Surry Hills has definitely become the "go to" place for me for cafe food. After hearing that my friend has never been to any cafes in Surry Hills before I had to take her! We decided to eat at Ampersand Cafe and Bookstore, which is located on Crown st (next to the library). I have never been there before so I didn't know what to expect. This cute cafe is located on the corner and it has a very homely feel to it. It is a two- leveled cafe, the top level is the bookstore/ library- but you can eat up stairs too.
At the entrance is a sign saying "wait here to be seated" we waited for a few minutes but no waiters seemed to be around so we just entered and took a menu from the counter. They have a breakfast (all day) and lunch menu, that is full of variety and caters for certain people e.g. vegetarian dishes. I ended up ordering "The Ampersandian" (which is basically a breakfast plate) and my friend ordered a ham and cheese melt on toast. We also got a hot chocolate each, which was perfect since it was cold. I felt that the dish I ordered was quite pricey for the amount I got- it is $16 + $2 for sourdough bread, but nonetheless I was very hungry so this really satisfied my hunger :)
*You order and pay at the counter*
We decided to sit upstairs, because my friend wanted to :P but upstairs is like a little library, it has a very peaceful atmosphere. There were some people studying there and reading in the library, for some reason I thought of Narnia when I saw all the book and old furnishing :P
At first we decided to sit outside on the balcony but after awhile it started to smell a bit funky, I think it was because the balcony was facing the main street. So we moved inside a comfortably sat at a large table that had a view of the reading area and outside.
At the entrance is a sign saying "wait here to be seated" we waited for a few minutes but no waiters seemed to be around so we just entered and took a menu from the counter. They have a breakfast (all day) and lunch menu, that is full of variety and caters for certain people e.g. vegetarian dishes. I ended up ordering "The Ampersandian" (which is basically a breakfast plate) and my friend ordered a ham and cheese melt on toast. We also got a hot chocolate each, which was perfect since it was cold. I felt that the dish I ordered was quite pricey for the amount I got- it is $16 + $2 for sourdough bread, but nonetheless I was very hungry so this really satisfied my hunger :)
*You order and pay at the counter*
We decided to sit upstairs, because my friend wanted to :P but upstairs is like a little library, it has a very peaceful atmosphere. There were some people studying there and reading in the library, for some reason I thought of Narnia when I saw all the book and old furnishing :P
At first we decided to sit outside on the balcony but after awhile it started to smell a bit funky, I think it was because the balcony was facing the main street. So we moved inside a comfortably sat at a large table that had a view of the reading area and outside.
The Ampersandian | Crispy potato hash brown with thyme roasted field mushroom, semi dried tomato, poached eggs and asparagus. Served with béarnaise sauce Gluten Free (+ sourdough bread- extra $2) | $16
Ham and Cheese Melt | Ham, cheese, tomato on sourdough bread | $9
Hot Chocolate with Lindt Chocolate | $5
Overall, Ampersand Cafe and Bookstore is a very cute and cosy cafe, but it is quite over priced however the food is quite tasty. I think there may be less expensive places that serves similar dishes :) This is a good cafe to study and relax in :)
(Also thanks to my friend for providing me with some of the photos) :)
(Also thanks to my friend for providing me with some of the photos) :)