The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry | A Sydney Food Blog

The Fern, Redfern

March 14th, 2011  |  Published in Uncategorized  |  9 Comments

The Fern, Redfern

Surry Hills has long been the natural habitat of the upcoming cafe, but, according to last week’s Good Living, Redfern may be (slowly) taking over. I’m always a little dubious when a suburb is pronounced as ‘hot’ – maybe because it sounds like slimey real-estate speak – but there’s definitely case-supporting evidence for this claim. I guess the groundwork for Redfern’s resurgence was laid by Baffi and Mo, Moose General Store (RIP) and Eathouse Diner.

And now there’s The Fern, down the part of Pitt Street that starts to edge onto Cleveland.

The Fern, Redfern

It’s only about two weeks old, and despite the odd case of just-opened-itis, it feels like there is a lot to like about this cafe. The Fern is located in a breezy terrace, with an eccentric jumble of furniture (I’m pretty sure we sat on kindergarten chairs). Even from the courtyard, the truck-rumbling score of Cleveland Street is nicely out of earshot, and that leafy space is a nice spot to be coolly sipping the Hibiscus, Rosehip, Cinnamon and Mint Iced Tea. It’s refreshing to see a drink that departs from the usual banana-smoothie-and-juice line-up at most cafes. (And, yes, I’ve already thought about my next beverage at The Fern, and it’s going to be the Chocolate, Orange and Cardamom Milkshake).

The Fern, Redfern

The interior, meanwhile, is like a case of wallpaper hip hop – random samples of visual genres are candystriped throughout: from giant old ads for Pimms and Johnny Walker to newspaper comics and travel photography. This bent for switching things up also extends to the menu, which is presented on vinyl records.

The Fern, Redfern

And the food itself is worth some high-rotation attention. The consulting chef is Massimo Bianchi (Uccello, Buon Ricordo), which explains the Italian-inflected lunch offerings – like the rather ace Eggplant with Tomato, Provola and Parmesan ($14.50), which sounds like a boring sandwich filling from how it’s presented on the menu, but is actually a brilliant eggplant parmigiana, with the smoky-rich provola giving the dish a good jumpstart.

The Fern, Redfern

Will enjoyed The Fern Club Sandwich ($17), which banked in a good amount of flavour (roast chicken, bacon, iceberg lettuce, aged cheddar, Roma tomato) without being an overly big, impossible-to-bite-into stockpile of fillings. Instead of hand-cut chips, there was a serve of hash browns instead (the kitchen had run out of potatoes), which is part of the quirk of a new cafe, I suppose. (This lack of spuds also meant we couldn’t try the Crushed Potatoes with Pesto, alas. Next time.)

Speaking of things that were off-limits, unfortunately for an unreformed sleepyhead like myself, The Fern ends its breakfast menu at 11.30am. I guess the lazy policy of all-day weekend breakfasts at most cafes has spoilt me and I need to learn that midday is not always a respectable time to have your first meal of the day.

The Fern, Redfern

We will return, then, to try the Eggs Rancheros ($17.50), Sourdough Bruschetta ($13.50), ‘Fernivore’ Breakfast ($17) and Corn Fritters with Avocado Salsa and Goat’s Cheese ($17.50).

And we’ll also revisit when the crew behind The Fern (Julian Serna and Mark Wiley, ex-Merivale staff) get a licence and start running services at night. The main upshot is that we’ll be back.

The Fern, 4 Pitt Street, Redfern, www.thefern.com.au

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9 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    Good looking club sandwich at the Fern. The hash brown is an act of desperation but, if done crunchy, would save the day. .. Russell R

  2. Wow – some great people on board. Can’t wait for their liquor licence 🙂

  3. I love sitting on kindergarten chairs! LOL I’m not sure Redfern is that hot in terms of food, but the cafes are certainly appearing thick and fast.

  4. CeK says:

    Have been, tried and loved!

  5. Denni says:

    Good writing, Lee. I would say “appetizingly”. I was interested to read your reviews. I even wanted to posetitt this restaurant Fern and myself to enjoy their food.

  6. So, how comfortable were the kindergarten chairs? 🙂

  7. What a awesome little spot, and I love the sound of that eggplant parmigiana.

  8. Ella (redfern/surry hills resident since birth (23 years) says:

    Using the locals nickname for redfern and charging $17 for a sandwich great more yuppieness invading the inner city making it unaffordable for the people who lived there before it was trendy and are finding harder to survive in the areas they need to live in to be close to the vital services and support networks they need.

    I’m all for good feed and enjoy eating out in my area (and have been known to pay up to $16 for a good sandwich on my rich days) but the people who are flooding the area with their trendy shops and cafes need to show some respect for the original inhabitants of the areas-something their customers generally don’t!

    Surry Hills is already well on it’s way to being turned into another woollahra *yawn* let’s not do it to redfern too.

  9. Anonymous says:

    had a wonderful sandwich at the fern, it was jam packed with goodness. Really tasty and there was a chalkboard of specials to choose from. The guys have really hit the nail on the head with their fit out, food, drinks and service. Great for a coffee, lunch or brunch.

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Hi, I'm Lee Tran Lam. When not blogging with my mouth full, I'm usually writing, presenting Local Fidelity on FBi radio, making zines, producing podcasts or continually breaking promises about how I really am gonna get through my book pile one day.

All the good pictures on this blog are by photography ace (and patient boyfriend), Will Reichelt, (all the dodgy ones can be credited to me)!

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This is a blog I do for pure fun and zero influence – there's no sponsorship, sneaky advertorial or advertising. I pay for all the food mentioned, 'cos it seems the ethical thing to do.


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This is a blog about eating and drinking in Sydney, Australia (with the odd cross-border or off-topic detour). BYO appetite.

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