Rustic Pearl, Surry Hills
Thursday, December 29, 2016
I DON'T BRUNCH A LOT BUT WHEN I DO... Vanessa is always taking these candid shots of me 💁 Hehe thank you Ness! Todays post is about our brunch at the famous, Rustic Pearl! Rustic Pearl is a place that I've been literally meaning to have brunch at since I first started university and I can't believe I ventured out here so late. Nonetheless the reason for this is because this cafe is always in the lists of top recommendations for brunch in Sydney and we've simply all got to see what the hype is.
Located on Surry Hills' popular Crown Street, Rustic Pearl is SO EASY to miss. In fact we actually came here about to try Ampersand next door until I noticed the tiny paper menu on the cafe next door that said "Rustic Pearl" at the top in small letters. Sorry Ampersand, next time my friend!
Ooooh Vanessa and her aesthetic watch shots 💕
Usually this cafe is very very popular and busy and I've heard people can wait up to an hour for a seat on the weekend! We're really lucky to come in the afternoon around lunch time and still be able to get a good seat.
The cafe itself is extremely small and somewhat cramped but also somewhat comfortable. There is a table outside and the rest of the seating is indoors in what resembles a small corridor. There is sofa seating on one side of the tables while the other side is chairs. The feel of the cafe is actually very rustic and cosy and I love the wall paintings, busy looking kitchen and counter, and shelves and decorations around the place.
The waitress serving us is extremely bubbly and friendly and makes us feel like we are so well looked after! We ask her about food and drinks recommendations and she is really knowledgable about the menu even though it is so large and extensive. Every item on the menu sounds so unique and delicious and the Turkish influence is very clear.
Our water glasses arrive first and we love that each cup is bought out with a slice of lemon and some mint leaves already at the bottom of the cup. For each table the water bottle comes with either a fresh lemon or orange covering the top which is so novelty and cute. Our drinks arrive not too far after and ARE THEY NOT THE MOST AESTHETIC DRINKS YOU HAVE EVER SEEN:
R: Minted Lemonade with Fresh Seasonal Fruits $7
First things first, those straws are metal! How cool is that! Second thing I forgot what Vanessa's drink on the left was called and the online menu isn't updated haha sorry! As for the drinks themselves we both found them to be extremely strange and both having a strong acidity and bitterness. It certainly was not sweet. My lemonade was even more on the salty and sour side. While aesthetic and refreshing thanks for the fruits and mint, it could only be drank in sips at a time.
Our food took a little while to arrive but the wait was worth it!
An effortless flatlay and spread!
Bosphorus Benedict; two poached eggs on toast with bay lobster, avocado, homemade hollandaise, fresh coriander and chilli $25
What a beauty!!! This is the number 1 recommended and Instagrammed dish at Rustic Pearl. We notice a lot of the diners around us also ordering this dish. The coriander on this dish really irks me but Vanessa enjoys it and gives me a cut where theres no coriander hahaha THANKS GIRL. She said she ordered this because she saw chilli on it and as a Korean she was instantly attracted, but in the end the chillies weren't even subtly spicy so she found this dish disappointing. I'd like to note though that this is the first time I've seen her finish the entire plate of food and in a really fast record time as well 👏
Pastirma Bruschetta w/ Armenian style spiced cured beef, melted buffalo mozzarella, smashed avocado, fresh tomatoes, basil, pomegranate molasses, soft boiled egg on sourdough
Firstly I'm not sure if this is the actual name of this menu item but I saw it as the caption on someones Instagram. Rustic Pearl needs to update their Zomato menu!!!
I was instantly drawn to the cured beef and to my delight there was a generous amount of that on this sourdough! The creamy smashed avocado, crispy tomatoes and melted mozzarella and chopped basil that sandwiched this beef was all so delicious. The soft boiled egg was honestly extremely soft and the yolk was tender but not oozy. Loved it! Only thing I didn't love was the sourdough because for some reason it was extremely extremely solid, hard to cut and hard to bite. It might have been toasted for too long but anyway it was really unpleasant and I ended up abandoning it and eating just the toppings.
There was a small jar of pink Himalayan salt flakes on the table and a small sprinkle of this really bought out the flavours of the cured beef!
Overall Rustic Pearl was a good experience and the Turkish influences in these brunch dishes certainly makes this cafe unique and stand out from the others!
TL;DR:
Price: Expensive
Quality: Fresh and freshly prepared
Service: So friendly and helpful!
Ambience: Small but very busy
Rustic Pearl
415 Crown St,
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Open Tuesday - Sunday
8AM - 4PM
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