PROFILE BY BEST RESTAURANTS
Brasserie Bread deserves an honorary something-or-other from the Mayor of Botany for their bit in raising the profile of this area. The gourmet destination that is the wholesale bakery and cafe has set Botany well on the way to becoming a budding food precinct. Setting up shop at this location in 2005, the Brasserie Bread Company grew out of in-house baking at Bayswater Brasserie in Kings Cross. Nowadays it is an independent operation that supplies bread to various restaurants, cafes, hotels and caterers around Sydney - and has just become airborne with Qantas. This is real artisan baking; the sourdough starter that goes into every loaf (and pancake) is eleven years old and counting. Buy it fresh from the small retail corner when you visit the cafe, or have a seat and sample something from the bread-based menu.
Rather than going the old world European route, this place is refreshingly contemporary and Australian, down to the cafe decor which has a modern industrial feel. Sheets of glass let the natural light bounce off the polished timber surfaces, and you can look out on one side to the greenery of a golf course, or peer through to the bakery floor on the other. On Saturdays this is also the site of a free kids' baking class, and through the windows you'll see little floury fingers waving to Mom and Dad sitting in the cafe, enjoying a break and an Allpress coffee. The sourdough pancakes are a must-try breakfast item, served with cream, berries and honeycomb. Not surprisingly, the closed and open sandwiches comprise the bulk of the menu; try a croque monsieur with smoked ham and Gruyere, or a lighter option with smoked trout and avocado.
Sarah Theeboom