Devon Cafe

Surry Hills is home to many great restaurants and cafes. One cafe that I've noticed many of my Instagram friends checking out lately is Devon Cafe. Naturally, those Instagram pictures were screenshotted and Devon Cafe joined my ever-growing to-visit list. 

I went to Devon Cafe on a Sunday for a friend's birthday brunch. Less than a five minute walk from Central, it was easy to get to and we arrived before noon. There was a little bit of a wait until our party of four was ready to be seated at a communal table near the front of the cafe. I noticed that there was more seating at the back of the cafe but didn't get to check it out. 

Noon is when Devon's lunch menu starts and we didn't know if we wanted to have lunch or breakfast. We all wanted breakfast but regardless, many items on the breakfast menu also appear on the lunch menu. 

The cafe had a good buzzing atmosphere and I noticed there were quite a few customers who simply came in for a cuppa. Devon was also very hipster. To demonstrate this, there was a guy seated with us at the communal table with dreads, wearing what looked like pyjamas, just chilling on his Macbook and who seemed to be a regular as he was on sharing-drink-terms with the owner/barista... Some of the items on their menu were also very strange, such as eel and espresso cola, but most items had cool names such as 'Ogre Happy Meal' and 'My Second Asian Cousin'.

Devon had a good range of drinks from coffee to smoothies to juices. I don't think I've previously mentioned this in my blog but I can't drink coffee :( I wish I could though because I like the taste but my body just does not tolerate it. Instead I had a 'Banana Goodness' which was a banana smoothie with ice cream and honey and it was a lovely start to our brunch. It was nice and refreshing too because it was a scorching hot day. The coffee was "OK" and the watermelon juice "did not have enough ice". 

I was really unsure what to order because as I've already mentioned, some of the menu items were really strange. I opted for 'Just Eggs' ($9.50) which allowed me to pick how I wanted my 2 eggs cooked (poached, scrambled, fried, or 63°) with my choice of toast (sourdough, wholemeal, raisin, or gluten free). I also ordered a side of cured salmon ($5).

I'd never heard of 63° eggs before and when my friend explained that they were eggs slow cooked at 63° resulting in an extremely soft and runny egg, I definitely wanted to give them a try. I love my eggs and I love them runny and the 63° eggs were just that! They were a bit hard to handle because they were that soft and slippery, but that's barely anything to complain about! I'll definitely order 63° eggs again (and I must also learn how to make them...).

I also loved the cured salmon. It's different from the usual smoked salmon that we are accustomed to seeing on breakfast menus. It reminded me of fresh sashimi and I really enjoyed it. 

The accompanying sourdough bread was fresh and soft. The usual. 

We also ordered a side of chips with chilli aioli. The chips were actually noticeably good - nice and crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. And the chilli aioli was really tasty - creamy with a nice hint of chilli.

Devon Cafe was a pleasant experience however I found it to be quite average. It may have been the oddness of some menu items that threw me off and which also gave me the impression of a limited menu. The fact that it is so far away may also contribute to my opinion - I'm sure that if Devon was around the corner from me, I'd probably be a regular. I won't be rushing to go back or to bring Josh, but I am happy that I discovered 63° eggs and cured salmon!