Shenkin Kitchen, Enmore (11th May 2013)
Yet another Shenkin branch has popped up in our area - they are totally taking over the world, starting at Erskineville, then Newtown and now Enmore! Adrian was SO excited when he learnt they serve Belgian waffles in their new branch Shenkin Kitchen so rounded up a bunch of Googlers and their partners for breakfast at 9am today. A bit early for my liking for social Saturday breakfast/brunch but Jono and I had a full day of house hunting (again) so the time suited us just fine.
It took us a good 20-minute walk from home to Shenkin Kitchen located on Enmore Road. Mary and Adrian were already there when we arrived, and we were shortly joined by Amanda and two other friends of Adrian's. Gee, Adrian must be really keen on the waffles to turn up before 9am to secure us a table :P
Much like its sibling branches, a mix of Israeli/Middle Eastern food and Western fare including cakes and pastries make up their extensive menu. Service was friendly as usual and the atmosphere relaxed despite the small shop front was bustling with morning customers. The smell of freshly ground coffee fills the air - I can smell it from my seat...mmm...need coffee...One thing to note about Shenkin Kitchen is you need to be comfortable with sharing your personal space. For our group of 8, we were squashed up together and with the whole front section of the cafe filled with dine-in and takeaway customers, it does feel rather crammed. More seating can be found past the barista and through to the back courtyard.
The shakshuka (similar to Mexican huevos rancheros) seems to be their specialty but given all the hype about the waffles in the past week, half of us at the table got the house Belgian waffles for breakfast. Hmm, ice cream with waffles for breakfast seemed a bit wrong but Jono and I got it anyway (though the others decided to go without the ice cream after we put in our order sheesh!). The other main we got to share was The Bite - I just had to try it, the idea of crumbed avocado intrigues me :)
Service was a bit slow today but to be expected since it was busy morning and we were quite a large group. Jono and I started off with flat whites, then dove straight in to our savoury dish, working our way to the waffle. The crumbed avocado was not quite what I thought it to be - I had pictured little crumbed avocado balls but this was a whole half of an avocado, crumbed on the outside but still has the soft avocado texture on the inside. The Bite was overall quite good and the serving size was just right (only one poached egg, a piece of toast and some panfried mushroom plus the avocado) for a light breakfast for one.
Jono and I had previously sampled the banana bread in Cafe Shenkin and the Belgian waffles distinctly reminded us of it making me wonder if the waffle mix was somewhat similar. I kind of expected fluffy waffles but it was quite dense and before you know it, I was feeling pretty full. Nice though not as hyped up to be. Perhaps instead of ice cream, they could offer warm butterscotch during the colder winter months - should go quite well with the waffles.
Unfortunately we couldn't stay around long to catch up so bid the group goodbye around 10.15am and headed off to our first house viewing of the day. Cost $32.50 for our 2 flat whites and mains. Shenkin Kitchen totally has the Wellington cafe vibe, its quirky interior and decor, chilled out staff, great coffee and food, even playing songs from The Black Seeds. Makes me miss my old home Wellington very much...
It took us a good 20-minute walk from home to Shenkin Kitchen located on Enmore Road. Mary and Adrian were already there when we arrived, and we were shortly joined by Amanda and two other friends of Adrian's. Gee, Adrian must be really keen on the waffles to turn up before 9am to secure us a table :P
Much like its sibling branches, a mix of Israeli/Middle Eastern food and Western fare including cakes and pastries make up their extensive menu. Service was friendly as usual and the atmosphere relaxed despite the small shop front was bustling with morning customers. The smell of freshly ground coffee fills the air - I can smell it from my seat...mmm...need coffee...One thing to note about Shenkin Kitchen is you need to be comfortable with sharing your personal space. For our group of 8, we were squashed up together and with the whole front section of the cafe filled with dine-in and takeaway customers, it does feel rather crammed. More seating can be found past the barista and through to the back courtyard.
The shakshuka (similar to Mexican huevos rancheros) seems to be their specialty but given all the hype about the waffles in the past week, half of us at the table got the house Belgian waffles for breakfast. Hmm, ice cream with waffles for breakfast seemed a bit wrong but Jono and I got it anyway (though the others decided to go without the ice cream after we put in our order sheesh!). The other main we got to share was The Bite - I just had to try it, the idea of crumbed avocado intrigues me :)
Service was a bit slow today but to be expected since it was busy morning and we were quite a large group. Jono and I started off with flat whites, then dove straight in to our savoury dish, working our way to the waffle. The crumbed avocado was not quite what I thought it to be - I had pictured little crumbed avocado balls but this was a whole half of an avocado, crumbed on the outside but still has the soft avocado texture on the inside. The Bite was overall quite good and the serving size was just right (only one poached egg, a piece of toast and some panfried mushroom plus the avocado) for a light breakfast for one.
Jono and I had previously sampled the banana bread in Cafe Shenkin and the Belgian waffles distinctly reminded us of it making me wonder if the waffle mix was somewhat similar. I kind of expected fluffy waffles but it was quite dense and before you know it, I was feeling pretty full. Nice though not as hyped up to be. Perhaps instead of ice cream, they could offer warm butterscotch during the colder winter months - should go quite well with the waffles.
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Staff busy at work in Shenkin Kitchen
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The Bite ($12) - crumbed avocado served with a poached egg
and pan fried mushrooms |
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House Belgian waffles with ice cream ($13.50)
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Unfortunately we couldn't stay around long to catch up so bid the group goodbye around 10.15am and headed off to our first house viewing of the day. Cost $32.50 for our 2 flat whites and mains. Shenkin Kitchen totally has the Wellington cafe vibe, its quirky interior and decor, chilled out staff, great coffee and food, even playing songs from The Black Seeds. Makes me miss my old home Wellington very much...
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