Actually me upon hearing about this location: An actually aesthetic brunch cafe in Bankstown? WHERE?! 

Bankstown has a good number of local gems but a new brunch cafe in the area always perks my interest! This was a while ago but when I spotted @thefatcouple head down to Bankstown for an aesthetic and delicious looking brunch and just generally being surprised that I didn't hear or see it sooner myself, I knewwww this is where I was dragging the b-f on the weekend.


Just around the corner from House of Thai and Chocolates Del Mondo on what is actually a busy road yet with low foot traffic, we find a small line just after noon waiting for a table at Glacage. What a hidden place for a cafe, I love it!


I really wanted a seat in the main and front area where there's more flowers, green plant walls, warmth, and bright indirect lighting (perfect for photos) but instead we could only get a table down at the back for the amount of time we were willing to wait*

* - the amount of time PATRICK was willing to wait 🙊



The back of the cafe is more 'garden shed'-like with its tin roofing, wooden buckets and slightly clattered look. It has it's own charm such as the quirky lights and mix of green and dried plants. But it's definitely so much darker and less prettier and aesthetic than the front of the cafe.

My minor disappointment was also with the heat lamps which cast a very red/pink lighting over my photos. But this doesn't really affect the food in the cafe or your experience, so it's just my qualm when I took photos - don't anyone worry!




The service was not that great and I found them a little bit abrupt. We were given menus and asked to make our orders at the front counter. It was after noon so things appeared to be winding down but then at the counter they made me feel really rushed as if I was trying to put in an order when the kitchen was already closed. Not a vibe I want to feel on the weekend at all.

Where to go for a local hang out with the friends at night in Bankstown? V Bites is one of the answers I'll give you. Because when I think of what's good I think of fried ice cream and then I think of V Bites.


V Bites is a small and casual Vietnamese eatery in Bankstown. The interior is very warm and modern, while the service is fast and friendly. We're handed our menu's straight away and table water soon after.



Of course even on this cold night, we're only here for the fried ice cream. Yet with all the pretty photos of the menu offerings, our girl Katrina gives in and orders a plate of stir fried rice noodles.


I remember being confused when this was set on our table. I thought Kat had ordered noodles yet the food on the plate was such a small and flat portion with the noodles barely seen. It was as if this should've been served with rice instead. That was also the conclusion Kat came to. The taste was average and the portion was too small to justify the expensive price. Overall, a pass.



THIS IS WHAT WE CAME FOR. Wrapped in a thin layer of fried pastry, caramel sauce, a bed of shredded coconut and sweet strawberries I found this fried ice cream pretty good. Definitely not the best as I was slightly disappointed at how fast the ice cream melted despite the cold weather but still delicious and more-ish.



TL;DR:
Price: Expensive for the small portions
Quality: Good
Service: Fast and friendly
Ambience: Small, cosy and casual

Has anyone seen the Bankstown Sports Club lately? All I can say is... NICE! I used to hang at Bankstown a lot during my high school days but these days I have no reason to be there unless its the quick weekend grocery shopping with my parents or sister. So it was only in the past few months that I noticed Bankstown Sports Club has been sporting a bit of a fresh look and advertising some new restaurants. I always knew it was nice inside the club, especially at La Piazza but the new advertisements really had me further intrigued.

My best friend, Anne-mary and I recently decided to have lunch here as she has a club membership card and we walked around looking at all the new restaurants. I'm so excited to come back and try them out but for this post today we settled on trying Basement Brewhouse for some good ol' burgers.


Basement Brewhouse is just as the name suggests, down in the "basement" level. We walk past the pokies machines on the other end of the club after doing our little 360 tour before deciding to head down.



What I was not prepared for was discovering such a minimal, classy and sophisticated space down here! The Basement Brewhouse is an extremely clean and spacious area with plenty of seating. Just like the rest of sporties, the basement is well air-conditioned. The entrance we walk down from leads us right to the bar where I accidentally make my initial food orders from before being directed toward the kitchen area.

Anyway to note, I would love to come back here to have a few drinks with some friends! The drinks menu all seemed quite affordable and there is the great option of ordering a beer tasting paddle.



















I think that Basement Brewhouse is a great addition to the Bankstown food scene. Even though we didn't come close to trying the whole menu, from what we had it was all mildly decent quality + prices are comparable with those in other areas of Sydney.

Have you been to Basement Brewhouse? Let me know what your experience was like and if there's something I should order for next time I visit there. Thanks for reading! xx