Oh Surry Hills. I thank you for your steep, hilly streets – they make all the delicious food I ate in your suburb negligible. Kind of. Not really.
But it’s a good thing we spent so much time in this particular suburb of Sydney, as we discovered gems like Porteño, Lumiere Cafe and Patisserie and Izakaya Fujiyama.
Another place to add to the list is Mad Spuds, a little cafe on Crown street, devoted to the potato.
I’m all for it, as the potato holds a special place in my heart. I’m pretty sure potatoes are my favourite carb of all.
Potato paraphenalia lines the walls and counter tops.
I particularly loved this photograph of an original King Edward baked potato oven.
Fun fact I found out after our visit: baked potatoes were common street food in 18th century England. They were the fast food of the time, and a hearty meal that was cheap to produce. Carbs were important fuel for the growing numbers of workers flocking to cities in search of fortune during the industrial revolution.
I opted for something simple that morning, and chose two poached eggs on sourdough toast ($8), with a side of pork sausages ($4).
The eggs were cooked just to my liking, with softly set whites and bright orange yolks that oozed perfectly.
The pork sausages were plump and cooked until crisp. They were cased in perfectly ‘bursty’ skins – which I consider an essential component of snag perfection.
J’s Chorizo Bruschetta ($16), comes piled high with tatti bread, grilled halloumi, chorizo, fig jam and rocket. I was eyeing off the crisp golden tatti bread from the moment it arrived, and luckily for me, the rules of engaged people dictate that all requests for tatti bread must be honoured.
Crispy, light and yet satisfyingly chewy. Mmm… potatoes certainly are magical.
TFP’s Mad Pan Brekkie ($16) comes to the table in its own skillet, filled with Boston baked beans, potato skins, pork sausages, poached eggs and toast.
The beans are lovely – with just the right kick, and go perfectly with the eggs and sausages.
We also shared a serve of Cheesy Crispy Spud Skins ($4); a brave move for three people already enjoying hearty breakfasts.
Another notable mention is the great coffee on offer at Mad Spuds – it’s made from locally roasted fair trade beans, from Double Roasters in Marrickville. Lovely!
Mad Spuds also offer some tasty sounding Baked Potatoes, which are available for lunch. Though we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast, I know we were all wishing it was lunch time.
Next time I’m in town, you can be sure I’ll be stopping by. But I think we’d better make it lunch.
“the rules of engaged people dictate that all requests for tatti bread must be honoured.”
hah!