The Lion and Buffalo

By Madeleine Gray on January 15, 2016 in Food

South Coogee has never really been a suburb associated with great coffee, gourmet food, and vintage typewriters. But that is beginning to change with the establishment of the Lion and Buffalo café on Malabar Rd. Located just a five-minute walk up Cuzco Street from the Coogee to Maroubra Coast Walk, this place is fast becoming a local favourite, and it is not hard to see why.

The café is run by husband and wife duo, Dean and Anna. Dean chucklingly tells us that he is more than happy for Anna to be the ‘face’ of the business, and the reason is clear: from the moment we enter the front door, Anna is a whirlwind of warmth and hospitality. The murals on the walls echo this ambiance. They are painted by Fintan Magee, an Australian street artist whose work is currently taking the world by storm. The largest image is that of a reclining woman, holding a bunny rabbit, while a timepiece lies forgotten at her feet. In this clever subversion of the classic Alice in Wonderland tale, the painting plainly tells us to slow down, chill out, and ignore the clock. So we do just this.

Dean tells us a bit about the ethos of the café: he and Anna wanted to create a beautiful little space with a small but perfectly formed modern Australian menu. The décor is a mixture of industrial styling (check out the awesome steel fan on the ceiling) and quirky retro touches. Single Origin Roaster’s ex-head chef Nick Smith designed the menu, and what eventuated is a testament to the simplicity of Anna and Dean’s desire. Banished are the unpronounceable food names and superfluous choices. Ingredients are sourced locally wherever possible, and a range of herbs and plants are actually grown in the garden out the back. Crucially for carbohydrate lovers, the bread is top-notch stuff. The sourdough is from Iggy’s, and the panini is by the Bread and Butter Project, an offshoot of Bourke Street Bakery, which trains refugees in baking and employment pathways.

We tried a selection of taste sensations. The coffee is Single Origin, and it is satisfying stuff. The smoked salmon on sourdough with house made labne, pickled fennel and salmon roe is bloody delicious. The steak sandwich goes above and beyond too, with perfectly cooked Mayura Station wagyu beef, red onion jam, Maffra cheddar, radicchio, tomato, house pickles and house aioli. But the real winner – and it is some tough competition – is the bacon and egg roll. Between a delectable olive oil panini sits not one, but two perfectly fried organic eggs, crispy bacon, caramelized onion, aged cheese, slaw, and house espresso barbecue sauce. Get that into you.

Next time you’re in South Coogee, or even if you’re not, we definitely recommend checking out this little gem. And for your own sake, get the bacon and egg roll.

The Lion and Buffalo

Address: 203 Malabar Road, South Coogee.
Phone: 0447 685 466
Web: www.thelionandbuffalo.com.au
Instagram: @thelionandbuffalo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelionandbuffalo
Opening Hours: 7am – 4pm daily (closed 21 – 26 Dec, 2015)
Prices: $10 – $25
Card Accepted: Yes
Licensed/BYO: No