Mowbray Eatery, Lane Cove
Friday, November 11, 2016
Formerly known as Stain Cafe, Mowbray Eatery is now its new name. It is situated at the forefront in a peaceful location at St Peter's Green; a retirement village that houses many facilities such as the Willoughby council branch library, a chapel and community meeting rooms. As for what's on offer, Mowbray Eatery dishes up no other than a fresh and local, farm-to-table menu. We are here for what seems like brunch to us but end up ordering from their lunch menu that features some vibrant and delicious sounding items. They also have a rotating dinner menu that definitely keeps things interesting and exciting!
While there is no visible signage out the front, the outdoor alfresco area populated by the many diners soaking in the wonderful weather and atmosphere are an unmistakable indicator that Mowbray is a local gem in the Lane Cove area.
We see a dog and puppy on the way in which does nothing but elevate my mood because dogs are so cute!!! Underneath a few tables in the outdoor area are also water bowls for the dogs. I very much love the pet-friendly and also family-friendly atmosphere of this place. With its option to sit indoors or outdoors, it also seems like the perfect place to schedule some me-time, catch up with friends, dine with family, and so on.
There are so many enticing fresh and home-made dessert options in the display cabinets and cookie jars which without question are a real delight for anyone. Those on a gluten-free diet will also be happy to notice much of it is labelled GF.
I'm told to ask for Tasia which I do as soon as we step in and she ever so warmly welcomes us into her restaurant. We opt to sit outside since we also want to soak in the sunny atmosphere.
This large tree is what I would call the centre piece for the alfresco area as it is adorned with strings of fairy lights. I bet it looks absolutely stunning at night!
The waitress here is also very friendly and smiley to all the diners which we find really lovely!
We're handed the menu's and quickly scan over all the yummy options before I decide to ask Tasia for her recommendation. After that consulting, we decided to go with classic lunch options - a burger & salad. You can guess who went with the salad 🙋
A few minutes not too long after placing our orders, Tasia comes back out with soft and warm throw over blankets for Francis and I each and states that it might get a bit chilly later so feel free to use them. We feel like we are getting special treatment for the sake of the review but upon quickly looking around we noticed most of the people sitting outside also had that same contingency blanket draped over their seats. It's an extremely sweet gesture towards each diner on behalf of Tasia and her Mowbray Eatery team and sure enough it does begin to get a bit windy and I appreciate the blanket more than anything.
Thank you!!! 😍 😍 😍
Our drinks were the first to arrive:
Left: Strawberry Milkshake
Right: Carrot, Apple, Celery & Ginger Juice
Both SO aesthetically pleasing and we were happy with how fast these were made and served. I apologise I forgot to give my juice a quick stir in these photos. I was almost expecting my carrot juice to taste strongly of vegetables but instead was pleasantly impressed with how light, sweet and refreshing it was. My favourite element of the juice was the subtle ginger which really uplifted all the other fruits and veggies. It also tastes very wholesome with some pulp still in the juice. I described it to Francis as something that "makes me want to go on a detox and wake up at 6am for a run every morning" 😂
Fran's strawberry milkshake was very adorable looking. Served in a vintage milk bottle with a generous drizzle of strawberry syrup, the milkshake was so delicious. The shake tasted extremely creamy and heavenly. Not too sweet so it leaves you wanting more!
It wasn't until our food arrived (at the same time YAY) that we realised the patchy lighting caused by the shade of the tree branches was really difficult to take our ideal photos in. Did our best with what we had because the food looked absolutely inviting as it awaited getting into our bellies so nonetheless I hope you all enjoy viewing these photos!
Also I was silly and forgot to take a photo of the menu so I will attempt to describe the components of this dish by memory. Please please correct me if I'm wrong.
Trout Salad
The waitress carried out a pepper grinder with this dish and asked if I would like pepper on my salad. 10 points for freshly ground peppercorns, yesss!!
This salad is noticeably so beautiful and colourful. I always believe that if your dish is colourful, then it's definitely on the well-balanced side. I loved the smokey trout in this salad although a few pieces still had some bones in them which was a little unpleasant but overall not a huge deal. Other things in this salad were cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, parsley, coriander and those little yellow balls which I can't figure out what they are. Even after attempting a Google search. I thought it was corn kernels when my plate was set on the table but it tastes a little bit chewy - maybe some form of chickpeas, dough or pasta? If you know what they are please message me and let me know because I am kicking myself for not asking when I should have. IT'S COUS COUS. But back to this salad, even though it looks quite small it was very filling and every component actually came in a generous amount. The flavours were so fresh, vibrant, clean and wholesome. It was extremely nutritious and healthy which I enjoyed so much.
However half way through I felt that it started to become very bland and missed the taste of salad dressing.
Now on to Francis' burger!
Southern Fried Chicken Burger w/ slaw, jalapeños, spicy mayo sauce + Chips
The chips I am guessing might have been twice or even thrice cooked because they were so ridiculously perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Each bite had a resounding crunch before reaching the soft and fluffy innards. Seasoned very well although towards the bottom it headed a bit towards the salty side. What impressed us is how these chips weren't oily at all… like HOW?! Amazing! Also we left some until the very end of our meal and they stayed crisp the entire time.
The Southern Fried Chicken burger itself also was a real crowd pleaser. And we mean it not only because we have tasted its gloriousness but we also saw a handful of people order this without even looking over the menu! The soft and slightly sweet buns hold together two crispy and tender pieces of fried chicken on a bed of fresh cabbage slaw, hot jalapeños and a generous dash of spicy mayo.
Fran was like to me "try it" as he only let me get one bite in and so I present to you all our combined opinions that this is a really tasty burger which we highly recommend! Just like the chips, this burger isn't dripping with oil which impresses us so much. The flavours are all there and this is just likely one of the best lunch options on the menu!
I sat around in my blanket after the meal was completed just because we were both really enjoying the atmosphere and vibes. Especially seeing everyone's little puppies made me so much happier after the delicious lunch we just had. Mowbray Eatery was a bit of a trek for me but I thought it was very much worth it to just have such good food in a beautiful, green and serene location. It's a refreshing difference from the urban everyday life.
Although I thought my salad ended up being quite bland, everything else was on point. I hope everyone reading this will get the chance to dine at Mowbray Eatery if they are in the area because it's really a lovely experience that gets the thumbs up from Francis and I 👍
Let us know if you have visited here or will be doing so!
Thank you for reading! xx
TL;DR:
Price: Bit pricey
Quality: Extremely fresh!
Service: Friendly and considerate
Ambience: Friendly community, peaceful
Mowbray Eatery
1 Felton Avenue,
Lane Cove NSW 2066
Open 7 days a week
Monday - Wednesday: 6:30AM - 4PM
Thursday - Saturday: 6:30AM - 9:30PM
Sunday: 6:30AM - 3PM
Kimmiebites dined as a guest of Sydney Public Relations & Mowbray Eatery. Nonetheless, all opinions expressed in this post are genuine and honest representations of my true thoughts and experience.
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