Rosebud, Rozelle

My local, Plunge in Summer Hill, has recently been taken over by new staff. Wondering where they all came from, I once asked one of the waitstaff this very question. "I actually worked at our sister cafe, Rosebud in Rozelle," he said. That day, my fate was sealed. I was going to go to Rosebud; I just had to.

A couple of weeks passed before a visit from my father provided the perfect opportunity to do so. The visit landed on a Sunday morning. We pranced into a cafe-restaurant taken over by mothers and their children, but, lucky for us, the local haunt was not quite full.

The decor at Rosebud is quite typical. A blackboard dotted with chalk-drawn specials; wooden furniture; a pinky-red feature half-wall above the counter with "rosebud" scrawled onto it. The lights are a bit fancy; they dangle from draping cords attached to the panelled ceiling. All-in-all, Rosebud provides a unpretentious ambience for either a scrumptious breakfast or romantic dinner, although I wouldn't say it adds much to the experience.

Dad begins with a cappuccino ($3.8). And that's when we determine that the service at Rosebud was not quite up to scratch. I found the waitstaff rude and unaccommodating. They went about their job without so much as a smile and were neither prompt in taking our orders or very helpful. Nonetheless, like Plunge, the coffee is good. 

Battling through one of my very rare the-thought-of-coffee-makes-me-sick days, I opted for the banana and coconut smoothie ($6). It was nice, but I was looking forward to the coconut taste, which wasn't as present as I would have liked. The drink menu is also a bit pricey. A large coffee will set you back $4.80 and an orange juice is $5.

The first couple of times I dined at Plunge, their food wasn't great. However, now, it is simply amazing; something seems to have clicked and I am more excited than ever for the opening of Plunge for dinner (hurrah!). The food at Rosebud causes a similar level of excitement, and they're already open for dinner--lookout Plunge, my impatience is calling. 

The breakfast menu leaves us spoilt for choice. Blueberry oatmeal pancakes with mascarpone and berry compote ($15), a smoked salmon omelette with mustard dreamed leek and fried capers ($17) have my mouth watering, but I opt for organic poached eggs with Sonoma bread, tomato relish and cultured butter ($9), adding field mushrooms and grilled haloumi with Zaatar for $4 each. Phwoaaaar! My food is scrumptious. The toast is crisp, I slice into the eggs and a gooey, soft yolk oozes out. The field mushrooms are presented in equal slices, soaked in flavour and the haloumi, oh my the haloumi. Salty with a bit of bite, thanks Zaatar!

My father couldn't go past the shakshouka: baked eggs, beef sucuk, spiced tomato, pepper, onion and bread. For $17 this was a purely smashing dish. Presented in a neat clay pot, the egg yolk seeped out upon being sliced, like my own poached. Dad savoured the fragrances and seasoning; slightly spicy and yet too good too resist for a man who generally doesn't handle his spice. Also, accompanied with Sonoma toast, this dish was spot on.

So, would I say Rosebud is better than my beloved Plunge? No, but it could be. The cafe-restaurant simply needs to work on showcasing a smiling face, and perhaps needs to develop more of an edge than local competitors.

Rosebud, 654 Darling Street, Rozelle