Bang Bang Espresso Bar and Cafe, Surry Hills

So what happens when a Welsh born Ministry of Sound DJ wants to settle down from life traipsing around the world spinning the decks? Well he opens up a cafe in Surry Hills in Australia apparently! At Bang Bang Espresso Bar and Cafe on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, there are still traces of owner Alan Thompson's DJ life. Of course there is good music, which you expect, but there's also a wall stencil of DJ's headphones that gives that little tid bit away.

I'm meeting my friend Amanda for lunch at Bang Bang. She's good friends with Alan and has spent many a brunch sitting at one of the communal tables. And by sitting we mean perched on the silver drummer's stools. The week day menu is broken up into breakfast which finishes at 12noon and lunch which takes over (although on weekends, the breakfast runs all day). There are a range of sandwiches, burgers and old school items available and we both look at the fish fingers at the same time. Service is very friendly, although when you're dining with friend of the owner, you'd expect nothing less.

I ordered a soy chai made with Bonsoy and it came out with a strainer and loose leaf chai and a little jug of honey. It's quite naturally sweet without the honey but it's lovely and aromatic and before I know it, I've finished the whole pot.

"The fish fingers in the sandwich aren't the supermarket ones?" we ask, and even as I say it, I know how silly that sounds. Of course they're not and they're crumbed fish fillets on Sonoma bread with tartare sauce. I really like the texture of the spongey, soft bread with the crunchy crumbed fish and crunchy lettuce.

The lamb and mint burger comes as a fat patty on a lightly toasted sesame bun with tomato, rocket, cucumber and tzaztiki. I would have loved a bit more sauce with the crunchy bun and I left most of the bun behind preferring the filling. It comes with potato chips rather than chips and a part of me likes the potato chip thing but another part of me would have loved hot chips.

We pondered the home made sweets and cakes display and everything except for the Manna from Heaven lemon polenta cakes are house made. After much umming and aahing over the carrot cake or the chocolate caramel slice, we decided on a good old fashioned caramel slice. It's rich and thick and sweet with a thick coconutty biscuit base. Just what I needed to power me to the moon and back!

So tell me Dear Reader, when you eat out, does it matter to you whether an item is made in house or bought in?

NQN and Amanda dined as guests of Bang Bang Cafe

Bang Bang Espresso Bar and Cafe

113 Reservoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Tel: +61 (02) 9281 0018

Open: Monday-Friday 8am-4pm

Saturday-Sunday 8am-3pm