old street - redfern

hovering on the wrong side of abercrombie st like a frustrated child undeservingly exiled to time-out, old street café barely draws a glance from the hurrying sydney uni students on their way to class from redfern station. the five or so other cafes on this coveted commuter’s strip bustle with hungry studiers and hipsters dripping with cool. old street sits quietly, aloof on the not-so-sunny side of the road, unassumingly crafting delicious, affordable meals for those who dare to tread the road not taken.

the interior is simple with walls unadorned other than by a handful of old French ad-posters, a specials blackboard and a pin-ups spruiking local gigs. but cute touches like the million and one vintage teaspoons which double as wall hangings and tea stirrers are hard not to smile at.

the menu is short and sweet – staples for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch – augmented by a daily spattering of cooked-off-site pastries and treats. the chef and owner crafts each dish on the tiny counter while you watch. Service can be a touch slow at times but the love with which ‘wich ingredients are sourced, screened, then stacked high and proud on perfectly toasted sourdough more than make up for any delay.

i’ve had breakfast here before. the avocado on toast is the most picture perfect example i’ve experienced, with each slice of soft, green avo aligned with precision upon a huge slice of toast, drizzled with house-infused lemon oil and topped with a perfectly poached egg [on my request]. this is the tastiest avocado i’ve had in ages. the croque madame is an elegant mess of gruyere, prosciutto, tomato and a fried egg – rich, crunchy and delicious – but even so, improved immeasurably be a tart tomato relish.

for lunch it's hard to go past the classic reuben sandwich – proudly poised at the helm of the printed menu and the sole-tenant of the specials board. thin-cut pastrami tucked in by a rich slice of melted cheddar and shaved sweet 'n' sour-kraut. it’s simple and soothing on a cold day and comes with a crisp pickled cucumber for added crunch value. the salad today is the autumn menu hanger-on - beetroot, feta and walnut salad, this time with the welcomed addition of crispy snowpeas. the ingredients are fresh and delicious but not enough to wow us after the previous 99 beetroot and feta salads so far this season. the salad is $10.50 topped with poached chicken, $8.50 without. 

unadorned, unpretentious and largely unloved, old street is the left out cousin on the abercrombie strip. but like most kids, its childish missteps are happily forgiven in light of the smiles it brings.

the reuben