1 Abercrombie Lane - Cafe Bakery

Tucked away in a little alley you've probably walked past a million times but never ventured down is 1 Abercrombie Lane Cafe Bakery, aptly named after its street address. Whilst surprised at myself for never having even recollected that this alley existed, I was more surprised by the busy lunchtime crowd at the cafe. There are a couple of small tables in the alleyway and a few inside as well, but takeaway seemed the better option as to avoid having to knock elbows with the person next to me. Taking my order was a bit like Abbott & Costello's "Who's on first" skit - English was not the strong point of the guy taking my order, but we get there in the end.                                                                                                               After an unusually long wait I was almost certain they'd forgotten about me, but nevertheless the Reuben ($13) came out in a brown paper bag with a fish-n'-chip-esque styrofoam container within. I ordered it toasted, and although the cheese half melted, the bread was still as fluffy as ever. It worked. The ingredients all came together to form soft and juicy mouthfuls and I almost forgot about it lacking any type of crunch that you'd get from a toasted version. The meat was a generous serving and dominated the sandwich but a bigger helping of sauerkraut couldn't have hurt. It was less saucy than other ones I've had but in a good way. It didn't turn into a soggy mess, with an appropriate sized smearing of mustard to provide the essential condiment and tang to compliment the sauerkraut's edge.                                                                                                                      Get it take away and find a grassy spot to sit and enjoy it. 

         8.5/10

                                                                                      No website - facebook page found here: 1 Abercrombie Lane

Runcible Spoon

An open space cafe just behind Deus in Camperdown with a motorbike or two roaring down the alley is Runcible Spoon. The relaxed atmosphere warrants no need for keeping time and the Sunday afternoon crowd is just as laid back. A recommendation of a limited time hand written special attached to the menu board behind the counter drew me here, before the Reuben offering was no more.

I was presented with the unexpected - a wild mish-mash stack of a Reuben ($13) which begged the use of cutlery. All of the usual suspects were present; light rye sourdough with caraway seeds, mustard sauce, sauerkraut, melted cheese, miscellaneous sliced pickled items ... and then we come to the meat. There was nothing wrong in the taste department, but it was a helping of slices of hot roast like you'd get at your local on special Sunday roast night that raised an eyebrow. Juicy as it was, it just didn't quite hit the Reuben mark and felt more like a roast beef sandwich with extras. The mixed lettuce leaves added to this beef sandwich feel and the cold sauerkraut no doubt straight from the jar in the fridge didn't do the sandwich any favours.

The Reuben seemed to be a menagerie of individual ingredients that just didn't quite coalesce, however the cafe itself was a great inner west gem - good on them for having a Reuben special but next time I'm going to give something on-menu a go.

6.5/10

Website: Runcible Spoon