JACKPOT visits EXCELSIOR JONES

Good Morning dear readers!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I’m definitely feeling some Monday-itis this morning and trying to somehow keep awake even though my eyes are struggling to stay open. I guess that’s what happens when you try to pack in too much into one weekend. I will be posting up one of my baking experiments soon as I was eager to try out some new recipes so stay tuned for the next recipe post on my blog.

I wanted to visit a new cafe as I usually try to visit some new cafes on my Saturdays that I have free. As I was so exhausted from the week before due to work and everything else, I woke up a lot later than anticipated so I was worried that by the time I headed out to brunch that it would be too busy as most people tend to eat brunch around 10:30-11am. I still decided to try my luck and decided upon going to Excelsior Jones as I had read a lot about this new cafe from various blogs. I had also read that their serving sizes were rather on the small size so in anticipation of this, I knew that we needed to probably order a dish to share between Mr Muscles and I to accommodate for his hunger ;P

Excelsior Jones is located in Ashfield in the corner of a street where there aren’t any other cafes in sight. Mr Muscles was telling me how this cafe was probably something that was needed around this area as there aren’t many popular cafes situated here. We got to the cafe around 11am and found the cafe to be quite full where we had to wait for a table initially but as we were about to sit down on a bench to wait, a couple were just leaving so we got shown to the table within a few minutes. One thing I must mention is that the staff are very friendly, very attentive and are always very quick to check if there is anything you need. They also quickly cleaned the dishes off our table when we were done with our plates. You can tell the service here is important and that the staff are more than accommodating to the customers’ needs.

The inside of the cafe is simple with simple furniture and accessories used for each table yet modern at the same time. You can see inside the kitchen from the side of the restaurant and each time the waitress would pass our table, I would eye out all the food that passed us by. There were some great looking dishes and you can tell that they emphasise the importance of presentation for each dish to really enhance the fresh and flavourful ingredients that they use.

Mr Muscles Meal: Pork Hock Hash with Pearl Shallots, Fried Buckwheat, Poached Egg & Fresh Herbs $16.00

Mr Muscles really enjoyed his meal. It was similar to a deconstructed hash browns. The flavours were rich and the ingredients were fresh. The meal itself was rather on the heavy side despite it being quite small in size. Mr Muscles finished his dish in no time at all. I saw other customers eye down his food as he was eating it and asking the waitresses what this dish was so you could tell that this dish seemed very appealing to customers. This was the most expensive item on the menu however the dish itself really combined flavours and ingredients you probably wouldn’t think went well together but somehow mixed well together. The best part was once you poked the poached egg, the yolk just oozed out on top of the rest of the ingredients in the dish. I think Mr Muscles would definitely order this dish again.

And because he was feeling extra hungry, he ordered a side of toast with butter.

Toast with Butter $5.00

My meal: Sourdough Pikelets with Stewed Strawberries and Custard $13.00

A close up of my pikelets – look at how juicy those strawberries look! I kinda wish I had some right now ;P

I had been wanting these pikelets ever since I saw them on various food blogs so I knew I really wanted to order it for my meal. I was surprised at how light these pikelets were and that they didn’t leave you feeling heavy. The portion size was rather on the small side for me as I was hoping that I could have more after I demolished the dish whole. The pikelets were also surprisingly not that sweet like usually pikelets I have tasted which I liked. The stewed strawberries were very soft and melted in your mouth with each bite. The custard was nice but very thin almost more to the consistency of milk. I really enjoyed the dish and definitely will order these pikelets the next time I visit this cafe. I however was not full after eating this so Mr Muscles decided to order me a side of fruit and yoghurt to accompany my meal.

Shared dish: Poached and Fresh Summer Fruits with Sweet Oats and Yoghurt $10.00

The fruit and yoghurt accompanied with some oats was very fresh and tasty. I liked the contrast between having fresh fruit in the dish alongside poached fruit (I think pear). The dish is simple and not complicated. Definitely something to have if you are feeling like a very light meal. I really want to try the House Made Granola next time along with the Sautéed Field Mushrooms on Toast. I’ve also heard that their lunch menu is nice too where they serve Cheeseburgers with Angus Beef and Gruyere.

All in all I enjoyed my visit to Excelsior Jones. This is definitely an up and coming cafe as more and more people are finding out about this cafe and visiting more frequently. I like that the service is attentive and that the turn around for a table is quick and efficient so you are not waiting too long. I think this cafe is definitely a hidden gem in a street that really needed a cafe like this.

Excelsior Jones

139A Queen Street

Ashfield NSW 2131

Ph: (02) 9799 3240

Website: http://www.excelsiorjones.com/

Trading Hours:

Tues-Fri 7:30am-4pm

Sat & Sun 8am-4pm

Until Next Time!

x

Jackie