Three Blue Ducks

By Rhys Kane on May 26, 2011 in Food

If you can be bothered to head up the hill away from Bronte’s cafe hub by the beach, you will be rewarded for your efforts when you arrive at Three Blue Ducks on Macpherson Street. This place is on another level. The Three Blue Ducks, namely Mark, Chris and Sam, have combined talent, experience and enthusiasm to create a wonderful venue that has already put them on Sydney’s gastronomic radar. They have experienced a flurry media and foodie attention and from what we can tell they’re living up to the hype.

Although they are serious about what they do here, Three Blue Ducks still exudes a surf-cafe charm with a relaxed vibe. You may not come here for the views but it still feels like a beach cafe and talk of the swell conditions is often a feature of conversation.

There is limited seating outside but the whole shop front opens up creating al fresco feel within, and with a mix of polished concrete floors, dark wood furniture and cabinetry, funky murals on the walls and a stainless steel kitchen, the space feels warm and welcoming. There seems to be a real ‘community’ feel here and it’s clearly very popular with the locals.

The open kitchen does wonders for the buzz, noise and smells that fill the premises. And this is where the magic happens, with breakfast, lunch and a selection of delicious pastries (which fill the front cabinet) all produced within.

The breakfast menu is awash with all the typical cafe combos, done with a certain class and twist that you’d hope from this place. Unfortunately breakfast at the Blue Ducks finishes at 11.30am, which is a little too early for lazy lad like me.

Thankfully lunch runs from midday to 2.30pm and it’s this second meal of the day (traditionally) that takes things up a notch. The beetroot and haloumi salad had a delicate citrus tang, and the steak sandwich featured tender minute steak with a clever mix of red pepper mayo and sticky onions. The daily special was a braised shank of beef, which fell off the bone and was coated in a sticky jus. It worked perfectly with the buttery pumpkin puree and peppery watercress that accompanied it. The pick of the menu though was without doubt the crispy skin ocean trout. While the fish was a little overcooked for my liking, a fresh wakame, sesame and thinly sliced cucumber salad with a delicate wasabi mayo kept the smile on my face.

Three Blue Ducks uses Single Origin coffee, expertly brewed by in-house barista Chris, and with a bus stop outside it seems that all the Bronte commuters are getting their caffeine fix here. Both the coffee and teas are organic, fair trade and forest friendly. They also offer a list of fresh juices, milkshakes and smoothies.

Three Blue Ducks is what it is. Three mates decided to open a cafe, they’re all good at what they do and as a result they’ve created a neat little venue with great food and a vibe that the locals love. You can’t really ask for any more than that.

Three Blue Ducks

Address: 143 Macpherson St, Bronte
Owners: Mark LaBrooy, Chris Sorrell and Sam Reid
Seats: 25
Open: Tues-Fri 7am-4pm; Sat-Sun: 7:30am-3pm
Price: Breakfast $6-$17.50; Lunch $10-$26.50
Cards: Mastercard, VISA, EFTPOS
Licensed/BYO: BYO