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| Quirk's Grocery & DeliCafe | ||
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| Quirk's Grocery and Cafe is a real estate agent's dream. Nestled in the relaxed leafery of Redfern's Pitt Street, Quirk's buzzes with the devoted patronage of gourmet food fans, most dropping by to collect scrumptuous goodies for home consumption; many settling in for tenderly brewed Illy's Coffee and some excellent dine-in cafe feastery. Inevitably on a Saturday morning, house plans are perused by eager residents-in-waiting, suddenly convinced - as they soak up this vibrant cafe's glory - that Redfern really is a suburb pacing towards idyllic gentrification after all, rather than its renowned incarnation as a tragically decayed crust of urban blight. Quirk's owner, ex-Terra Planet CEO Kelvin Atkinson, now living his personal nirvana of foodie propriety, should charge those greedy real estate salesmen a commission. The enlightenment of would-be Redfern home-owners seems to take just a few minutes.
What hits the spot? Vegetarian and meat lasagne, moussaka, quiche, risotto muffins, egg & bacon tarts, gourmet homestyle pies, soup and fritatta - together with gourmet sandwiches on foccacia, turkish bread or sourdough baguette, lushly exotic salads, fresh fruit salads and numerous cakes, slices and cookies ... plus Quirk's own branded products made on-site by chefs Miles Durling and Justin Walker - jams, marmalade, chicken liver pate, chutneys, premium salad dressings, terrine, mayonnaise and spaghetti sauce ... or maybe breakfast delights like bircher muesli, crunchy muesli, poached fruit (again all made on the premises using fresh juices, pecan nuts, pure maple syrup and dried fruits) together with toast using sourdough bread, fruit bread, banana bread or irish soda bread - with the weekend bringing a full cooked breakfast of certified free range organic eggs, coddled, poached, scrambled or fried, bacon, mushrooms, ham and oven roasted tomato ...
But that's not all ... somehow this cosy deli-cafe breathes deep to also bring us quality cheeses and meats such as Tarago Blue, Simon Johnson red & black wax cheddar, Cowra marinated sheeps cheese, Meredith Farm goats cheese, Jindi or Simon Johnson brie, Regiano and Grand Padano parmesan, salami, proscuitto, phosphate-free leg ham, certified free range organic eggs, antipasto ingredients and olives together with seasonal items such as salmon gravalax, dips and pates ...Their bread cabinet is awesome, with a range of breads and pastries from Bowan Island Bakery, St Honore Sourdough Bakery, Two Thin Ladies and Haberfield Bakery ... white, wholemeal, mixed seed, fruit, walnut, gluten free, turkish, Italian style, baguettes, Danish pastries, croussants, Heart Foundation-approved muffins and savoury muffins ... and then there's the grocery items: Maldon sea salt, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, lovash, lentils, pasta, coffee plungers, tea pots, specialty confectionery, unique seasonal items and pure leaf tea from very cool still-relatively-underground-suppliers Pine Tea.
Their bread cabinet is awesome, with a range of breads and pastries from Bowan Island Bakery, St Honore Sourdough Bakery, Two Thin Ladies and Haberfield Bakery ... white, wholemeal, mixed seed, fruit, walnut, gluten free, turkish, Italian style, baguettes, Danish pastries, croussants, Heart Foundation-approved muffins and savoury muffins ... and then there's the grocery items: Maldon sea salt, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, lovash, lentils, pasta, coffee plungers, tea pots, specialty confectionery, unique seasonal items and pure leaf tea from very cool still-relatively-underground-suppliers Pine Tea.
And
yet every delicacy seems to fit neatly in its space, so that Quirk's
is a tidy, spotless and beautifully ambient space, an astoundingly perfect
spot to hang timelessly, its contemporary design remarkably in harmony
with the turn-of-the-previous-century streetscape. No wonder local art
galleries GrantPirrie (see grantpirrie.com)
and Boutwell Draper recommend their visitors pop around the corner for
some local "food art". As you satisfy your stomach rumbles
in fine-dining style, beware the sudden more spiritual hunger to window-shop
for a nearby terrace - already it's likely to set you back nearly a
million bucks. |
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