The Black Groodle — Restaurant in Sydney

In the annuals of history there has been some defining moments in mans journey to enlightenment. The neolithic revolution and the shift from hunting and gathering to farming in 10,000 B.C; the Italian Renaissance of the 1300's; the invention of the printing press in 1440, the start of the first industrial revolution in 1760 and the birth of the internet in the 1970's.

All of these pale in comparison to my experience this morning at the Black Groodle on Mountain Street in Sydney's Ultimo suburb..

As my peers will attest, I've made it my life-long ambition to seek out the perfect breakfast Nirvana. I've trawled the highlands of Venezuela in search of pre-dawn "Arepa", hunted down the elusive "pao de queijos" in some of the less salubrious fevala in Rio, broken my morning fast with "kaut nyin paung" in the steamy jungles of Burma and enjoyed a hearty bowl of purro on the edges of the arctic tundra of majestic Finland.

But by Jove himself, this morning, I think my journey has come to an end.

Served by what appears to be a Middle Eastern deity, with his welcoming smile and silver hair flowing like the mighty rapids of the Zambezzi, Carlos, the proprietor produced an egg so delicate, it was if Dionysus had poached it herself. Married with avocado, ripe in both taste and colour, it was the perfect symbiosis of taste. Complimented by a lightly toasted brioche the "Poached Egg and Avo Roll" (as it is humbly scrawled on the wall menu) instantly took me back to my more youthful days, back-burning corn fields in some of mother Englands most green and pleasant lands. Finally, the ambrosia of this petit-déjeuner, was balanced with that Australian breakfast iconic, a flat white, so deliciously flavoursome it made me question my very existence in the world.

The staff are all amazingly lovely, and overflow with the goodness, humility and generosity of spirit and kindness you'd only expect of a Michelin starred establishment.

The Black Groodle in Ultimo is le modèle for a bustling, urban neighbourhood café with an owner and staff that care for who they serve, just as much as what they serve.

Bravo...

Well, another visit to my doctor in Mountain Street. Now it's a blessing, because across the road is an eatery, take-away also, called The Black Groodle. What food!!!! Outstanding, to put it simply. All the staff are mates, always happy to see you & all masked & gloved. Not paranoid, just careful. After all, they're handling what's going in your mouth, & they're very particular about seeing that what I order is served in a pristine way. But when I receive my plate, 2 lamb kebabs (other choice is chicken) , I also have a choice of several sides, up to three (3). Of course, it's 3 for me. The first is a delicious beetroot & fetta salad with rocket (divine), 2nd I chose a green bean & chicken pea muddle which has a wonderful chili kick & my 3rd & final side is was just gorgeous baby baked potatoes. All of this goes onto your plate alongside the 2 lamb (or chicken) kebabs, & then a very generous dollop of home-made hommous. And it's to die for !!! As a rule, I wouldn't even consider a plate with so much food on it, especially for a late lunch, but I wolfed it down & followed it with a caramel slice & a wild raspberry tart. Yum ! All of the food is made on the premises daily, there's no waiting & the food is honest, flavourful & filling. You've got to try their carrot cake; it's sublime. Not available all the time, because guts like me buy the lot, & they only make one a day. That feed I just described cost me about $ 16-50 ish, & I can't eat dinner. I call that great value. You can eat in or take it home (,great covered plate/bowls for that) & it is so clean, fresh & real that I'm going back tomorrow to try one of the breakfast meals! Yep, this is my new place, open for brekkie & lunch until about 3.30p.m. Really, get in before this place gets discovered by the hipsters, because when they find it, they'll take over. No, really, take yourself down for lunch. You can thank me...

Overall: Not sure about this place. Maybe 4.5 Called ahead, rushed over to grab food before 3pm. Thought I'd made it in time. Wish I could have eaten something here, they told me they had decided to stop serving food, as it wasn't busy. Staff seemed nice enough. Due to COVID, hours are reduced. TIP: Heads up, they stop serving food from the kitchen around 2:30pm, even though they stay open for coffee until 4pm. Seems odd but in this COVID climate fair enough. They didn't have anything I could eat, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone with very specific dietary requirements. They do have dairy milk alternatives, like almond milk. Overall looks like a good little place: 5 stars for now. Have included photo of their entire menu, as couldn't source it anywhere in menu's in cafe or Google listing....