Esca — Restaurant in Sydney

I have been a regular visitor to Esca since I resumed visiting my home town of Sydney in 2015 after a hiatus of 9 years. It is without exception the best breakfast spot I know (and I include much-loved cafes in Milan in that comparison, not to mention the few decent cafes in London, which are all run by Australians). I have always found a warm welcome and lots of friendly chat in addition to fabulous food and coffee at Esca. Jim, the characterful owner, famously takes no prisoners: I am unashamedly among those who enjoy his company and am extremely grateful to him and Effie for this wonderful cafe. In 2018 Jim asked my cousin to write him a bad review on another platform: she obliged, after a fashion. I quote from her 2 star review: 'Appearing frequently grumpy, Jim is all crust on the outside and gooey chew on the inside. Bit like Esca really - you are seated and served fast... coffee is good and the serving sizes generous. All at a reasonable price. You're just being greedy if you want more.' Regular waiter Erin is gloriously ironic, with an excellent memory for regulars and their orders and provides exactly the right amount of attention; barista Peter is a wonderfully steady and cheerful presence, repeatedly producing the best coffee in Sydney. I can only re-echo my cousin: you're just being greedy if you want more. Today's breakfast was so good I came back for lunch, which was...

Dear Proprietor

What is the point of having big, comfy-looking chairs if you do not allow your customers to sit in them?

I went into your cafe today, having spied them from the entrance. However, when I asked to sit there, and the waitress was leading me to them, one of your other staff, Sacha, told me that as I was alone I was not allowed to sit there. When I questioned this, he said that he was under instructions from you.

Given at the time there were only 8 other customers (which means maybe you still had a 90% vacancy), I fail to see what difference it would make to you where I sat. Since your policy suggested to me that you did not appear to want my business, I took it to another establishment where the staff are pleasant and charming (as opposed to the belligerence and surliness of yours).

In the current economic climate, and the highly competitive nature of your location (one of 8 eating establishments in your block of Glebe Point Road alone), I am surprised you encourage your staff to turn customers away.

What Sacha failed to notice, perhaps, was that I was in business attire. This means that I work in the area. Do you think I didn't go back to work and tell my colleagues about my shabby treatment? It is highly likely, therefore, that you may have lost more than one potential customer today.

I certainly hope so - you don't...

Coffee is pretty good but not the type of place to meander and relax. The owner is quite gruff and seems to be quite selective with who he shows his affections to. As I walked in, the owner immediately told me to put my mask on (fair enough given the rules these days) but he said this while his mask was dangling off his face and completely ignoring the guy behind me without a mask. Whatever. (The hypocrisy! The injustice! Maybe I have a problem with authority or something) I order my coffee and sit down. Grab my coffee and then sit at one of the tables adjacent to the sidewalk, idly watching the cars go by - a bit of a break in our busy busy lives. Suddenly, the owner pops behind me and says that "the table is reserved and that the coffee I ordered is takeaway only". He then briskly walks away before I even have a chance to respond. I understand if he wants to save those seats for people who want to eat brekkie. Perhaps he could have offered a different seat inside or explained it to me more politely, but at this point the cafe was 80% empty and I just had been sitting there for no more than 5 minutes. I thought it was a bit unreasonable and unwarranted. I can respect the hustle of this guy trying to run a tight ship. If you're willing to spend money for brekkie, Jim is your man. If you're going in just for a cuppa, maybe give...