In Short: Gibbons Street Café provides a café experience that is refined, yet relaxed. A beautiful fit-out is only exceeded by the stunning-looking dishes that leave the pass. Bangkok Brekkie Eggs is a cute, yet spicy, deviation on the traditional fry-up and definitely worth a try.
Gibbons Street Café commands a premium location just a stone’s throw away from Redfern station. As the gentrification of Redfern continues unabated, it was a only a matter of time before chic new cafes, like Gibbons, popped up. It’s on trend as well, as Sydneysiders like us cannot get enough of Asian fusion café fare that was pioneered by the likes of Boon Cafe, and have been championed of late by the likes of Meet Mica.
The fit-out is beautiful. I loved the pendant lights along with the huge bulbous shades that really gives off an intimate feel. We dined at Gibbons Street Café on a Saturday afternoon after peak hour lunch, and it was a relaxed, chilled environment. I can imagine grabbing a coffee and breakfast and spending a whole morning in this space.
As I alluded to earlier, the dishes we ordered took us to Europe, with a stopover in Asia. The first of the dishes by the Gibbons Street Cafe team was Bangkok Brekkie Eggs. It was presented in a cute little pan, with vibrant yellow yolk of the fried eggs, strips of ham, cherry tomatoes, and chorizo. An Australian twist is a side of sourdough with avocado. It’s generous, and gorgeous. Eggs were perfectly cooked through, yet the runny yolk coated the slivers of sliced ham. What brought the dish alive was the addition of Sriracha sauce, the acidic bite of the cherry tomatoes, along with rich flavours of chorizo. To complete the dish was a creamy avocado that quelled the heat of the Sriracha.
It may have looked looked Italian, but the squid and chorizo linguine with mushrooms and cherry tomato had an Asian kick. Perfectly al dente pasta was brought alive by the chilli garlic olive oil. It added a spicy dimension and it coated the squid perfectly. Basil provided a sweet yet peppery punch, and the mushrooms added even more depth to the dish. It was delicious with the chilli oil leaving a little sting on the lips. It was my type of pasta!
To wash down the linguini, I sipped a cappuccino which filled the palate with flavours of chocolate. There was balanced robustness to the flavour of the bean. Not too heavy, but not drowned out by the milk either. As with our food, the presentation was exquisite. A creamy textured coffee with just the perfect viscosity.
Little Sammi’s selection brought us back to pure Aussie breakfast goodness. A bacon and egg roll was simple, yet executed perfectly. It was served on Turkish bread with rashes of bacon wedged under a perfectly fried, sunny-side-up egg. It got Sammi’s approval, and she feasted on the bacon hastily and hardly left a scrap for us to munch on.
Gibbons Street Café was a pleasing experience on many levels. The ambience, for us, was just perfect. Creativity on the food front was truly appreciated, and the presentation was of the highest order. Coffee was as good as you would get anywhere in the area. Finally, service was excellent. Everyone from the wait staff to the barista were not only friendly, but they were approachable and really looked after us on our visit. A café that ticks all the boxes, and definitely a standout in Redfern.
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