Room 10, Potts Point

Silly me forgot to snap a picture of the entrance – it is helpful to know what your looking for here because this is a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ location, a teeny hole in the wall tucked away in the backstreets of Potts Point. Megan and I stumble around for about 10 minutes before finding Room 10, eyes fixed to the blue dot that marks us on my i-phone map. We change direction a few times before we see we are finally heading towards the red pin that marks Llankelly Place – we were probably a rather entertaining site for onlookers.

However, what Room 10 lacks in size it certainly makes up for in food and service, which I think are much more important variables in determining whether or not you actually like somewhere enough to pay them a second visit. I admit that I was half expecting the vibe here to be a little pretentious, as can sometimes be the case in little hip new places , especially having won ‘best new cafe’ in 2011′s Good Cafe Guide – but it is the exact opposite. The atmosphere here is totally casual and service is very friendly and attentive. Our water glasses are filled pretty much as soon as we are seated and are re-filled throughout our brek without us ever having to ask. This may be a minor detail to some but it is something that I really appreciate, as I find myself constantly asking for water in cafe’s. I can’t decide whether to go sweet or savoury, and the waitress’ recommendations for either are the two I was tossing between (the breakfast rice and the slow cooked salt beef sarnie with fresh cabbage slaw, rocket and mustard). I go for the breakfast rice, and after one spoonful I have no regrets about my choice.

This pretty little bowl was jam packed full of flavor, a mixture of poached and fresh fruit, natural yoghurt, stewed rhubarb, nuts and sunflower seeds, bound together by a wild-rice pudding dotted with vanilla bean, providing a chewy texture contrast and is not too sweet. This bowl seemed to keep going and going! Took me a while, but spoonful after spoonful I consumed every last bit – too good to go to waste! I asked for a side of their fig compote which is gorgeously sticky and sweet, a perfect mouthful when combined with a slice of fresh banana or strawberry from the rice.

 

Megan is equally satisfied with her banana bread. I tried a corner and it is nice and fluffy. Whenever I have banana bread at home I almost always top it with ricotta, cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, and I love their addition of toasted flaked almonds – perfect.

My latte was really good – I actually swiped the coffee foam onto my spoon and had it with the rice – the flavors worked!

I don’t try Megan’s chai but she is happy with it and it comes with a generous dusting of cinnamon, essential to a good chai in my books.

My brain was definitely not all there this morning as I also forgot to note down costs, however our total was $26.50 which was really reasonable considering the quality and portion sizes of the food.

I think I’ll be back for that 2nd (and 3rd, and 4th) visit…