Lets do Brunch at Sisterfields Cafe
There are plenty of restaurants in Kuta and Seminyak that are consistently busy with passing tourists, but when a new café draws in the expat crowd too, as well as diners in-the-know and the island’s travelling foodies, that’s when you know you’ve come across a real culinary gem.
That’s exactly how we felt about Sisterfields Cafe when we first stopped in for brunch last month. The relatively new boutique café just off of the Oberoi eat street is far enough away from the tourist crowds that it could have been overlooked, but instead, it’s permanently teaming with Seminyak’s coolest, all looking for a taste of the café’s already-famous breakfast, brunch and lunch options.
The main dining area has a very chic Melbourne feel to it – clean, fresh and without the kitsch knick-knacks that so many restaurants are choosing to submit to. Instead, the smell of great home-brewed coffee and freshly-baked pastries fill the bright open space, punctuated by Rayban-wearing, sandal-clad diners tucking into colourfully tossed salads, chunky schnitzel sandwiches and ginormous Wagyu burgers towering atop a thick slab of rustic bark.
The point is, this fashionable café is entirely gourmet in the sense that it serves some of the best lunching and brunching dishes on the island, and of course, it’s received full marks from Bali’s most seasoned foodies, but it’s still laid-back enough that you can turn up directly from the beach with salt still in your hair, and chances are, you’ll be in the company of other chilled out diners looking to cure fuzzy heads after a night out in swanky Seminyak, or those simply taking refuge from the beating sun over an icy Kiwi & Lychee Granita.
So what’s causing all the hype? Well, Chef Jethro Vincent is a firm believer in bringing back the classic art of culinary traditions, from home curing, smoking and pickling, to making his own cheese, butter and yogurt. And it’s certainly causing a stir, because, with a proud grin on his face, the Chef tells us he’s been non-stop since opening in February, with one day reaching a record high of almost 550 diners.
Breakfast time is one of the busiest times for Sisterfields, with Eggs Benedict and Brioche French Toast rolling out one after the other. Don’t miss the chef’s Fresh Berries with a yoghurt sorbet. Far from its simplistic name, a giant, titled ceramic bowl cradles a mélange of different flavours, textures and colours, from strawberries that have been compressed so to double the intensity of their sweetness, to edible tropical flowers and a crunchy, crumbly sprinkle of cinnamon oats. It’s light, bright and totally delicious.
For lunch (or even brunch – we couldn’t resist despite the fact it was pre-midday) try Sisterfield’s Dirty Burger. You’ll probably spot it before you even take a look at the menu, as it’s continuously being paraded through the dining room on its rustic wooden board. It’s everything you look for in a really great burger: two juicy patties of prime beef hugged by oozing and smoky melted cheese, crispy onion rings beautifully pickled and fried and a finger-licking mishmash of sauces – a schmear of American mustard here, a creamy aioli there, and if that wasn’t enough, a final slather of special house sauce that resembles a funky twist on Thousand Island.
Other favourites include the House Hot Smoked Salmon Bagel, the Philly Cheese Steak Baguette with sautéed ribeye, charred onions and capsicum, as well as the Thai-Glazed 18-Hour Pork Belly with glass noodles, peanuts and a nam jim salad. But whatever time of day it is, whatever dish you choose, the all-day menu is guaranteed to please. Bring an appetite, leave your formalities at home and prepare to come back for breakfast, brunch and lunch, more than once.
Watch This Space!
At the beginning of next year, Sisterfields Cafe will be opening an adjoining restaurant that will be open in the evenings. Full details are being tightly held under lock and key, but expect the same playful feel and gourmet cuisine served up on larger sharing plates and as delicious tapas bites.
