A Weekend At Burnie’s

By Marcus Braid on December 16, 2014 in

Sometimes you want to sit in a real chair, not on a milk crate. Sometimes graffiti is not your cup of tea, but a gallery in Copenhagen would be. If you happen to find yourself on residential Burnie Street in Clovelly one afternoon and want a taste of Europe to accompany your coffee or eggs benedict, grab a chair at Burnie’s.

For the last three years, this small café has been owned and operated by husband and wife chefs Simon and Sophia North. The couple previously ran a catering business for years before opening Burnie’s.

It has a simple, yet light and breezy interior décor, with a worn wine cage in one corner and an old whiskey barrel up the front. Paintings of France and Denmark and wallpaper that looks like distressed wood give Burnie’s the ‘Europe seaside’ feel the couple envisioned.

My companion and I were joined by Grant, our intrepid photographer, which was a good thing given that the portions at Burnie’s are huge. This may help explain why so many families frequent the place. Leaving our meal selection up to Simon, he unlocked not only his breakfast and lunch menus, but also the dinner menu (available on Friday and Saturday nights). Of important note, much of the menu is gluten free.

First out of the gate was the very popular Eggs Burnie, a concoction of poached eggs, béarnaise sauce, fresh spinach, potato rosti and bacon. This was followed by a grilled chicken sandwich, with buttery grilled country bread slices surrounding a succulent breast filet, avocado, cheese and fresh salad. The next culinary cab off the rank was baby Caesar salad with salmon, which complemented the protein-filled nicely and was light on the dressing, just as I like it.

According to Simon, his steak sandwich is the best in town, and he may just be right. We cut the juicy, tender scotch fillet and beetroot monster into four parts to get it all down. The accompanying chips really impressed Grant, who likened them to the ‘old school beach chips’ he used to eat as a kid. Still not done, out came the house dinner special, ‘Mum’s Special Chook’, Simon’s take on his mother’s old recipe. Adorned with grilled carrots, the small whole spatchcock splayed on a wooden board melted in our mouths and was best dipped in the decadent brandy cream sauce that came with it.

With its high ceiling, vented windows and relaxing atmosphere, Burnie’s is the type of place where you could spend a whole weekend, and if you splash enough cash, Sophia and Simon may even put you up for the night.

Burnie’s At Clovelly

Address | 48 Burnie Street, Clovelly
Phone | (02) 9664 1001
Website | www.burnies.com.au
Email | bookings@burnies.com.au
Open | Sun-Mon, Wed-Thu: 8am-4pm; Fri-Sat: 8am-4pm; 6pm-late
Prices | Small plates $10 -$26; Mains $29 – $35
Seats | 24 inside, 12 outside
Cards | All major cards
Licensed | Yes