Social Hideout | Parramatta
Social Hideout is exactly the opposite to what the name suggests. This cafe has been popping up and around on social media with a colourful take on your standard cafe style breakfast. What looks good in pictures will bring a crowd, so social it may be, but a hideout most definitely not!
The cafe is bright, warm and welcoming as soon as you step inside. Not to take away from their beautiful outdoor dining area which has a vibrant green backdrop of leaves. It is spacious and fear not as there are plenty of tables both inside and out. We might re-visit again during the colder months as all the outdoor tables will receive a blanket to cozy up to while they eat. It's such a brilliant idea, we can picture ourselves now sipping a warm taro latte under a warm blanket.
The Habib (with added bacon)
Normally considered a vegetarian option with Za'atar poached eggs, beetroot hummus, portobello mushrooms and smashed avocado served on sourdough, with a sprinkle of pomegranates for added sweetness. We love za'atar too much to pass on this option, so we opted to add bacon and Social Hideout was more than happy to accommodate. This is by far some of the best eggs on toast recipes we have tasted. Many cafe's try to include Arabic spice infusions, but none like this before. The flavour of the za'atar is overpowering but in a good way because the mixture of the chickpea and beetroot hummus tone it down to a perfect balance. To put it into perspective, Matt made sure to save one last bite until the end of the meal when we were full and all the meals were done... just to savour the taste on the way home. Wow.
The Frenchy
The french toast is a colourful wonderland of sweets that any kid would love. The amount of sugar in this dish was just about as colourful as it is.. very. We loved the initial few bites, but eventually the sweetness got to us and we had to push it away. It is a beast nonetheless, towering what looks to be at minimum 4 slices of bread and topped with vanilla mascarpone, sticky maple, berries and caramelised bananas.. only the strong of will could demolish this and live to speak of it. If you are crazy enough, you can also add some bacon to mix things up!
F45 Granola Bowl
It is very unusual for us to order the healthy menu item, but the way it describes on the menu made it sound like we were eating a healthy bowl of ice cream or something. The mixture you see before you includes a mixture almonds, pecans, macadamias chia seeds, pear, apple and pomegranate with a large scoop of maple vanilla yogurt. Nothing that tastes this good is usually healthy, can it?
Served in a large bowl, the sizing is generous and it is surprisingly sweet. There is plenty of different textures to keep your mind guessing what you are eating as well. If this is considered healthy, then start my diet now please!
Morning Glory (left) and Iced Taro Latte (right)
Yes you definitely heard correct, taro. Finally a cafe has clued on to the greatness of Taro and just how damn addictive it can be. Plus it works in well with the colourful scheme that the Social Hideout has been focused on. Topped with a mountain of whipped cream, this thing was again very sweet but we'd be damned if we didn't enjoy it to the last sip. While it's not on their menu yet, just make sure to ask the waiter for it as it has soon to be published. The morning glory was also a nice distraction from all the heavily flavoured food. A nice blend of peach, mango and passion fruit was a refreshing choice for what was a warm day.
If only the Social Hideout Cafe was closer to us, we would visit more often. Being situated in Sydney's second CBD makes it tough for us, but surely convenient for many more. There will also be changes coming to their Winter menu and we have already decided to revisit!
Snapshots of Food dined as guests of Social Hideout and CPM Online Marketing