Deus Cafe

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Posted 2016-05-28 by An epicurean and a plebian ⇒ follow

For the last month, dust and the sounds of power tools are all that have emerged from the House of Simple Pleasures in Camperdown. For months, the old restaurant on the corner of Parramatta and Missenden has been undergoing a rebuild at the direction of Dues Ex Machina. Finally, last Saturday, the stylish gear and custom motorcycle shop rolled out their latest project: a full-service restaurant.

This space is hipster meets metal: tall ceilings, monochrome accents, an $80,000 concrete bench top, and an open kitchen complete with artistically arranged vegetables. It has the feel of an auto repair shop; except the oil is olive, the grease crackles and the whirring sounds are from a blender. The menu offers both meat and vegan options. Are you getting the picture? The only thing that could make this more next-generation hipster would be the chefs using power tools to cut up the pumpkin.

Clearly, Deus Café is more than coffee and scones. This is a full table-service bar and restaurant with daily breakfast and lunch seating plus dinner on the weekend. There's espresso coffee, beer on tap, interesting cocktails, and inspired plates and a small stable of mains. Chicken broth with kimchi for breakfast? Sounds like a perfect hangover cure. Dinner options include appetizers of chicken cracklings with raw kingfish and mains like pumpkin soup or steak. Don't worry though, they've got a range of classics – from bacon and egg rolls to hamburgers to Kawasakis.

This is going to be a good spot for working lunches among the nearby university and hospital staff. The tables are large and communal, so it's a perfect place to bring out-of-town colleagues following a seminar. And the prices are just high enough that they will likely dissuade students from lingering too long - especially during dinner hours where the mains are around $30.

Our visit this week hit a few road bumps. My fish was either cooked too long or started too early compared with my husband's burger, robbing it of some of its potential – the flavours and seasoning was excellent, however. Our bill was "lost" in the new POS system and the resulting back of the napkin math was more than we had bargained for. But, the potential for this cafe is high and I hope the timing in the kitchen will improve as they get rolling. The entree was spot on and the service was attentive. The menu is inspired, the space is inviting, and what is better than the simple pleasure of enjoying a test ride with your morning coffee? Let me tell you: Not much.