On the menu: The General – Eatery and Supplies in Dulwich Hill stands apart

The General: Eatery and Supplies
514 Marrickville Road, Dulwich Hill
mygeneral.com.au, 8957 5112

Rating: 4½ out of 5

Main attractions: Excellent food, laidback vibes

Must try: The corn fritter burger

Insta-worthy dish: Healthy Start bowl

Coffee: Single O, $3.50

Tea: Tea Craft, $4

Prices: Breakfast $6-$16, lunch $14-$18

Open: Sun and Mon 7am-3pm; Tue-Sat 7am-11pm

Next up: The team behind The General are opening up a second store next door to their current location. It will serve sandwiches, salads, baked goods and coffee and also house a florist and retail gifts such as stationery, lifestyle goods, homewares and housemade condiments (think hot sauce, Coney Island sauce and butter).

REVIEW
Sydney isn't short of cafes – they're everywhere, right? Most of them serve pretty good coffee. A lot turn out a decent meal. So why would you want to hear about another? Well, you need to hear about The General: Eatery and Supplies, in Dulwich Hill (10 clicks west of the CBD), because it's the kind of cafe you don't hear about a lot.


Here, there are no rock-star chefs shouting about their organic ingredients or their famous blah blah blah – just a couple of guys who love making their own butter, who turn out the best hangover cure not involving hair of the dog (more on that later) and who will probably be at the pass, actually cooking, every time you visit.

It's the kind of place that plays the Rolling Stones and the Beatles not to be ironic or even cool but because pretty much everyone can agree these bands make good music. It's the kind of place that is quietly brilliant, and because of its consistently great brekky menu, excellent coffee and laidback vibe, has become the most beloved cafe in the suburb.

Opened a little on two years ago by former Jonah's chefs Dave Moran and Josh McPhee, The General is a local gem with big ambitions. Simple breakfast staples – avocado on toast, for example – are elevated and made better with a few key tweaks. The avo, for one, is actually there, on the toast, in generous, buttery chunks, not a smear of pale green. It's laced with a herby, peppery chimichurri and then dotted with salty hunks of goat's cheese and a nutty housemade dukkah that tastes nothing like the bland, crumbly stuff you get at the supermarket.

There's a bacon and egg roll but there's also a corn fritter burger, which was surely dreamed up when someone had had a little too much fun the night before. It's a milk bun filled with a corn fritter (duh), a fried egg, some bacon, avo, hot sauce and aioli, and the only problem is that it's over too soon.

There's healthy stuff here, too – a bowl of housemade granola (heavy on the nuts and seeds), chia pudding and mushies on toast (again, piled high on sourdough from The Bread and Butter Project). The Healthy Start bowl is another standout – mixed grains, kale, pickled fennel, avocado and greens make for a satisfying start to the day (though a poached egg on top might make an even more satisfying start).

Kids aren't forgotten – there's a short "Little Generals" menu, featuring a cheese toastie and eggs on toast, at the parentally attractive price of $5. In other words, if they don't finish their meal, you won't have to dock their pocket money. There's no toybox here but if you ask nicely, the waitstaff will happily provide you with a colouring book and some pencils.

Sweet tooths might lament the mainly savoury menu (pancakes wouldn't go astray) but there's salvation in ordering the carrot loaf for breakfast dessert (an underrated and underreported occasion, in my opinion). It's dense with molasses-y sweetness, balanced with a salty slab of maple butter perched on top. From Friday to Sunday, you'll also find doughnuts, courtesy of Shortstop.

This cafe is the real deal: good food, good coffee, good vibes. Makes for a good Sunday.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

More to do in Dulwich Hill (and surrounds):

GLEEBOOKS
536 Marrickville Road
Peruse the stacks in this small but excellent bookshop, where the staff will always point you in the right direction, no matter what kind of read you're looking for. Take a look at the specials table out the front – there's always a bargain to nab.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS
2/420 New Canterbury Road
Make like Agent Cooper and grab a box of cherry pies from this French patisserie which is heavy on Beatles references (there's a quiche named after lovely Rita, the meter maid) and big on quality. There are buttery croissants, tart lemon meringue pies and chunky old-fashioned sausage rolls – ie, carbs for everyone.

THE LARDER
489 Marrickville Road
Stock up on cheese and charcuterie at this French-inspired deli. There's also bread by The Bread and Butter Project, dry goods from Simon Johnson and Valrhona, and if you want to stick around, you can even grab a glass of wine and a cheese platter.

MY MESSY ROOM
111 Smith Street, Summer Hill
Head here in nearby Summer Hill for kids clothing they'll actually want to wear (and you'll be happy for them to). There are also books, toys and baby shower gifts, as well as stuff for grown-ups: scented candles, clothing, skincare and fragrances, artworks and gorgeous little trinkets you didn't know you needed.

BATCH BREWING COMPANY
44 Sydenham Road, Marrickville
One of the pioneers of the new wave of craft brewing in Sydney, Batch serves up beer and buffalo wings on Sundays. Stop by for a cleansing ale before you head home, and pick up a few tinnies while you're there. We love Elsie the Milk Stout.