Latest news with #BillGranger
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney's most iconic cafes and bakeries
Eating outEssential cafes and bakeries The must-visit legends, from game-changing pastry shops opened in 1979, to family businesses serving big-value brekkies and the Country Women's Association tearoom. , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. As featured in Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2. See all stories. These are the legends of Sydney's cafe and bakery scene – a non-exhaustive collection of the places that have stood the test of time, whether through consistent excellence, innovation or hospitality. Some, like bills, have become internationally renowned, expanding to far-flung cities such as Tokyo and London. Others, such as Yummy Yummy Bakery, have thrived in situ, building a loyal customer base spanning multiple generations. This category is one of our most loved entries in Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025. Presented by T2, the guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city's best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on theGood Food app, and are discoverable on the map.) For those who've been to these before, maybe it's time for a revisit. If you've never been, consider this your hit-list for the next few months. 1 / 6 Owner Bun Hong Tang at Bar Sport in Leichhardt. Dion Georgopoulos 2 / 6 Bar Sport in Leichhardt. Dion Georgopoulos 3 / 6 Dion Georgopoulos 4 / 6 Bar Sport, Leichhardt. Dion Georgopoulos 5 / 6 Bar Sport, Leichhardt. Dion Georgopoulos 6 / 6 $3.50 espresso lives on at Bar Sport. Dion Georgopoulos Bar Sport We're into the final minutes of Inter against Barcelona, and Francesco Acerbi has just made it 3-3. The San Siro rocks. In Leichardt, where it's 7am, so does Bar Sport. Football and coffee: rules for life, in Italy and right here. There may be new owners, but the $3.50 espresso is still strong, the Serie A schedule still scrawled on the wall, with piccolo-sized brioche rolls and flaky sfogliatelle the star players. Forza. Best for: A caffe latte and a breakfast roll, with eyes on the big screen. 2A Norton Street, Leichhardt bills at Double Bay. Edwina Pickles bills Whether you've scored a coveted booth seat at the sunlit Double Bay restaurant, or seated at the communal table in Darlinghurst, Bill Granger's four cafes have become the home of brunch in Sydney. From fluffy hotcakes flecked with honeycomb butter to soft, custardy scrambled eggs on sourdough; the late, great Bill Granger perfected breakfast staples. And, knowing our love of a weekend lie-in, he made them available all day. Since there's no rush, follow your Single O coffee with a Korean chilli-spiked Bloody Mary. Best for: Best-in-class brunch classics. Multiple locations, The watermelon cake at Black Star Pastry, the most Instagrammed cake. Anna Kucera Black Star Pastry Black Star offers so much more than its Instagram-famous strawberry and watermelon cake, which kicked off a new wave of patisserie-forward bakeries in Sydney. Innovation continues at its contemporary Newtown cafe, where East Asian flavours are woven into aesthetically driven desserts including a black sesame cheesecake resembling a Japanese rock garden and a 'mug' made with rich cocoa pastry filled with airy, matcha mousse. Good to know: Return for monthly chiffon cake specials in flavours such as tiramisu or ube. 1/325 King St, Newtown, Circa Espresso in Parramatta. Circa Espresso Circa Espresso has been at the top of Parramatta's cafe scene for the past 15 years, steady in its Victorian terrace home as skyscrapers have risen around it. Whatever the weather, there are pram-toting, dog-walking regulars queuing for house-roasted coffee and brunch with Middle-Eastern touches. Baked eggs bolstered with sujuk soothe the soul, and there's soft house-baked focaccia for dragging through saucy remains. Good to know: The tea selection, sourced from is excellent. 21 Wentworth Street, Parramatta, Eastwood CWA President Margery East serves Devonshire tea at the volunteer-run tea room. Louise Kennerley Country Women's Association Tea Room Scones and tea and milk by the glass, the only CWA tea room in Sydney offers refreshments, handmade jams, pickles and knitwear. Prices start at a very competitive $3.50 for two scones with jam and cream or $6 for a Devonshire tea. Open Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 3pm, it's also a little less busy than the Country Womens' Easter Show canteen. Must order: If you don't order scones, can you really say you've been to the CWA? Women's Rest Centre, Corner of Hillview Road and West Parade, Eastwood Harrys in Bondi. Harrys Bondi There aren't any beach views, but this busy spot is as Bondi as tan lines. That equals lots of outdoor seating, four pages of drinks (mostly matcha and coffee, plus a spicy marg) and an easy, all-day menu that's generously portioned but not too heavy and complex. There are the usual culprits – ricotta pancakes, smashed avocado, burgers, big salads – plus a stack of add-ons, including fries, to ensure there's something for everyone. Service is friendly and efficient, and its location on the sunny side of the street makes it perennially appealing. Best for: Breezy all-day brunching with your pals and dog. 2/136 Wairoa Avenue, Bondi Beach 1 / 8 Lesley and Georgina Brull have been operating Wellington Cake Shop since the '70s. Dion Georgopoulos 2 / 8 Cinnamon scrolls at Wellington Cake Shop in Bondi. Dion Georgopoulos 3 / 8 Wellington Cake Shop, Bondi. Dion Georgopoulos 4 / 8 Wellington Cake Shop, Bondi. Dion Georgopoulos 5 / 8 The display cabinet at Wellington Cake Shop, Bondi. Dion Georgopoulos 6 / 8 Owner Lesley Brull is still on the tools. Dion Georgopoulos 7 / 8 Owners Lesley and Georgina Vrull, The Wellington Cake Shop in Bondi. Dion Georgopoulos 8 / 8 Owner and head baker Lesley Brull at Wellington Cake Shop. Dion Georgopoulos Wellington Cake Shop When Hungarian-born Lesley Brull and his wife, Georgina, opened in 1979, they had one cabinet of Austro-Hungarian cakes and tortes. As their popularity grew, so too did their selection, and the shop became a proud specialist of continental treats – goodies such as strudel, bagels, poppy seed slice, sour cherry crumble, kugelhupf, cheese pockets and biscuits, all of which are great. More than 45 years on, Brull is still on the tools by 2.30am each day at the modest, well-priced shop. Must order: The famous chocolate kugelhupf, a bell-shaped bready cake with rivers of chocolate. 157 Bondi Road, Bondi, La Renaissance Patisserie A fixture of The Rocks since 1992, when you've need a celebration cake or croquembouche, La Ren is at the ready. Layered with white chocolate and coffee whipped ganache, the opera cake is an all-timer, but no one is ever upset when you bring its gold-standard Saint Honore to a party either. Meanwhile, the shaded courtyard is a top spot for a quick sausage roll and eclair. Good to know: If you need to pick up a pre-ordered cake, La Ren's Waterloo location tends to be much easier for parking. 47 Argyle Street, The Rocks and 197 Young Street, Waterloo, Pasticceria Papa in Haberfield. Pasticceria Papa Thirty-five years after Salvatore Papa first opened the doors, it's difficult to overstate how cherished this family-run institution remains. Zuccherati, biscotti, cannoli, arancini and pizzette are all part of the reason. But if there's one thing keeping the queues coming, it's the ricotta cake, soft-centred inside a shortcrust shell. Make like a local and order one for a celebration, or split a scaled-down version with someone you love. Good to know: Diehards can visit their second venue at Five Dock and subscribe to Papa's podcast, Sweet Traditions . 145 Ramsay Street, Haberfield and 95 Queens Road, Five Dock, Outdoor seating at Single O, Surry Hills. Louise Kennerley Single O Single O is the platonic ideal of the neighbourhood cafe and, for more than 20 years, their Surry Hills outpost has attracted a steady stream of long-time locals and international tourists. The cafe doubles as a sustainable specialty coffee roaster, championing single origin beans and pioneering brewing technology. But it also does a great classic Aussie brunch, with a few twists such as yuzu in the eggs benedict and banana bread with espresso butter. Must try: The signature oat milk cold brew. 60/64 Reservoir St, Surry Hills, 1 / 6 Yum Yum Bakery owner Najib Haddad. Dion Georgopoulos 2 / 6 Breakfast at Yum Yum Bakery, Guildford. Dion Georgopoulos 3 / 6 The wood-fired oven. Dion Georgopoulos 4 / 6 Second generation owner Najib Haddad at Yum Yum Bakery in Guildford. Dion Georgopoulos 5 / 6 Haloumi wrapped in filo pastry at Yum Yum. Dion Georgopoulos 6 / 6 Yum Yum Bakery has T2 tea and barista-made specialty coffee. Dion Georgopoulos Yum Yum Bakery You know it's a great-value feed when the tradies turn up. They're seated in a booth between a group of well-dressed women and some old friends gossiping over T2 tea. It's a rainy weekday, the wood-fired oven is blazing and this revamped 35-year-old Lebanese cafe is pumping. There are fun menu additions, such as fried filo-wrapped haloumi, but the classics still hit. The big breakfast is a generously proportioned 'wow' moment, colourful with fresh herbs, puffy fried bread, perfect fried eggs and so much more. Good to know: The hospitality is as outstanding as the food. 273 Guildford Road, Guildford, Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city's best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover what's near you. Continue this series Explore Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries Up next The roasters and baristas are doing it better at these 10 venues. There's a cool basement CBD cafe, a next-gen spot with caffeinated raves and many smooth flat whites. These cafes cater to kids without compromising on quality. We love the spot with ace Brazilian cheesy bread rolls and a casual hangout with an excellent chip butty. Previous The queue-worthy pop-ups, food trucks and market stalls keeping cafe food casual. Catch them while you can. See all stories Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Bills
Whether you've scored a coveted booth seat at the sunlit Double Bay restaurant, or seated at the communal table in Darlinghurst, Bill Granger's four cafes have become the home of brunch in Sydney. From fluffy hotcakes flecked with honeycomb butter to soft, custardy scrambled eggs on sourdough; the late, great Bill Granger perfected breakfast staples. And, knowing our love of a weekend lie-in, he made them available all day. Since there's no rush, follow your Single O coffee with a Korean chilli-spiked Bloody Mary.
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Brooke Bellamy breaks silence over copycat allegations
Embattled celeb baker Brooke Bellamy has made her return to social media after her recipe controversy, addressing her critics in a video filmed at her bakery, Brooki Bakehouse. Last month, fellow celeb chef and RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi publicly accused Bellamy of copying her recipes for her popular new cookbook, Bake with Brooki. Maehashi later also accused Bellamy of copying recipes from other renowned foodies, including late Aussie chef Bill Granger. As the claims against her mounted, Bellamy – usually a prolific user of social media – went to ground. In a new post to her Instagram account yesterday – the first posted to her grid since April 28, the day the scandal broke – Bellamy addressed her extended absence. 'Since opening my bakery three years ago and sharing my life online, I've never had such a long break between videos but I've also never experienced something like I have over the last few weeks,' she began. Bellamy said opening her own bakery had been her lifelong dream, and came after she travelled the world 'in search of the best bakeries'. She cited her mother as the biggest inspiration in her cooking, as she 'learned to cook and bake with her in the kitchen growing up.' 'When I was invited to write a cookbook I was really excited to share all of the recipes that I've been making since I was small. These recipes have been written down on paper, been handed to me by friends and family, they get passed down through generations, they gets scaled up and scaled down in the bakery setting,' Bellamy said. 'While all of these recipes are personal to me, I cannot say that I have invented the cookies, cupcakes, brownies or cakes in the recipe book. They are all inspired from somewhere and someone before me. I never subscribe to be a part of a narrative that pits two women against each other, especially in the same industry. I think there's room for everyone, especially more women in business,' she said. Bellamy finished by saying that this public statement was 'all [she'd] say about it, and that she was keen to refocus on her business and her love of baking. Those recipe copying allegations might have momentarily gripped Australia a few weeks back, but it seems not everyone was following the controversy – even among Bellamy's own fanbase. 'I'm confused. Did Brooke get accused of something?' reads the top-rated comment under the post. Fellow author and cook Maehashi accused Bellamy of plagiarising several recipes in her best-selling book, Bake with Brooki. As public outrage grew, Maehashi later called on social media trolls to stop personal attacks towards Bellamy. 'Now I know I've made serious allegations. But this does not justify the personal attacks that I've seen online against Brooke Bellamy. I do not support it and I'm asking you to stop,' she said. Bellamy had shared a statement with in the days following the allegations being aired, saying the backlash she had faced since the accusations first emerged had been 'deeply distressing' both for her and her family. 'The past 24 hours have been extremely overwhelming,' she said/ 'I have had media outside my home and business, and have been attacked online. It has been deeply distressing for my colleagues and my young family.' Bellamy went on to insist that she has never copied another baker's recipe, and instead has only ever 'drawn inspiration' for her own creations. 'I do not copy other people's recipes. Like many bakers, I draw inspiration from the classics, but the creations you see at Brooki Bakehouse reflect my own experience, taste, and passion for baking, born of countless hours of my childhood spent in my home kitchen with Mum.'
The Age
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
How to make Bill Granger's favourite brunch: Sweetcorn fritters with Tex-Mex sides
'Tex-Mex was huge around the time we opened bills in 1993,' Bill Granger wrote in his 2020 cookbook Australian Food. 'Tinned chipotles were flavour of the month, and Navajo blankets were being dragged down every fashionable catwalk. This was in the days before we worried about cultural appropriation, and we were living in a Santa Fe fantasy world.' These sweetcorn fritters with roast tomatoes, bacon and avocado salsa were Granger's nod to that, but they outlived the phase and are still on the menu. With its combination of crunch and big flavours, this was his favourite breakfast dish.
Sydney Morning Herald
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How to make Bill Granger's favourite brunch: Sweetcorn fritters with Tex-Mex sides
'Tex-Mex was huge around the time we opened bills in 1993,' Bill Granger wrote in his 2020 cookbook Australian Food. 'Tinned chipotles were flavour of the month, and Navajo blankets were being dragged down every fashionable catwalk. This was in the days before we worried about cultural appropriation, and we were living in a Santa Fe fantasy world.' These sweetcorn fritters with roast tomatoes, bacon and avocado salsa were Granger's nod to that, but they outlived the phase and are still on the menu. With its combination of crunch and big flavours, this was his favourite breakfast dish.
