Majestic Harvest

Breakfast Cafe Eat & Drink Modern European

Jackie McMillan
August 5, 2015

It’s only their tenth day but Majestic Harvest is already getting slammed by a mix of old school Petersham and those ever-present young renovators. Yet despite some hipster trappings – Edison bulbs, cold drip, food on boards, ‘cold pressed’ Daily Juice ($6.50) and dishes presented in frypans – the food is remarkably honest and free from (much) pretension. The aforementioned, slightly unwieldy frypan, dubbed The Majestic ($19), is loaded with well-handled kale, supple Serrano ham, a trio of poached eggs with rich golden yolks, baked beans and black pudding. Taleggio and basil have been softly folded through Scrambled Eggs ($12.50) offset by roasted Roma tomatoes. While the accompanying sourdough isn’t buttered, our waitress offers some before we have time to request it. For those who cringe at butter, a board bearing Bircher Muesli ($11) in a bowl topped with blueberries, walnuts and coconut, is made compelling by blackened apple compote. Allpress Coffee scrubs up well as a Latte ($3.50) despite the machine running flat chat. They sensibly moved takeaway coffees to their bakery machine, part of Majestic Gourmet Grocers, which fills out the bulk of the old seventies roller-skating rink. Taking the Mercato e Cucina model but making it Mediterranean rather than Italianate, this marketplace includes a deli, florist, green grocer and fish and chippy.

Majestic Harvest
49 New Canterbury Road, Petersham
Ph: (02) 8097 2222 majesticgourmetgrocers.com.au
Breakfast, Café $

REVIEW: Karen’s Diner Top Ryde

Arts & Entertainment Eat & Drink Scene

Swagatalakshmi Roychowdhury
June 28, 2022

I am not going to lie, walking into Karen’s Diner, which is reputed to have the worst customer service in the city, can be nerve-wracking. After several minutes of nervous pacing and scrolling through the reservation confirmation with clammy hands, a Karen turned to serve me. Rolling eyes and sass made up most of her demeanour, which finally put me at ease. As I looked around, I realised I was not the only nervous one in the diner. Many of customers were similarly hesitant to order their food, all of whom were understandably unwilling to invoke the Karens’ wrath but equally keen to experience what this place was all about.

An evening at Karen’s Diner was a fun experience indeed. From aggressive pushes of food on the table to constant f-bombs and booing at customers, Karen’s Diner was a vibe.

The diner decorations were also quite beautiful. Seated at a high-top table with a table full of has-beens next to a comic plastered wall we watched the customers heading out to play the Wheel of Misfortune. Misfortunes that could land you anywhere between model walks to the not-so-fun spicy shots.

I ate a meal called the “Royale Karen” alongside sips of a cocktail called the “Sour Karen” – listening to Good Golly Miss Molly playing overhead. The food was good, but it could have been better.