I do love this European cafe restaurant called
La Boheme right on Darling Street in Balmain. I first heard about this establishment as part of an invite to a business breakfast event, and the airy ambience and awesome food just blew me away. They have Great juices, pastries and muffins in particular; and I also love the seating ambience both inside and outside. Polished floorboards (don't know if they could be any more polished that what they actually were) and beautiful dark wooden tables and chairs to match the decor, and with a group of fellow switched on entrepreneurs; the morning could not have been any better, despite having to get up and conduct an important presentation at the time.
I also came back here for a laid back casual lunch (on a day off and by myself too) and their sandwiches were something quite different. We are talking about an interesting but blandish sort of taste, yet it wasn't an issue because they used a variety of different and high quality salad and salami despite the bread feeling a little weird; not to mention some tangy sauce that any cook would be dying to get the recipe for.
Their outdoor area feels so european (with the vibe and so on) that it is so easy to feel like you are sitting down, having a simple lunch in the backyard of a friend's house, in the courtyard somewhere. Slow and relaxed, yet the service and the coffee was also terrific. It is so amazing that you only need to walk fifty metres into a different sort of quiet paradise, away from the hustle and bustle of busy Darling Street. How did this establishment ever get attracted to Balmain, only time will tell.
