The New Farm Deli and Cafe

Popped in there today for a light birthday luncheon. We had heard good things about the cafe, but it was our first time so we were looking forward to seeing whether or not they were true!

We ordered the pasta carbonara (him) and the rib fillet salad (me). The pasta was super-creamy, threaded with bacon and herbs, piping hot and seasoned just right. The verdict: "Perfect". That's from the horse's mouth, people. From a real carbonara connoisseur. As for my salad, it was delicious. I had been tossing up between that one, the tuna salad with capers, red onion and so on (but it was tinned tuna so that put me off at the time) and the peasant pomodoro, which is apparently a chunky rustic dish of cooked tomatoes, garlic and herbs on a pasta dura base. I felt, however, that I needed a beefy steaky iron fix, so I went with the rib fillet. It arrived: strips of tender juicy marinated fillet (a little bit fatty in parts, but still good) with a couple of slices of baked kipfler, lots of bitter rocket, a sprinkling of feta, some spicy pancetta (what was with that?) and all covered with a light vinaigrette. Delicious. Not too much, not too heavy for lunchtime, not too much carb, just a tasty protein fix. We had a bottle of sparkling San Pellegrino mineral water to go with, which was perfect. The total was $38. Reasonable, considering the excellent quality.

The only things to gripe about: babies in prams (I am not anti-baby, but these ones were screaming). Luckily they left about ten minutes after we arrived. Small tables, so it was difficult to read the paper or a magazine or just enjoy a leisurely spread-out meal. Noisy, but that was to be expected.

It was nice though to wander through the deli section, drooling, after lunch. No deli purchases today.

Lovely and friendly wait staff. We are looking forward to a return visit, when I shall be sampling the peasant pomodoro, or perhaps the octopus salad. Breakfast menu also looked very appealing... !

August 2007 update

Breakfast: muesli with berries and sweet vanilla yoghurt, milk on the side, and a slice of toasted Italian pannetone with butter for my friend.

The "Bravo" for me: eggs on toasted ciabatta with slices of spicy csabi sausage. Delicious all round. My Earl Grey was real leaf, not teabag. Less than $20 for each of us.

The service was less than great this time. Possibly due to them being so busy... but our coffees and teas arrived almost at the end of breakfast, and my breakfast arrived ten minutes before the muesli.