Kantine - Surry Hills

It was 41°C. I had arranged to meet up with my high school friends for a friendly brunch.
Only problem was, the aircon was struggling. I split system trying to fuel cold air for the cafe - which had it's doors wide open.

We were all melting in the cafe and hence, cold drinks was on order all round. I opted for a Mango mania frappe ($6.50). At first look, my frappe with mango and strawberries looked overwhelmingly strawberryish. Luckily, upon tasting, you can still get that distinct mango flavour. On a hot day like this, my drink was smashed in no time.

mango mania frappe - $6.50

My partner opted for a chocolate milkshake ($6.50). Less refreshing and not quite thick enough or chocolately enough for my liking. With cold drinks all round, it was a bit hit and miss. Some drinks were good - some were quite bland (according to my friends). One thing we all agreed on though - drinks would probably have been better if they were colder and with more ice.

chocolate milkshake - $6.50

Foodwise, we had a good variety of meals. One of my friends ordered the Acai granola ($15.50). Coming with a good amount of oats and nuts and fruit and agave syrup, it seemed to be a refreshing start to a hot hot day. I think my friend said that yoghurt would have gone extremelly well with the plate.

Acai with Spelt and Agave Granola - $15.50

Another cold option ordered by my friends were the salads. One friend ordered a beef salad, another ordered a 'super protein me up' type salad. The beef salad seems to be more interesting. A good mix of greens and avocado and tomato topped with slices of beef. The chicken salad was HUGE but rather bland. Just tons of Chicken really. Our waitress was surprised that my (relatively skinny) friend was able to finish the whole thing. She said that big body building type people often struggle with polishing off the dish :P

beef salad

chicken salad

Onto the cooked options - one of my friends decided on the beef burger ($16.50). This was EXTREMELY juicy - the meat juices were just dripping down as she chomped on the massive burger. With a super thick patty, the beef was slightly too pink in the middle, but other than that, she said that it was a good mix of flavours. In the burger, there was a good heaping of greens, smoked mozzarella, tomato, gherkins, and tomato chutney. Shoestring fries came on the side. She seemed to enjoy this thoroughly.

beef burger - $16.50

Two of my friends decided on the Kantine Lot ($16.50) which is essentially their big breakfast. This comprised of 2 eggs (cooked however you want), a good serving of bacon, a sausage, mushroom, roasted tomato, hash brown and sourdough toast. No complaints here either.

Kantine lot - $16.50

For a bit of a sweet difference, one of my friends decided on pancakes ($15.90). Looked like pretty decently sized pancakes of good thickness. Odd bits of fruit included and maple syrup on the side.

buttermilk pancakes - $15.90

My partner decided on the Corn and coriander fritters ($15.90). I tried these, and I thought they were rather nicely corny. My partner thought that they were no where near as good as the ones from Mart 103 in that they weren't crispy or crunchy enough. So OK - they were a bit soggy. Still tasty though! Came with a serving of bacon and a spoonful of spiced avocado salsa.

Corn fritters - $15.90

One of my friends and myself ordered eggs benedict. My friend got the ham, I got my usual - the smoke salmon. I was surprised at the sheer amount of smoked salmon I got. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the sauce... Mmm... definately appreciated the sauce. It was deliciously yummy and I gobbled mine up in no time.

eggs benedict with ham - $12.00eggs benedict with smoked salmon - $15.50

All up, the service was friendly enough. The food was generally OK ish. The drinks were touch and go. But the temperature in the cafe? We were all ready to die. I guess it's not really the cafe's fault but it did affect our appetite and patience.

Ratings:
Food - 8.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 28.5/40

Kantine
185 Campbell St
Surry Hills
NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9380 8585