Blackwood Pantry

There's little to rival the heart-sinking feeling of arriving at a new brunch place to find its queue stretching down the street. The only effective antidote is a maitre d' who combines the organisational skills of Marie Kondo​ and General Patton. Thankfully, Blackwood Pantry, a new cafe in Cronulla with food by local boy Robert Lechowicz​ (ex-Bilson's, plus several Michelin-starred European stints), has just such a commanding figure: a bright young woman who responds to concerns about small children and lack of time with the cheerful and apparently unironic exclamation: "Awesome!"

Thanks to this woman and her clipboard, the queue moves mercifully swiftly. It's also fun, because it's filled with Japanese models cradling tiny dogs in handbags and women with engagement ring diamonds as big as pigeon's eggs and hair straight out of The Shire. Since the cafe stretches from a concrete-walled, plant-decorated interior out onto the crowded pavement, you feel like you're part of things even before you sit down. Who knows how the people living in the posh new apartment block above feel about the noise levels and press of people, but no one at the tables seems to mind.

Once I am seated the coffee is good and comes quickly, as do freshly squeezed juices that taste suspiciously like cocktails (apple, aloe vera, cucumber and mint; pineapple, coconut, lychee and mint). In fact both these combos do appear again, with the addition of vodka, gin, or retro-appropriate Malibu, on the back page of the menu. Blackwood Pantry is open until late afternoon, with a dinner service expected to start within a few weeks. At the moment the same food caters for breakfast and lunch, so clearly the idea is to mark the passing of time with the judicious addition of alcohol. Either that, or get stuck in early.

Food is generous and light-hearted. Meals are Australian-understated in description and almost American-portioned in size, with a touch of European refinement. A big dish of fresh basil yoghurt is loaded not only with bright basil leaves, strawberries and whole candied pistachios, but also a sprinkling of delicate violet petals. A jar of crunchy granola rubble comes on the side. Turkish poached eggs are embellished with generous swirls of pesto and a luscious tangle of enoki mushrooms. Interestingly, the dish that sounds best, The Miss Piggy – a toasted ciabatta roll with crispy pork belly, roasted peaches, goat's cheese and chimichurri​ – tastes worst, drowned in overly sweet sauce with soft peaches mangled amid pointless rocket, and no discernible crackling crunch. In food, as in life, it's best to stick to the simple things. Straightforward eggs on toast is uncomplicatedly good, and made even better by a side of half a perfect avocado, creamy green and still in its skin.

Just a block from the beach, Blackwood Pantry is nevertheless several steps above the standard beachside cafe; everyone feels at home, from youthful beachgoers to cocktail-dressed fiftysomethings. With its long communal table and indoor-outdoor seating, it has room for nearly 100. Indoors, patches of pastel pegboard and pale wood tables soften the industrial vibe. Two plump palm trees and some weatherboard cladding make the outdoor area – on a potholed street – feel surprisingly unlike a potholed street. All in all, the woman with the clipboard was right. Blackwood Pantry is pretty awesome.

THE PICKS

Turkish poached eggs; anything involving avocado

THE COFFEE

The Grounds; black coffee by weekly guest roasters

THE LOOK

Industrial chic

THE SERVICE

Brilliant all round: welcoming to children, swift and smiling