Sydney: Forbes & Burton, Cafe Sopra

My parents wanted to show me a place they knew I'd like. The first time we tried (might have been Christmas Eve?), Forbes & Burton (252 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst) was closed. The second time was a few days after Christmas - and they were right.

It's modern and a bit swanky, but also relaxed. Think designer wooden tables, clean glass surfaces and natural light. I'd feel out of place in jeans but it would be a great cafe to meet your girlfriends for a fancy brunch.

We only stayed for coffee, but saw the food from a distance and it looked gooood. This was also the only decent 'large' coffee I'd had in Sydney this time round.

That evening, I was treated to #2 "you'll like this place" by Mum and Dad: Cafe Sopra (81 Macleay Street, Potts Point), part of the Fratelli Fresh company. It's a grocer/deli and restaurant all in one, so you eat surrounded by the tall shelves of lovely fresh produce. The staff are excellent (our lovely English waitress patiently answered all our ridiculous questions and gave Mum several tastes of wines so she could pick one) and the food was fantastic - if quite filling.

I loved the menu, a huge blackboard leaning on a column, with everything you'd need to know:

This was the food we ate:

Dad's steak

Side of beautifully-cooked, huge mushrooms

Basic but yummy, very fresh side salad

Mum's lamb ragu pasta

My 'loose curls' pasta with chilli, salmon and scallops

I also liked the nod to old-school style in amongst the clean modern decor, for example, this print:

As a restaurant relatively local to my parents' place, I look forward to going back.

Café Sopra at Fratelli Fresh on Urbanspoon

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