Queens Park Shed Has All The Tools

By Dining Dave on January 16, 2014 in

Picture: Grant Brooks

Sydney has some great parks, and eating in the park at this time of year is always a relaxing experience – the grass, the trees, the cool summer breeze. In October, the folks who operate Centennial Parklands Dining opened a new eatery with a more casual, laid back, family-friendly atmosphere, called the Queens Park Shed. So can this easy access café in Queens Park satisfy the footy and pram crowd?

As its name suggests, Queens Park Shed is housed in a renovated storage shed that fell into disrepair. If you’re arriving by car, it is easy to miss the red brick structure along the Darley Road side of the park. Once you approach the shed, the busy playground to its left makes itself known, while the expansive green lawn in front takes your attention away from the high rises of Bondi Junction that tower above the tree line and serve as a reminder that, for the moment, you are well beyond the concrete jungle.

The interior of Queens Park Shed is farm house like, or at least what a Sydneysider might imagine a farm house would look like, with tools hanging on the wall, a copper pipe for a sink faucet (where jugs of water can be refilled), an old index card cabinet, ceiling fans and a long wooden counter that separates the main hall.

Open for brekky and lunch at this point (dinners are coming in January), there is no waiter service, so you’ll need to order cafeteria-style up at the counter and pay immediately. If you want to have cold dishes before the hot ones, be sure to request it from the attentive staff. My companion and I got started with a couple of cappuccinos – made with Toby’s Estate coffee – before proceeding to order. We went with ‘The Shed’ toasted granola, a fruit plate with plain yoghurt, the bacon and free-range egg roll with hollandaise and salsa, and avocado toast with vine-ripened tomato, goats cheese and a free range poached egg.

You can sit inside on the padded milk crates or opt for the small tables outside to enjoy the greenery and the sun. Because it’s in the park, the café doesn’t have the usual boundary restrictions, so you can even take your table out onto the grass to get the benefit of a large shady tree. And yes, the staff will bring your items out to you. You definitely won’t forget that you’re in a park though, as the industrial grass mower, the abundance of mums, kids and prams, and the multitude of dog walkers are sure to remind you.

All the dishes were tasty and I liked the presentation of it all. The drawers from the index card cabinet held the cutlery, napkins and salt and pepper, an enamel jug was the water pitcher, while the half passion fruit on the side of the granola bowl was a nice touch.

The transformation of the shed into ‘The Shed’ is something to see and experience, and if you are in the park with your kids, playing sport on the weekend, or happen to live across the road, the Queens Park Shed will become your oasis within the field.

Queens Park Shed

Address | Corner Darley Rd and Market St, Queens Park
Phone | (02) 9380 9350
Website | www.trippaswhitegroup.com.au
Email | enquiries@trippaswhitegroup.com.au
Open | Mon-Fri, 8am – 3pm; Sat-Sun, 8am – 4pm
Prices | Brekky $6-16, Lunch $10-14
Seats | 50
Cards | All major cards
Licensed/BYO | Soon to be licensed (January 2014)