REVIEW: THE FIRST DROP CAFE
First Drop is located on the corner of Baptist and Telopea Street and surrounded by single-storey terraces. Technically, we are in Redfern, although from our table on the footpath, it feels like Surry Hills.
The service was very friendly, helping us to expand our initial table of four to an table of eight, carefully ensuring that we don’t creep in front of the neighbouring home, a former butcher’s shop.
Coffee was to standard – by which I mean, none of the more common problems, like being too cold, bitter or burnt, raised their unenviable heads. The ability to make a faultless coffee should be in every café’s competency.
The poached eggs with bacon on English muffins were just that. Completely unadorned. The eggs needed a bit of salt (I don’t expect my poached eggs to come out salted), and the bacon had a tad too much fat still on it – however, depending on the night before, that is sometimes a good thing. Unfortunately the yolks were too cooked – does anyone like poached eggs with firm yolks?
Fortunately, for the morning’s experience (and this post), OP’s breakfast was much more exciting. Next to my poached eggs, the chorizo with tomato bruschetta and sauteed garlic mushrooms brightened the table with colour. Too much salt had been added to the mushrooms, especially as the chorizo brought its own natural saltiness to the dish.
What I liked about First Drop was that it keeps things sweet and simple. Most tastebuds on a Saturday morning couldn’t care less about truffle oil or bacon from the south of France – what they demand is simple, tasty food that is well prepared. For the prices that First Drop charges, it would be more than fair to pardon the fact that the food, as I have described, could have been better tweaked and finessed.
And having eaten, we weren’t rushed from our table, nor was there a line of waiting diners eyeing us off. We were able to take our time, relax with full bellies and ease ourselves into the weekend. And best of all, the bill worked out to be only $13 a head.
Details:
The Place: The First Drop Cafe
Where: 69 Baptist Street, Redfern (Ph: 9690 1611)
Food: Cafe
Tip: Don’t make too much noise – you will upset the neighbours!
Butcher’s Bill: $13 a head (breakfast and coffee)
Who should go: Great place to start the weekend – especially after a long working week
