Along with many other places in the Newtown, King Street vicinity, I’d been meaning to try Varga Bar out for a while before finally paying it a visit. I’m here with mum for brunch before doing a spot of shopping. I had been on a relentless hunt for a specific looking clutch bag, a combination of slightly out of budget $4000 online shopping sitings and my own mental image. Having trawled Oxford St unsuccessfully, I decided to try my luck in the eclectic stores that Newtown is known for. But first, food fuel was needed.
Removed from the busy bustle of King Street, Varga bar is open and inviting with a cool breeze circulating throughout the space courtesy of a large mounted fan, a very welcome feature on this muggy summers day. All the food here is organic, which is always a plus, but the prices are not extortionate as is so often the case in cafes that claim this status.
It is midday, so we order from both the breakfast and lunch menus.
Vegetarian baked eggs with mushroom, pumpkin, tasty, tomato spinach, parmesan, dukka with Cajun tortilla $15. 50
I felt a pang of food envy after trying Mum’s order, the fresh ingredients and flavors combining to produce a dish that was, as Mum said, ‘really tasty’. The ‘Cajun tortilla’ mostly gets left behind however as it is just a toasted tortilla dusted with cayenne. I happily steal the pear chutney that came with as Mum is not a major fan of sweet with savory, unlike me.
Charred green bean wrap with avocado, sunflower seeds, tomato, spinach, bulgarian feta, onions, mayo $12.9
Though the ingredients listed were exactly what I felt like, my order was a bit of a let down. The green beans were only lightly charred which meant they lacked that distinctive char flavor. The said sunflower seeds were m.i.a, and the fetta used was really mild – it tasted more like ricotta. The onion used was raw red onion, which I felt overpowered the other ingredients. Caramelized onions and a sharp goats fetta would be nice. Also, the wrap to filling ratio was not to my taste – I like lots of filling and not so much wrap, whereas here the thick bland wrap bread somewhat masked the innards. Shame because if tweaked, this combination could be really great! I may have to try and re-create it at home. Wrap aside, I really loved the little side salad that came with, a speckle of white sesame seeds coating baby spinach leaves and topped with some crispy, morish sweet potato chips that also garnished the baked eggs.
Service was friendly, but I got mixed messages from the food at Varga Bar. Maybe some more menu sampling would solve that. Oh and I didn’t find a clutch bag, but I did pick up this cute little key ring…
I always manage to find the exact opposite of what I’m looking for!
Mm X
