The Missing Piece

 The day I visited 'The Missing Piece' at Macquarie Centre could not have been any busier !! It was Easter Saturday, middle of the day and shoppers were everywhere. After a busy wait for a seat we were quickly directed to a table and settled, then offered our menus. As glass of water for the table soon came as well and the system of filing customers in and out, ensuring they had enjoyed the experience was implemented at this popular cafe. By the time the friendly waitress returned we ordered the 'Air' dish consisting of slow-cooked duck, mandarin, walnuts and rocket drizzled in a light vingarette. My guest ordered the vegetarian option of sourdough, sandwiched with roast Mediterranean veggies.

Our drinks of fresh juice and iced tea arrived. Both presumably packaged foods, but delightfully served, garnished with fruit and herbs in lovely glassware. Our meals soon followed, the duck was a delightful surprise, moist and flavourful with the walnuts and citrus. Whilst the sandwich seemed the less exciting choice on paper, it was an unexpected treat, gorgeous fresh sourdough filled with fresh veggies drizzled in pesto.

All in all, our visit to 'The Missing Piece' turned out to be the 'missing piece' we needed in a busy lunchtime at Mac Centre.

The Tally:
Quality: 4/5
Cost: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5

Talk soon!


- Olivia Ellis -

The Pres Cafe

The Pres Cafe...

Situated next to the Ubar at Macquarie University and host to entertainment such as pool tables, this cafe is in the perfect spot, but is it the perfect cafe?

The cafe attracts a lot of attention around the lunch hours and serves some decent food serving. When I went with a friend we got a few sandwiches, chips and a mango smoothie. As I eat a fair amount I resorted to a large chips and I have to say, with the sandwich, there was too much food (albeit being my second lunch).

The quality was also very good, the chips have to be the best on campus and at that decent serving size, great value for money! The sandwiches were also very nice, but in my opinion a little pricey. This being said, when eating in you get the salad with you.

I am from a large family (eldest of 6 children) so I liked the loud atmosphere and having lots of people around me however, if this isn't your thing, you probably wont appreciate it as much. Laughter fills the air with the sounds of balls striking each other from pool tables right next to you. Insider there are tables and chairs, or if you are lucky enough to snag one, some couches. If you prefer some fresh air or a bit more quiet, you could also venture to the outside seating meant for the Ubar without much hassle.

Finally, the staff are always flat out and therefore stay behind the counter, rarely coming around to help with anything. This doesn't bother me so much because of the informal environment and so I wont deduct marks.

The tally:
Quality: 4/5
Cost: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Service: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here, and hope to see you all there at some point!

Talk Soon!

Piccolo Me

Hello again, I'm pleased to announce that our first cafe experience has been rated and discussed. On Tuesday 14 April three members of the group (including myself) decided we would go to a cafe on campus 'Piccolo Me'. We were all quite hungry and had built up an appetite after collating ideas and brainstorming information relevant to the task.

On campus, there are around six different cafes, each with a different menu and an assortment of food to order. Piccolo Me is a young Australian brand which has only been up and running for three years. In this time four cafes have opened in Sydney CBD and other suburban areas of Sydney which caters for all individuals looking for a nice sit down meal/beverage or even one on the go (coffee of course)!!

Tucked away in an area on campus close to the Speech Pathology building is where this little coffee shop resides. At first glance it appears quite different to other cafe shops on campus as it has a modern and newly established feel (which it is) and a trendy appearance.


After studying the menu and browsing the windows we placed our orders and chose a table, eagerly awaiting our meals as lunch cravings were building. Myself and two other group members ordered the following; an iced chocolate, a caramel milkshake, a piccolo latte. As for food, we ordered two different sandwiches; one being 'The Isabella' and the other called 'The Anthony'. With much anticipation we were unsure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised to take note of the quick service as our meals were bought over to us in less then five minutes of being seated.


The cafe itself, was fairly quiet when we arrived and had a few customers seated inside the restaurant itself. The outdoor section of the cafe was quite large and many tables were available. Our ratings and review of what we tasted are not meant to be in any way 'judgmental' or 'harsh' to the cafe itself, just purely our opinion and our feedback on the experience we had on the day of trial.




The tally:

Quality: 3/5
Cost: 3.5/5
Value: 3.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5

Speak soon!!



- Olivia Ellis -

Welcome to our blog which follows five uni students on a quest to find the best cafes and eat-out restaurants in suburban Sydney. After much discussion, myself and my fellow group members came to the conclusion that choosing a broad idea would ensure each and every person can contribute and provide their insight into a well-known topic with a lot to talk about.

Food and meals vary, different cultures, different traditions, acquired tastes and particular eating habits that people follow. However, when it comes to finding the right place to sit down and enjoy the experience from start to finish can bring about some challenges. It is our job as 'food critics' so to speak, to evaluate the experiences we embark on at different cafes and report to you our findings - recommending you to the only the best! 

Food can be an expression of a person and when served, brings people together in form of a celebration, outing or even just for a mid-day snack. Our critical evaluation on the places we will dine at, will be based upon the quality of the food, value, taste as well as presentation. Our results will be clearly portrayed in the form of a tally-rating system which will help visitors to the blog identify where to go and where not to. Not each member in our group will like the same things, so contrasting opinions and differing feedback will allow for great discussion.