C'est Bon, Rozelle

Despite meaning "It is good", C'est Bon is just alright. Sandwiched between two green grocers, it reminded me of a recent trip to Paris, where the vibrant colours of fresh produce sprang out invitingly.

 There is limited seating indoors, but their lower takeaway prices provide further incentive to box up the goodies. I sheepishly don't recall their pricing, but their small pastries and tarts are within the $3 to $6 range.

Their pear and almond tart is well-balanced. It isn't too sweet but is dense from the almond meal. The pastry is crisp and buttery - definitely recommend it!

Pear and almond tart

 I also tried their lime brulee. The brulee contained only a hint of lime, and it was so faint that I almost missed it. The pastry was nice but I was disappointed that the texture of the whole tart was soft. "Brulee" means burnt, and I expected some crunchy caramelised sugar at the top, but this was severely lacking.

Lime brulee

The green tea was alright - strong enough to combat all that sugar.

Green tea ($4.00)

So my verdict? I will probably give it another go and sample a few more things on my next visit, but I can't say for sure that it's a must to visit.

Hangry, Rozelle

Rozelle is renowned for being near the Balmain branch of Adriano Zumbo. However, this suburb has a greater claim to fame than this piece of commercial notoriety. It boasts a number of vintage shops, a florist called Potteround (which does amazing wedding flower arrangements), quaint furniture stores, charming cafes, an organic supermarket, an artisan chocolate shop called Belle Fleur, and a public school that plays host to the weekend-secondhand-Rozelle Markets.

One of these charming brunch places is Hangry, a Middle-Eastern establishment with pretty good food, massive portions, great coffee and French art.

Flat white

Before leaving us to peruse our menu, one of the waitresses took down our coffee orders.

The coffee was pretty tasty - I was tempted to order a second cup, but knowing my reactions to caffeine, I thought it more prudent to limit myself to ladylike sips.

It was just as well that I didn't fill up on fluids.




I ordered the "Fattit al Hommos", which was a clay pot dish containing a multitude of chickpeas, spiced beef, yoghurt, toasted pine nuts, crispy pita bread and a dash of what tasted like curry powder (the type my mum puts in Indian curry). Traditionally, it is often served with a spoonful of cumin mixed in, but I don't recall tasting any cumin.

I loved the crunch of the pine nuts and pita bread amidst the mince and yoghurt. The yoghurt was not too overpowering - it was light, creamy and offset the saltiness of the beef (although, at times, I felt that it was too salty). There were perhaps too many chickpeas, as legumes are very substantial and filling.

Fattit al Hommos ($14.50)

My friend ordered the manouche wrap, which contained large green olives, labna (cheese), cucumber and fresh tomatoes. It was tasty, and as you can see, the one wrap was more like 2 separate wraps. There were too many olives after a while, though, which made the wraps salty.

Wrap (ranges from $10 - $13)

As you can now tell, Hangry is all about strong Middle Eastern flavours and food of huge proportions. For the price especially, the food is fantastic, and they have takeaway boxes in the event that you can't finish the whole meal right there and then.