Gibbons Street Cafe

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Though it calls itself a cafe, this cute little eatery close to Redfern train station has some seriously good bites which are moe than enough to fill the belly. Its impressive but curated menu features all sorts of delectable dishes with distinct regional influences: some Middle Eastern flair here, some Thai heat there, but delicious food everywhere. 

Little bit shellfish, $22
The cutely named "little bit shellfish" features a generous serving of plump, juicy scallops tossed in a Thai-inspired chili jam base, served with snow peas, Thai eggplant and fresh chili. All that goodness rests on a bed of squid ink pasta, which is cooked to perfection. I am a huge fan of this kind of fusion meal, and I was seriously impressed with the value. 

Bangkok breakkie eggs, $18

What a way to spice up boring ol' fried eggs! 2 fried eggs are served with ham, chorizo cherry tomatoes, a lathering of sirracha sauce, and to help all that flavourful goodness go down, a couple of slices of sourdough bread. 

Squid and chorizo linguini, $22

The flavour in this pasta is amazing. Each strand of pasta is coated in that savoury chili oil, with added umami and freshness from the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. The squid pieces are beautifully soft and not chewy at all - one can bite through through. The smoky chorizo adds some Spanish heat to what may otherwise be an Italian classic. 

Mars shake, $7.50
In addition to the creative, delicious and very well-executed food, Gibbons Street cafe also has quite a number of mouth-watering drinks. Take, for example, this rich Mars shake, a concoction of chocolate and salted caramel topped with whipped cream and a dainty, highly Instagrammable edible flower. 

Persian lemonade, $5.5
The only item from this meal that I would not likely order again is the Persian lemonade. It is described as "lemon zest, rose water and brown sugar mixed into a chilled refreshing lemonade" - wonderful, right? Well, it's just OK. I couldn't taste the rose water at all, the brown sugar sunk to the bottom, so it ended up taking a little bland, like one squeezed some lemon juice into a glass of carbonated water. 

Despite my mild disappointment with the Persian lemonade, everything else we tried were absolutely amazing and exceeded all expectation. There are so many other interesting items on the menu that I only reluctantly decided against ordering, including a burger oozing cheese that looked both amazing and sinful.  I will certainly be back!

Score: 4/5
Cost: approx $30pp 
Address: Shop 1/7-9 Gibbons St, Redfern NSW



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