Editor’s note: The wording of this post has been heavily altered to comply with both the format of this blog and the fundamental laws of English. If you wish to read the unedited original review of Elizabeth’s Boutique Cafe as the author intended it you may view it here.
This week the journey through time and space was transferred from Surry Hills to deep Glebe. The thirst inducing 20 minute hike from central station made pre-drinks an obligatory preparation for the unbiased palate and the nearest pub, the AB hotel, was the venue we managed to collapse into. This trendy 3 level establishment used an abundance of visual flair (fish tank counter bar, indie push bike installation art) to distract the patrons from the mediocre cider served.
We met the remainder of our party at this week’s chosen restaurant, Elizabeth’s Boutique Café, where the six of us were greated by a friendly waitress (Elizabeth?) who seemed delighted to seat us in the concernedly empty restaurant. The waitress also succeeded in making an instantly positive impression with Tom by referring him as ‘Sir’; flattery tends to make him as giddy as child in toy store.
The concise menu apparently allows the cafe to serve only the freshest and tastiest food available (I stole that from their website). The choices on the menu were very tempting though we found the pricing to be a bit scattered with mains starting at $18 and going up to around $30, with little choice in between. But fuck it; we got heaps of money…
We ordered two share plates and homemade wedges for our entrees. These were probably the biggest disappointment of the night with the haloumi option being brought out with only four portions and quickly followed by a rather sparse plate on which sat 2 lonely chicken tenderloin skewers. The question was raised: if these were the shareplates what size were the appetizers? Apart from the issue of quantity (becoming a common problem) the haloumi and chicken were delicious and the home-made wedges were boosted from merely good to the great category with the help of the magic sauce accompanying them.
The mains removed any residual disappointment remaining from the entrée with each of our party heavily impressed with their meals. Tom ordered the mussels and chips; a large sized serving of the Perna canaliculus cooked in a rich tomato based sauce, served with a side of fries. Typical of Tom (mucha whingeus), he did raise a minor complaint – his shell bowl which was supposed to fit his empty shells was significantly smaller than the bowl of mussels the meal was served in, or at least that was the excuse he made for his excessive mess.
Chris and Catherine both ordered the linguine which, from the speed in which they finished it, I can only presume good things. Toby opted for the sirloin steak and Tessa the roast chicken breast- each singing praise about (and to) their respective (and each other’s) meal. As for my own meal, I was thoroughly impressed by the slow cooked shoulder of lamb with roasted sweet potato on a bed of mash. The lamb was very tender and the accompaniment of sweet potato made it all the more amazing!
Elizabeth’s Boutique Café serves brilliant food in a nice intimate setting. The grins we wore on our exit definitely revealed the quality of the food and the late coming diners that slowly filled the initially empty restaurant hints at dedicated following. Despite being a bit on the pricey side, Elizabeth’s is definitely a place worth checking out.
7/10
