Barista and Cook

If Elvis were a hipster, he'd eat here. His notorious snack of choice, the fried peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich, might not be on the menu, but the macaroni and cheese toastie goes a good way to fixing that. As does the southern fried chicken, the crispy pork and the cheese burger with bacon jam.

But Barista and Cook, a swanky new cafe in the emerging high-density-living hub of Waterloo, also has kale coleslaw, house pickles and fermented vegetables on offer, and salads that sing with shaved-cabbage wholesomeness. It's a face-off between food good and food evil, sometimes on the same plate. Which will win depends entirely on you.

I'll have the mac'n'cheese toastie and the southern fried chicken, don't hold the chipotle mayo, thanks. Being the only dish to straddle the breakfast and lunch menus gives the carb-tastic toastie signature status, surely. As for the choice between grilled barramundi with coriander pesto and the fried chicken: what would Elvis do?

These decisions are made around an enormous communal table. It features a small sunken garden of succulents and a towering centrepiece that looks like a science experiment but, we soon learn, is where the cold-drip coffee is ever-so-slowly brewed.

The whole place is spanking new and attractive: Surry Hills-based Giant Design has made its mark on many a Sydney eatery and here the result is a light-filled, Scandinavian-inspired exercise in brick, wood, whitewashed wall and tile, with the luckiest diners seated on cushion-backed banquettes or in groovy booths.

The fried chicken is as delectably naughty as you'd hope: tender to the bone and coated in a spicy, crispy batter which is a secret recipe of the house, the waiter tells us. Cajun spices is as much as they'll give away. On the side is a tasty and textured char-grilled zucchini salad with black rice, pea sprouts, pickled fennel and radish, which shows off Barista and Cook's accomplishments on the "good" side of things.

My favourite date tucks into a spiced fried chicken roll with kale coleslaw and the deliciously smoky chipotle mayonnaise, accompanied by chips, thick, crusty and fluffy inside. "Sometimes food," he says. His way of saying "evil".

The mac'n'cheese toastie arrives unadorned, minus so much as a parsley sprig of a garnish, as if announcing its pride in being a pasta sandwich. The creamy, rich filling is mushy and splurty and the bread is toasted to a deep golden brown. The kids will love it.

As the cafe's name suggests, it takes its beans seriously. The Brew Bar offers single-origin pour-overs and the syrupy smooth Cold Drip, which I have instead of the sole dessert item, a coffee ice-cream slider. I am suitably wired for the rest of the day.

The ethos of Barista and Cook, owned by Alan Thompson, formerly of Surry Hills' Bang Bang cafe, is "fresh food, done well, consistently".

After one visit it's evident he's as good as his word, though I am keen to check the consistency with a return visit (or two) for breakfast, which finishes at noon as the concise lunch menu kicks in.

So I know this choice lies ahead of me: between the smoked trout kedgeree with spiced rice, boiled eggs, citrus yoghurt and coriander or the char-grilled pork belly with chilli fried eggs.

What would Elvis do?

THE COFFEE

Gyspy Espresso

THE PICKS

Southern fried chicken, spiced fried chicken roll, mac'n'cheese toastie, char-grilled zucchini salad.

THE LOOK

Light, bright and beautiful in that Scandinavian way.

THE SERVICE

With a smile and most accommodating.