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Toby's Estate, Chippendale

Megan Johnston
Megan Johnston

Full of beans: Toby's Estate cafe in Chippendale.
Full of beans: Toby's Estate cafe in Chippendale.James Alcock/Getty Images

Contemporary$$

Let's start with a quick recap: it's 1997 and young Sydney graduate Toby Smith ditches a budding career in law for a global adventure exploring the world's coffee hotspots. He returns a year later, sets up a tiny roaster in his mum's laneway garage in Woolloomooloo and unveils the results of his dedication at the SMH Growers' Market in Pyrmont soon after. 

During the next decade, Smith sets up roasteries and espresso schools across the country. Then onwards to Singapore and New York. To cap it off, he buys his own coffee plantation in Panama. 

So it's fair to say Smith has had a hand in taking Sydney's coffee culture to the world.

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French toast with spiced poached pear.
French toast with spiced poached pear.James Alcock/Getty Images

That doesn't mean he has neglected his roots. One of his first outlets, Toby's Estate in Chippendale, has recently been refurbished, with a new fit-out that could be ripped straight from an interiors magazine.

The old timber-everything look has been replaced with a smart modern space that includes touches of French provincial design. A palette of dove greys and soft whites dominates the pale, smooth floorboards, zinc tables, rustic garden chairs and painted surfaces. 

A ladder strung from the ceiling and a panel of bold patterned black-and-white tiles add a decorative touch while an open L-shaped bar is home to bags of beans, coffee paraphernalia and a high-tech Steampunk coffee brewing system.

Smoked cascara lamb shoulder.
Smoked cascara lamb shoulder.James Alcock/Getty Images
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Opened in 2005, the City Road address isn't the most scenic spot though you can spy the handsome sandstone walls of Sydney University over the stream of traffic. Press your nose against the glass at the rear and you'll see a large roasting machine skulking up the back. 

On a rainy Saturday morning, the place is filled with stylish, raincoat-clad caffeine-seekers. One taps on a laptop while sipping a cold brew and others cradle flat whites while we scour the list of inventive coffee options. We opt for the Woolloomooloo blend, which delivers good body and distinct caramel notes in the form of a milky piccolo and punchy short black.

Extracted via the Steampunk machine, the filter roasted origin of the day – an Ethiopian limu – brings out an entirely different character from the bean. Delivered in a flask to share, it's steamy and earthy with fragrant citrus notes that waft from the glass. 

The Central and South American bent of the menu reflects countries the company sources its beans from, but there isn't much evidence of that at breakfast. We make a light start with the poached egg and grilled haloumi: a pleasantly truffled creation atop a crusty piece of toast adorned with a stem of cherry tomatoes, grilled asparagus and a golden daub of hollandaise. It's a rustic dish perfect for mopping up the raspberry balsamic glaze that rings the plate. 

Served on toast and topped with a fried egg, the smoked lamb shoulder with baked beans looks heartier but is surprisingly subtle. Smoked with cascara (dried coffee cherries), the meat is light and sweet and melds well with shreds of spinach and delicate beans. 

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We round things off with a serve of French toast, two golden slices of thick, sweet bread served with spicy pear, strawberries and chai anglaise. The whole pear gives it a regal appearance and lends a fruity sweetness that renders the usual lashings of maple syrup unnecessary. 

Before heading off, we check out the roasting room. Though the cafe is very busy, a waiter takes a moment to explain the set-up out the back, which supplies the beans for the company's east coast operations. We'll have to visit during the week to see (and smell) the action in full swing, he says. With so many caffeine options we haven't tried, it's another good reason to return.

THE LOW-DOWN
THE PICKS
French toast with spiced poached pear; smoked cascara lamb shoulder
THE COFFEE Toby's Estate signature blends and single origins
THE LOOK Touches of French provincial
THE SERVICE Helpful, accommodating and informative

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Megan JohnstonMegan Johnston is a producer and writer for Good Food.

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