beverage. It was served in a generous mason jar and was loaded with Nutella and cream. Such an indulgent treat - I'm glad I tried it!
The food menu was just as impressive and with lots of healthy options such as organic maple granola and organic sourdough bread.
But don't worry, there are quite a few 'traditional' breakfast options as well, such as Eggs Benedict and a Haloumi stack, so whatever you're in the mood to eat, this place has your covered.
Our eyes were drawn to the Ricotta and Blueberry Pancakes and the Italian Baked Eggs so we ordered one of each (with the intention of sharing).
The pancakes were light, fluffy and smothered with a generous helping of mascarpone and fresh blueberries, and drizzled with maple syrup.
They were really thick too. Such a generous serving, perfect for sharing if you like to try lots of different things, like we do.
The baked eggs can only be described as the best baked eggs we have ever eaten and this is not an exaggeration. This hearty dish was full of generous chunks of sopressa salami (an aged Italian salami) smothered in a rich tomato sauce with lots of delicious basil provolone , all topped with Italian padano cheese. Just a warning, you might not want to share this one, its so good.
Whilst we finished our food, we had the opportunity to chat with owners Aki and Simon, who's experience in the café industry goes back many years, something that truly shows in the way Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery operates. Aki talked to us about their latest creation, Tella Balls, a type of donut injected with amazing flavours.These donuts are so good, they have been voted as one of the top 10 donuts in the world by popsugar (www.popsugar.com.au http://www.popsugar.com.au) and are often referred to as Dessert Porn.
It goes without saying that we tried a few Tella Balls and although the name might suggest the donuts are filled with Nutella rest assured there are quite a few delicious fillings to choose from. We chose the salted caramel and vanilla ricotta ones and were very impressed. The generous fillings oozed out of the ball as we cut into it. It's definitely worth coming out to try them.
Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery is open Tuesday to Sunday from morning to late afternoon. These guys are so popular they'll be opening in a second location in Sydney's Inner West. Details of the exact location are to be announced soon. We can't wait!
The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery. Special thanks to owners Aki and Simon. Big thanks also to Lea Nguyen for arranging this visit.
