Element6

It was by chance that I found out about this cafe. To be exact, it was through a friend's Facebook photograph check-in. West Ryde? Cafe? Oooh, that caught my attention alright.... and that was almost 2 years ago! Funny how the nearer the establishment is, the less often they would cross your mind when thinking of where to go for brunch. However, since visiting the first time, I have returned several other times, each time with a different group of friends.

The cafe is not huge and if you choose to visit on weekends, be prepared to wait a bit. They are conveniently located just across the road from West Ryde station, the same side of the tracks as the leagues club.

I quite like their interior, or according to friends, I like anything that is wood and a la natural. 

A smile stole a few seconds to appear on my face as I noticed a cardboard moose head on the wall near the entrance. Reminded me of The Rag Land.

They do Five Senses here and they make my mocha just the way I like it, even with a quirky vintage teaspoon.

Mocha with Molten Belgian Chocolate $4.50

Friends who tried the iced versions of their coffees liked them, too, especially the one with the additional ice-cream. A must have during the warmer months.

Stateside iced coffee $4.00

Stateside iced coffee with additional Serendipity ice-cream $6.00

They also have a selection of smoothies and in my opinion, they could be a meal on their own judging from the ingredients! Health(ier) option to coffee? Hm...

Honeybee smoothie (bananas, cinnamon, yoghurt, honey, ice-cream) $6.50

Breakfast is served from 7:00am to noon on weekdays and from 7:30am to 2:30pm on Saturday. Only once out of the several visits was I there after midday, so I have managed to sample all my staple brunch selections. 

If you like the combination of butterscotch and salty peanut, this is for you; their cinnamon ricotta waffles with banana, blueberries, butterscotch, salty peanut praline and Serendipity ice-cream ($12.00).

For a French toast addict like me, I have mixed feelings regarding the French toast here, as each time I come, the toast was served differently - sometimes it had that perfect crunchy outside, fluffy inside texture and other times, it was just soggy. Nevertheless, when done well, their French toast with ricotta, poached fruit, pistachios and Canadian maple syrup ($11.50) is my favourite on their menu.

Ever tried to have pancakes with bacon? The additional bacon ($3.50) tasted surprisingly good with pancakes, especially when drizzled with maple syrup. Not advisable to order this if you have had a 'main', we had a hard time finishing this!

One dish that they are famous for is the Moroccan spiced baked eggs with chickpea, eggplant, haloumi, zhough and zaatar served with pita bread ($16.50).

Tastefully presented on a board, it came sizzling (baking?) hot and I had to constantly remind myself to be careful not to accidentally burn myself!

If you are like me and like your eggs runny like the above, you will enjoy this dish, too! It definitely shouted out Mediterranean with the use of herbs and spices and because it had so much chickpea, this was one extremely filling dish.



Element6
65 Ryedale Road, West Ryde, NSW 2114, Australia
Tel: +61 2 8021 2838
Monday to Friday 6:30am to 3:00pm
Saturday 7:00am to 3:00pm
Sunday 8:00am to 3:00pm