Cafe Mint, Surry Hills

Brunch with a Moroccan twist

Located 579 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Cafe Mint is a pretty unique place to dine. We can’t actually think of many other places which offer Moroccan/African style dishes in this part of Sydney. When we think Moroccan, we typically think of a couple of things: spices, and a wilder type of meat. It was going to be an interesting experience to see how our primed minds were going to appreciate this kind of food.

The interior of the cafe was lengthwise in orientation, with a reasonable number of seats on the lower floor, predominated by the presence of a bar. There’s also an upstairs function room, but we didn’t go there. The seats and tables were comfortable for dining; the decor was mostly wooden, keeping in pretty good theme with the style of the cafe.

When we asked for recommendations, we were pleasantly surprised with how traditional brunchy foods had a Moroccan twist inserted. The new owner, who has only taken over the restaurant about a year and a half ago, cited lack of supply of such a style of food in Sydney. Thus, there was the application of Moroccan flavours to the foods on the menu. At first glance, some of our prior assumptions were correct: most of the dishes were listed as having herbs and spices, alongside lamb — a typically wilder meat in comparison to chicken, pork or beef. There was also a profundity of Turkish and similar breads on the menu, which made for a good hearty breakfast.

Although Cafe Mint did not have a particularly special blend of coffee — it was still good regardless — it did offer a very interesting selection of teas. One particular tea caught our eye: the Moroccan sweet tea. And how sweet it was! As soon as we poured it, its aroma wafted to our noses, and was instantly refreshing. The minty flavour really shone through, which would later become a recurring theme in the other foods. It was a very unique kind of tea, one that we have never tried before.

The baked eggs with chackchouka is a very typical breakfast/brunch type of food. Served piping hot — just the way we like it — this had a number of atypical components added to it which distinguished it from other similar dishes at other cafes. In particular, it was the addition of “spicier” vegetables — capsicum (both red and green) and onion that really lifted the dish. This was a vegetarian rendition — it would have been quite interesting to see if a meat version — such as with chorizo, or perhaps more in theme, lamb or beef — evokes similar feelings. The Turkish za’atar toast was quite different as well: a biscuit-like piece of bread that went well with the smooth, well baked texture of the egg component. Fantastic dish.

“The Moroccan spin on the usual brunch dishes was interesting and should be commended.”

This was the first time we had heard of basturma eggs, which is a type of cured beef, in the same vein as a pastrami. This did possess a pretty wild type of flavour, reminding me of visits to countryside Taiwan and China where similar wild meats are on offer. These were scrambled in with the eggs, which were beautifully cooked — just on the edge between cooked and runny. There was a liberal sprinkle of Moroccan herbs which acted as a natural garnish, without the need for further salt or pepper. We asked for the Turkish bread, of course, and this was also served with butter on the side to taste, which we felt wasn’t quite needed. Nonetheless, it was lightly toasted, such that the butter simply melted on top. Again, a very simple yet elegant dish.

This dish was a beast, consisting of homemade pavlova and a decadent serving of ice cream on top. Definitely one to be shared. There were additional fruity bits on the side — also generous in serving — which were also saturated with another flavour (rosewater?). All three elements of ice cream, pavlova base and fruit complemented each other excellently, and was a fitting end to our meal.