I think my friends from the UK will understand when I say Alexandria reminds me of Slough Trading Estate if the cafes of Shoreditch were hidden inside. Bread & Circus, just like The Ground of Alexandria down the road, is surrounded by fairly ugly industrial buildings and can be a difficult place to spot. The catering at this pink-plated wholefoods canteen is all kinds of beautiful though.
Housed in the same building as Campos Coffee Flagship Store you’ll need to block out sightings of their cakes and speciality coffee and keep going to the Bread & Circus section at the back. We visited on a Sunday and were seated within 5 minutes, which is good going for a popular Sydney brunch joint. The focus here is on healthy, veg-centric dishes and the decor reflects that. Pumpkins and squash line the rough wooden benches upon which smoothies, cold-pressed juices and coffees are served.
The menu changes daily according to what’s fresh at market but you can guarantee on a few favourites always being available. There was only one dish I had my eye on for brunch and it was described as this:
Caramelised lemony banana pancakes
banana, ricotta and biodynamic egg flourless
pancake w/maple syrup, lemon compound butter,
caramelised banana and strawberry
Delicious and sort of sin free – I loved it!
At lunch they serve a selection of biodynamic salads and soups as well as egg fritatta, roasted lamb and a range of sandwiches. Download the daily menu here.
Bread & Circus is something quite rare in Sydney – an under-hyped cafe with super food and smiley service. Go now before the rest of the city catches on!
Find it:
21 Fountain St, Alexandria, NSW 2015
