The Lion and Buffalo — Restaurant in Sydney

Occasionally, I like to head out of my usual dining suburbs and experience somewhere new and different. It's a bonus when the venue is worth the time and travel, just like this spot!

The venue is about a 20 minute walk from both Coogee and Maroubra beach, so you'll find people heading over after their morning swim or surf to pick up a coffee.

Previously owned by Polish woman Anna Allison, she named the cafe after her and her husband's star signs. Leo (lion) and Taurus (buffalo). Even though the venue is under new management, you can see that it still pays homage to Anna, as they've maintained the soul of the venue and continue to have a Polish influence on the menu. I also noticed their obsession with unicorns which brings this colourful and bright vibe.

I think my favourite dish of the day was the 'L&B Lox'. It had an NYC bagel, Ōra King salmon, cream cheese, pickled fennel, capers, tomato, eggplant & latke's. I kind of liked that I had to put it together myself. I could balance the ingredients and flavours out the way I wanted to.

Now none of us were hungover, but we ordered the 'Polish Hang Over Cure'. It had fluffy scrambled eggs, sautéed tomatoes, Polish sausage, red currants, Iggy's sourdough toast and some of the best bacon I've had. I hardly ever get bacon this crispy. I just wish I had ordered a whole plate of it!

We also decided to order the 'Smashed Avocado'. I mean it was simply just avocado on toast done beautifully, but when we saw more dishes off their menu (in particular their Bacon and Egg roll) we had many regrets. I promised myself that I'd go back and try that roll. It looked INCREDIBLE.

For something a little sweet, we had the 'Apple & Cinnamon Hot Cakes. They were topped with slow cooked apple, L&B honeycomb, seasonal berries and finished with maple whipped cream. These are a must order. Just be quick with your photos as that cream melts in a second.

Even though it's a little out of my way, I would definitely come back. Everything was just delicious, servings were generous and the whole team...

Better than Sex Ramen

When I saw ramen on the menu at an otherwise stylish café, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was some mistake. I’d been curious about it ever since, and today, I finally had the chance to try it, so here’s my review.

In conclusion, "If ramen were served in a stylish café, this is exactly how it would taste." I gave the food 3 stars because I am Japanese and used to eating ramen, and it was different from what I am used to. I hope you will try it for yourself.

When the coffee arrived, and alongside it, chopsticks and a spoon were brought out, I thought, "Wow, they really are serving ramen here." Ten minutes later, the ramen arrived. It was indeed ramen. The sight of coffee and ramen side by side isn’t something you often see in Japan. Visually, the ramen seemed healthier than what you’d find in Japan.

The Soup Taking a sip of the soup, my impression was, "This tastes like the broth of Southeast Asian noodles." The first flavor that hit me was cilantro. The broth itself was quite oily. The staff had mentioned that the chili was spicy, so they served it on the side, and when I added it, the flavors really came together. The chili miso was very tasty. However, since the menu described it as "Hakata-style," I expected a rich tonkotsu broth, but I didn’t get that strong pork bone flavor.

The noodles were thin, and the soft-boiled egg was a bit salty. Personally, I was happy to see plenty of seaweed.

The chashu was huge, covering about 80% of the bowl, making it very hearty. However, compared to the egg, the flavor was mild. The texture was perfect though.

Overall, the ramen showed a lot of attention to detail, but it felt like a new genre of "café ramen."

The flat white here is very clean and delicious. It paired well with the ramen. Next time, I’d like to come back and try a...

The Lion and Buffalo was previously owned by a Polish woman since 2018, and was bought over by the new owners who have maintained the soul of the place, serving European, Asian and Aussie inspired menu. The cakes are all baked in the cafe. I decided to order the carrot cake which was a delicious and incredibly moist cake with a tangy cream cheese icing. I ordered the famous polish apple cake for my friend and she will try the cake later, this polish apple cake is one of the most popular cakes that they sell in their cafe.

The Rhubarb and cream French toast was yummy, rich, moist and full of flavour. I think adding the coconut ice cream was too much and I was defeated by this dish. My friend loved her Black sesame granola with blackberries, new season figs and Greek yoghurt.

The gingerbread was really yummy, I love that they sell gingerbread even though it's not Christmas. The gingerbread was made by a lady who lives locally.

The flowering teas were gorgeous, it was so wonderful to watch them unravel into these gorgeous blooms. The teas were delicate and refreshing.

The Lion and Buffalo is a gorgeous cafe with a delicious...