Café Sofia, 27 Nov 2009


Back during the early ramblings of this blog I discussed at length my love of breakfast/brunch food, and an anonymous reader very kindly responded to my call for suggestions of favourite places with the details for Café Sofia. I added this to my list of eateries to visit but didn’t get around to eating there until late November following a job interview and haven’t managed to blog about it until now.


We find parking down a side street around the corner from Café Sofia after spotting it sitting between a liquor store and a fish and chip shop in close proximity to Erskineville train station. It is housed in a converted semi-detached building with a small shopfront resembling a milk bar with a few tables out the front and some small tables for two against the wall opposite the food display counter inside. A little further inside though, past the many canisters of ground spices, bags of coffee and seemingly endless palettes of eggs, can be found a sunroom-type area with upholstered seating which leads to a back courtyard with seating under a large shadecloth.


Food is ordered from the counter at the front portion of Café Sofia and you are given a number to take back to your table. We start with a large orange juice and some water for the table. The water on this occasion is at room temperature which is unfortunately not thirst-quenching on our particularly hot day.


Monsieur Poisson has entrusted me with ordering for him so I choose the ‘Big Breakfast’ with scrambled eggs so that we get to sample a bit of everything. It comes with thick-cut toast, bacon, half a grilled Roma tomato, a not-too-salty sausage exploding from its casing, grilled mushrooms, a mildly spiced rice and potato hash and plenty of tomato ketchup. I’m surprised at the inclusion of a rice and potato pattie but it’s very moreish and I would happily eat a whole platter of these as canapés!


I order the ‘Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon’ partly because I love smoked salmon and partly because it’s great value in my mind, as all variants of Eggs Benedict are the same price regardless of whether the eggs are served with bacon, spinach or salmon. The eggs are served on English muffins with a side of salad but I find that the Hollandaise is a little too tart for my liking.


As we pass by the counter to leave, I spy a miniature gingerbread house on its lonesome near the cash register. The staff member is not certain who has supplied the house for sale and I’m curious as there don’t seem to be any others around apart from a rather large one in sitting in the display window. I’m not much of a gingerbread fan myself, but the house is too cute for me to pass up so I get it for Mistress instead. She was holidaying in Japan at the time so the house lived in my fridge for a couple of weeks and apparently it was still lovely and moist upon consumption on her return.


Café Sofia
7 Swanson St, Erskineville  NSW
Tel: (02) 9519 1565

Opening Hours:  Mon-Fri  6:30am-5pm
Sat  7am-5pm
Sun  8am-4pm

Café Sofia on Urbanspoon

happy eating!

11 comments:

  1. This looks great. I don't eat breakfast out that often but a Big Breakfast is usually what gets me in the end! lol. The rice and potato patty sound very intriguing and how sweet of you to buy the gingerbread house. So cute!

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  2. Ahh I think I've drive past this place! I'm also a big breakfast lover. LOL at smoked salmon, I do that too if it's the same price. I mean smoked salmon is delicious and it's more expensive. For me it's an easy decision lol

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  3. Mmm that egg looks nice and goopy :)
    Wowsers that toast is thick! Japan thick!

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  4. I pass Erskineville station a lot when I visit Newtown, but I've never seen this place. Thanks for the review; everything looks divine!

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  5. I'm making eggs bene this weekend.. hope it looks as good as the one in your photo!

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  6. I love breakfast/brunch food as well. I haven't been to Erskineville and glad you have found a nice spot there. My fave at moment is Burnt Orange at Mosman.

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  7. The gingerbread house is awfully cute, and it's great that it stayed fresh for so long.

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  8. ew eggs ;) But the rest looks great

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  9. That lil' gingerbread house is soo cute! :)

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  10. how thick is that hollandaise sauce?! otherwise, very cute litttle gingerbread houses!

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  11. Hey Helen, I love cafe breakfasts! One of the major drawcards for me and esp the eggs =) And that gingerbread house was just awesome in its cuteness.

    Hey Lorraine, it's all about the value! But of course it helps that I love smoked salmon as well =p

    Hey Conor, thick cut toast - all the better for mopping up goopy egginess!

    Hey Joey, it is a bit of a hidden place but well worth a visit, as is Big Brekky at Petersham.

    Hey Shellie, and the conclusion is that your eggs Benedict did indeed look great =)

    Hey Ellie, I haven't been to Burnt Orange at Mosman...but it is now another name to keep up my sleeve - thanks!

    Hey Arwen, you know what they say about gingerbread: gets better as it gets a little bit staler and moister.

    Hey Fiona, I'm getting the impression from lots of places that you don't like eggs...explain please!

    Hey Ladybird, it was only as wide as the palm of my hand!

    Hey Panda, yes, very dippable Hollandaise!

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