There's a new local's lair in Paddington that promises breakfast all day, a finely tuned coffee offering and whimsical humour.
I'm talking about Fox & Rabbit Coffee Co on Kennedy Terrace, sandwiched between Maddisons Hair Design and a catering company, in an old group of shops near the back entrance to Ithaca State School.
The menu is short but offers cafe staples including avo on toast and fruit toast ($6) or a moist spinach and feta cheese damper. There's also a daily parade of breakfast wraps and a scrambled eggs and melted cheddar combo that would be top of my daily breakfast list.
It's open weekdays from 6am to 8pm and weekends from 7am to 6pm which means there's plenty of time to pop in both before and after work for an easy meal.
The decor is an interesting modern nana style mix with recycled doors as tables, Ikea furniture given a funky twist and lots of interesting junk shop finds repurposed. Surprisingly it's not overly noisy when there's a bit of a crowd.
Dominating one of the long walls is a large mural that's a work in progress. It's a scene taken from the Fabulous Mr Fox, a Roald Dahl book made into an animated children's move with a sterling cast of voices including George Clooney, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep and Owen Wilson directed by Wes Anderson. I've included the movie preview below for your enjoyment!
It's table service here so don't sit down an expect your order to be taken as we did. Hint - a sign would be helpful. :)
You'll enjoy the coffee here which is made from different blends if you want white or black. The flavour is full, without being overpowering, with a touch of sweetness.
The Bourbon baked beans are made from scratch in house with a chef-sized slurp of Buffalo Trace bourbon whisky. It comes topped with melted cheese and accompanied by crusty bread which you need to dip into the mix to soak up the smokey sauce. The cheese melts into the mix augmenting the flavours but I'm a cheese lover and would have enjoyed a bit more cheese on the top of mine.
K2 was a hungry bunny and went for the Fox's Midnight Raid - a stolen larder meal off-the-bone ham (substituted with a burger on this occasion as they had run out of ham), the above mentioned beans, boiled egg (substituted with scrambled egg) picked onions (substituted with gherkin) and chunky vintage cheddar ($18).
Enjoy a peek at Mr Fox -
The menu board includes extra tempters including a banoffee milkshake and a blueberry cheesecake bagel. My dedication to the job requires me to return and try these at a later date.
Fox & Rabbit Coffee Co
Recommended for: Easy parking makes this a great stop for anyone on the run looking for house made food.
Best tip: All the meals are available as take aways.
Bottom line: Expect to pay between $6 and $18.
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: Ed+bK paid for her meal