81. Wind and a bonus pie review. I’ve been to this bakery many times but…

I’ve been to this bakery many times but I was under the impression their menu was limited to goods presented in the counter top cabinets. Bread, ready-made sandwiches, and pies. Their pies are amazing. They have fueled many a drive between Canberra and Sydney and Canberra and Parkes. I’m partial to the pepper steak or creamy chicken and leek wrapped in light, flaky pastry.

What I was unaware of was their broad menu of freshly cooked items with titles like ‘Buttermilk Pancakes’, Panna Cotta Granola, and the thing I had been recommended to try by Geoff from Queanbeyan Stay Upright.

CROISSANT BENEDICT
Two free range poached eggs, tarragon hollandaise, choice of double smoked ham, Tasmanian smoked salmon, hickory smoked bacon or sauteed spinach, Bakehouse butter croissant.

I found the menu by scanning the QR code (you might know how I feel about that) because I the only seating option I had was outside. However, I still had to figure out what to do with the dog while I queued to order at the counter. When I dared suggest that the online menu without online ordering was counterintuitive to the lass on the till, she shrugged and said; “cafes get busy at lunchtime”.

No sh*t Miss Obvious!

I ordered a regular latte and benedict that rates as one of the most expensive with hickory smoked bacon, because the reality of sharing is not lost on me.

Lizzie does sit and stay but her attention is easily distracted so I had no choice to tie her the case iron railing on the balcony. As I was returning to my seat I was told by another member of staff “please don’t leave you dog unattended”.

I chose to ignore the comment because I had already given the relevant feedback concerning that and I had repeated myself I may not have been ask polite the second time.

By the time the coffee arrived I was bloody freezing. Although the sun was shining, the wind was reducing the overall temperature by several degrees, so I leap at the chance to warm my hand on the hot beverage.

The simplicity of it warmed my heart too. No fancy froth faffing, just warmed milk on top of slightly bitter coffee. Weirdly, they gave me a spoon, but no sugar, and I wasn’t asked if I wanted sugar, so why the spoon?

Habit, muscle memory, or not listening?

I know that when I order a tea and say ‘no milk’ there will, nine out of ten times, be a little jug of cow juice on the side. I don’t take sugar in my coffee or tea, so the teaspoon represents unnecessary washing up.

Coffee was rapidly followed by food being plonked in the table in front of me. Where the wind promptly dumped all loose flakes of pastry over the front of my shirt.

snow falls
flakes dusting
face and hair
table buffeted —
butter melts

If you’ve been reading a while I have eaten more than my fair share of Eggs Benedict in more than an average number of places. The eggs have been presented on numerous different carbohydrate options, including ‘polenta chips’, but I have never seen it on a croissant. So it’ll either be a disaster or success. The immediate advantage I can see is the bread doesn’t dominate the plate or appear too heavy. I recent times I have noticed I’m more often that not leaving half the bread.

This was light and a delightfully buttery croissant as can be seen from the picture above. Another bonus and always a huge tick in the plus column it appears the hollandaise was house made and not drowning out the other flavours on the plate. I opted to pick up the lid to eat it, naturally I was covered in flakes of pastry snow. The eggs seemed to confirm their free-range status with their pepper orange yolks perfectly cooked with no white snot. I couldn’t identify the tint shreds of green leaf used as a garnish, however, I suspect that it was approximately 10% of a spinach leaf.

The bacon was average although Lizzie would surely disagree with me, as whenever she gets the tiniest amount you’d think I was starving her and this morsel is the only sustenance she’ll get all week.

A return visit is pretty much guaranteed for a couple of reasons. The food is very good and it’s also very local being about a 20 minute drive from my house. What is disappointing was the dining in experience.

The oddity here is the inconsistencies. They present the menu by QR code, however with eat in order they offer table service, so surely online ordering would ease the workload inside especially if they kept counter ordering to those choosing to take-away.

They have a fabulous ramp for accessibility but once inside or on the balcony the tables are tightly packed leaving little room for manoeuvre.

They have a Furry Friends Watering Station (two water bowls although on the day I was there, these were missing) at the front but then make no provision for dogs such as hooks under the tables or, stick with me, online ordering.

***

Location: Little Sutton Bakehouse
Address: 1 Victoria St, Sutton NSW 2620
Website (including menu): https://littlesutton.com.au

EB Price: $28