La Vigne Bakery Eastwood NSW

It was late evening and the first truly chill had set in over the north-west of greater Sydney.
I am always impressed that the La Vigne Cafe is open till late, when the norm is for similar cafes to shut latest by 5pm. Vigne refers to the vineyard and sets the theme for their cakes and displays.

Family groups came in throughout the evening, mostly having take away.  There is 
tightly spaced seating as the place is rather compact, although by street side along Eastwood's so-called Korean section of commerce, near Aldi's.  

Korean bakeries have a slightly different way of making their pastries, breads and cakes.  Some say  they are more light on the bite, others say they are not so intense with ingredients and so the over all flavour is a mixture of French, Oriental and fusion.  One thing strikes me - there are unique Korean stuff they utilise, like red beans, green tea and sticky rice.  This leads to my favourite item from La Vigne - the sweet potato cream cake, heavenly on the taste and elegant on the bite.  It is not starchy at all and breaks all perceptions of carbohydrates dominating anything else.  This particular cake I like is made from  a specific purple coloured sweet potato.

I am told celebrity New Yorker David Chang of Momofuku fame did have a soft spot for the La Vigne.   The coffee here is not that strong but I do find the varoiety of cakes do mroe than make up for this.  Next I yearn to try their Patbingsu!





The La Vigne Bakery is located at 82 Rowe Street, Eastwood NSW.   
Opening hours are from 11am to 10pm every day.
Contact + 61 2 9858 3005



My impressions of the La Vigne Bakery in Eastwood NSW:
Ambiance: 2.5 out of 5

Customer Engagement: 3.5 out of 5
Culinary Delight: 3.5 out of 5
X Factor:  2.5 out of 5
Overall:   3 out of 5 



Recommended Menu choices:
Sweet potato cream cake
Gingerbread man
Patbingsu, an ice shave dessert with fruits and red beans, related to ABC Ais Kacang in south-east Asia
Coffee bun
Strawberry Chiffon
Chocolate cake

Alpha Espresso Bar Epping NSW

Worth considering - a generous serve of smoked salmon with your poached egg, veg and bread slices.

Families and couples were digging into their food that late weekend morning.  The menu can be limited and this made me think this is more of your suburban cafe.   Formerly a Pablo & Rusty franchise joint, what first caught my interest was to have good coffee - and this met my high expectations.

The place  is more narrow and deep in kind of layout in the old style rather than more contemporary wider shop fronts.  Weekend papers are strewn over the tables like a hub for breakky devotees.    For me this cafe was just a pit stop between different points on a busy schedule.   So it is not right for me to evaluate or comment further on the food at this juncture.

The location near Epping Rail Station and linked bus stops can be useful.Alpha's competitors could be the Nero Cafe further towards Oxford Street or the facility rooms at the Epping Club near Coles Supermarket.

Toilets are at the back outside but its maintenance could be improved that day.  I find a dearth of public accessible toilets around this part of Epping - and even the one at the rail station is easily for use by commuters as it is within the ticketed area.

The Alpha Espresso Bar is located at 42 Langston Place, Epping NSW.   
Contact + 61 2 9368 4828




My impressions of the Alpha Espresso Bar in Epping NSW:
Ambiance: 2.5 out of 5

Customer Engagement: 3 out of 5
Culinary Delight: 3 out of 5
X Factor:  2.5 out of 5
Overall:   11/4 out of 5 

Kingston & Co. Espresso Bar & Diner Chatswood NSW

Poached eggs, pasta, pulled pork, sliders, fish and chips, Nachos, grilled steak, burgers, fish........ you can have it all at KAC.     Diners sit in a semi-industrial interior and in Chatswood, also have a choice of experiencing eating in a self-contained section with glass which is beside a narrow lane that is used by vehicles.on a relatively not so cold day - this to me is the preferred area to gather and everyone can see each other, even the passers-by on the pavement.  There is also an entrance to Westfield nearby.

I sense a delay in getting the food to the table but the serving size is wholesome for most menu items.    More impressive is how the tall young man organises customers, allows sufficient time for each diner to make a choice and then interacts with a friendly but efficient manner.

The underlying philosophy for KAC is to champion good ingredient local producers,  like Country Milk.    I was a bit curious about the mascot doggie in their business logo but forgot to ask.    The KAC is popular with all ages, but more so amongst families with young kids.  In a way, I am glad the Chatswood KAC is not placed in a more impersonal shopping centre floor upstairs and it has more character and general accessibility where it is now.

For lunch, there is a choice of chicken or wild mushroom Risotto.  A festival of Mediterranean delights - chickpeas, grilled Zucchini, roasted eggplant, red onions, Heirloom tomatoes and wild rocket - come with roasted garlic yoghurt for your Moroccan lamb tenderloin salad.

There are smoothies, fruit mixes, iced teas, coconut water and milkshakes in addition to the usual coffees and teas.

Eggs Benny.

Kingston & Co. Chatswood is located at Shop 330-331 at 1 Anderson Street, on the street level of Westfield Chatswood NSW.  
Opening hours are from 730am till late every week day and from 830am till late on weekends.
Contact + 61 2 9419 5341
Other Kingston & Co. joints are located at Penrith and Eastgardens, greater Sydney area, NSW and in the ACT, in Belconnen.




My impressions of Kingston & Co. in Chatswood NSW:
Ambiance: 3 out of 5

Customer Engagement: 3.5 out of 5  (the wait staff are tops)
Culinary Delight: 3.5 out of 5
X Factor:  3 out of 5
Overall:   13/ 4 out of 5 



Recommended Menu choices:
Eggs Atlantic, with smoked salmon, watercress, poached egg and Hollandaise on a Brioche.
Eggs Benedict, with smoked ham, spinach, poached egg and Hollandaise  on a Brioche.
Anything with pork belly
Arvo Banoffee Pie
King's Breakfast
Kingston Ricotta hotcakes, with blueberries, honeycomb butter and fresh bananas. Maple syrup on the side.
Moroccan lamb tenderloin salad.