DARE (Delicious and Responsible Eating) Café
765A Anzac Pde
Maroubra, Sydney
DARE Café sounds like an influential name in itself - and once you learn that it stands for Delicious and Responsible Eating, the respect grows even more.
The small café, situated in the heart of Maroubra sells homemade and sustainable food. Their décor is unique, with favourite quotes written, and iconic paintings adorning, the walls.
We were greeted by Lee, the owner, who’s hospitality was unrivalled. Lee took the time to explain to us how many of the recipes are her own, or from her friends. All the food is grilled (they do not own a deep fryer), and that all the baked goods are made by themselves (bar the bread and croissants). No detail is left unattended, proven further by the delicious blood-orange infused table water.
It was a hard task to choose what to have for brunch, so we started off simply with two delicious coffees. In place of the usual sugar, they were served with a side of chocolate chips!
We opted for a twist on the classic Avocado on toast. DARE Café’s avocado smash is a tower of avocado, grilled haloumi, 2 poached eggs, mixed greens, zaatar and pomegranate glaze with a choice of smoked salmon or bacon (we went for the bacon).
The second dish was a vegetarian Shakshuka. Middle eastern-style poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce served with organic sourdough toast. If this dish wasn’t impressive enough, they were served with a South African twist! In place of the traditional open pan that baked eggs are usually served in, they were served in a traditional South African three-legged pot.
No surprise here, but we had to have dessert! From the impressive selection of baked goods, we opted to share a Peanut Butter Muffin. Lee explained to us that the peanut butter used is made by a friend of hers who uses no additional butter or oil! This was an amazing treat to end our time there.
Dare is well worth visiting. They prove that good healthy food can also taste great as well!
The Two Contessa’s dined as guests of Dare Café. A big thank you to Lee, Marcie, Glenda, Ben, and everyone else at DARE for a wonderful time!