The Barn cafe & grocery, Darling St, Rozelle

The Barn cafe & grocery, Darling St, Rozelle
Friday 6 January, 2006

I had been warned that this place was a complete rip off - the grocery store ups items to 300% and it's not even that great, it's full of mother's groups, kids run wild, the service is hopeless, there is metered parking only....

I'm a firm believer that you have to judge things for yourself, so off I went.

I drove into the carpark (where there is approx. 12 spaces) and parked the car - no metered parking for me! The back entrance goes directly into the cafe past the outdoor space with big long wooden tables and benches. It was mainly full of prams, so I ventured inside - again mainly full of prams.

I love the look & feel of this place - big exposed beams, wooden floors, benches along the window and big share tables. Fortunately I arrived before the lunchtime rush at 11.30am. The staff seemed pleasant enough and there were plenty of them but it was incredibly hard to find one when you wanted to order.

To order a coffee I had to go up to the counter, this soon became a trend amongst other diners as no-one was coming to the tables. There was a massive wait once ordering and the staff did apologise each time but it didn't excuse the issue.

I ordered the spicy lentil & chirizo soup - it was spicy but the lentils were not cooked through. It came served with 2 pieces of bread smeared with pesto. It was an enormous bowl and was the cheapest lunchtime offering at $10.50.

After lunch we wandered through the grocery - there is a deli, fruit & veg section and cooking supplies. Many items were on sale and still seemed a little pricey.

I'm not going to rush back - it was too noisy with all the babies & kids, the service was hopeless and the food wasn't that great.

The Barn cafe & grocery - 731-736 Darling St, Rozelle - (02) 98101633

http://www.thebarncafe.com.au/