http://www.rossini.com.au/
The thing about Sydney (and this applies to Brisbane too) is that there are gorgeous, fabulous and exciting boutique cafes galore... but they're not located in the CBD. Sure, you can find tonnes of foodie destinations in Surry Hills or Darlinghurst or anywhere a little way out of the commercial centre, but when you're on a tight schedule and staying in the city, it's easier to grab a bite somewhere close by.
Kat and I were staying in a hotel near Circular Quay so we figured we'd get breakfast there. On the weekend of our stay, the weather was moody at best. There was a brief display of sunshine Sunday morning so we thought we'd make the most of it by taking a stroll to the waterfront.
Most of the cafes around Circular Quay are targeted towards tourists. I suppose being from Queensland, we kind of were tourists. We decided to go with the flow and pick the first cafe that we came across, which happened to be Rossini.
Rossini was extremely busy when we got there. We pretty much got the last table outside on the ground floor. From where we were sitting, I could see glimpses of water and the side of a big boat docked in the harbour. I suppose that qualifies as a 'view'.
The menu is extremely conventional. If you're after bacon and eggs, you'll be satisfied for sure but don't go expecting to find anything gourmet or creative.
Caramel chai latte
We ordered beverages to start with. Kat got a caramel chai latte, which she didn't find sweet enough. I ordered a latte and thought it was really good.
Latte
Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to be that good (I have low expectations at what I think of as tourist establishments) but what I've noticed about Sydney is that their average standard of coffee is higher than that in Brisbane. Even their mediocre cafes have great coffee.
Omelet - with ham, cheese, mushrooms and tomato with toast
Kat went with the omelet for breakfast. She really didn't like this and described it as "rubbery and over-cooked". She ended up picking out the filling and nibbling on bits and pieces.
Breakfast Rossini (minus toast) - with scrambled eggs, bacon, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes
I customized my breakfast in an attempt to minimize carbs. I chose the Rossini breakfast without the toast. It came as a big plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, grilled mushrooms and tomato. The bacon and eggs were passable but the mushrooms had these weird woody bits that were barely edible.
It came as no surprise to me that the food at Rossini was subpar. It succeeds on location alone because thousands of people visit Circular Quay with minimal interest in food but they still get hungry and need to eat. As someone who actually rates breakfast as a potentially exciting meal, I found the food to be boring, overpriced and of poor quality.
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