Almost ten weeks of waiting, the good news is I know of more fantastic places to eat than I have ever before. The not so brilliant news is this state of limbo is not coming to an end anytime soon. Speaking of the former and not the latter, a good friend of mine brought my attention to Fratelli Fresh. Specialising in Italian produce both local and imported they also have a cafe attached to their retail store called Cafe Sopra. It was here that I took A for a belated birthday lunch. Why lunch you might ask? It’s for the simple reason that Cafe Sopra was only open for lunch.
We went to their Waterloo branch, where the retail store was located downstairs in their warehouse and the cafe upstairs. A large black board dominated one side of the wall listing today’s menu and from the diner’s concentrated gaze it might as well be a rather scrumptious work of art. Not surprisingly, all their dishes used ingredients sold in their store. Everything from bread, pesto and the most gorgeous balsamic vinegar imported from Italy.
A ordered their lamb ragu, which was decent but the tomato sauce was a little overpowering. My carbonara on the other hand was delicious. The pesto was light, the bacon crisp and the cream was sparing, allowing the pasta’s flavour to still shine through.
I couldn’t help, but taste their dessert and though banoffee pie was sold out their lemon souffle was hard to miss. The light yellow layer was pure lemon froth and as you dig down, the lemon base was a marriage between lemon and cream. All this offset by the lovely fig cube to the side.
Fratelli Fresh hold free cooking class during the week, but unfortunately June was completely booked solid by 10 am on the first day they took booking for the month of June. A little disappointed, but I will probably come back to pick up their balsamic vinegar, their bread, their pasta, their cheese…you get the drift.
7 Danks Street
Waterloo, 2017
The Cafe: Sopra Waterloo
ph. 02 9699 3174
Monday – Friday 10am – 3pm
Saturday 8am – 3pm
Sunday 10am – 3pm
No bookings taken
mirgraphy 
Argh, I still haven’t been! Take me with you next time you go! 🙂
Will do, I want to come back and buy a bunch of ingredients too! Maybe when I’m back in a few months?
It’s a date!