Runcible Spoon
As a loyal fan of Golden Cobra coffee, you’ll find me at this Camperdown café quite regularly, tucking into owner/chef Alex Watts’ famous Thai-style fried eggs. Hearing they’re now opening on Friday nights between 5pm and 10pm, encouraged me to revisit. Kicking back with a Mountain Goat India Pale Ale ($8) on the large shared table with a crowd of easy-going locals, epitomized everything I love about the Inner West. The concise menu is inspired by the path Alex takes to work, past Faros Bros in Marrickville. The resulting Salmon Belly ($22) is nicely fatty, and turned slightly Japanese with miso, tahini and a spattering of bottarga. Enjoy it with Heirloom Tomato, Whipped Feta & Herbs ($14) using tomatoes plucked from his mother’s garden. Mum is also responsible for the tart rhubarb employed in his Rhubarb and Fig Upside-Down Cake ($10). It’s based on a simple Margaret Fulton recipe, and dished up nighttimes with a lovely vanilla anglaise. If there’s an overall theme to the dishes, Alex tells me it’s “things I like to eat.” And I certainly did like eating his fluffy pillows of Gnocchi ($24) with broccolini, tomato and judiciously applied anchovies; and deeply smoky Duck ($29) set off by tart blood plum and bitter radicchio. Think healthy, homey, and relaxed.
Runcible Spoon
27 Barr Street, Camperdown
Ph: (02) 9519 2727 facebook.com/runciblespooncafe
Modern Australian, Café $$$
