Quietly nestled among the cafes and shops along sun-dappled Crown Street is Mad Spuds, a cafe that specialises in potatoes. And not just any potatoes – they are organic potatoes grown in Robertson, in the Southern Highlands of NSW. The cafe serves Double Roasters fair trade locally roasted coffee, and prides itself on dishes that use locally farmed organic produce. While the spud features prominently, there’s plenty more than potatoes on the menu.
Mad Spuds Cafe, Surry Hills – look out for the superhero spud in a cape!
We’re at Mad Spuds Cafe for breakfast. Jay and I are especially interested in their specialty baked spuds but sadly, they’re not available for breakfast.
Jay chooses the chorizo bruschetta (AU$16), with grilled local chorizo, tatti bread and haloumi, served with bruschetta mix (chopped tomato, onion and fresh herbs), fig and fresh rocket, although the menu specifies spinach. It’s an interesting combination of hot/cold, flavours and textures.
Chorizo bruschetta (AU$16)
The flat grilled tatti (potato) bread is especially good, but I’m delighted by the cheeky cat poo-like blobs of fig jam. At this point I should confess my delight stems from a fondness for toilet humour, not for figs.
Chorizo bruschetta (AU$16)
Juji feels like something simple and orders poached free range eggs with toasted sourdough bread (AU$8) with a side order of pork sausage (AU$4). The sausages are stubby, plump and flavoursome.
Poached free range eggs on toasted sour dough (AU$8) with pork sausage (AU$4)
I have my own pork sausage in the mad pan brekkie (AU$16), along with Boston beans, crispy spud skins, poached egg and two wedges of toast in a cast iron pan.
Mad pan brekkie (AU$16)
The beans are spicy and tender. It’s a delicious, beautiful hearty breakfast. It’s very filling – despite a desire to devour it all, I struggle to finish it.
Mad pan brekkie (AU$16)
We share a serving of cheesy crispy spud skins (AU$4). As soon I see the crinkly curls of potato jacket covered in melted cheese, I know I will like them. Mad Spuds, I’m sure I’m not the first to suggest it, but you know what would be even better? Deluxe cheesy skins studded with crispy bits of bacon!
Cheesy crispy spud skins (AU$4)
Mad Spuds has a fun, relaxed atmosphere, with old-school wooden tables and chairs. The walls and shelves are adorned with potato-related paraphernalia, postcards and other interesting odds and ends – it’s like visiting an old auntie who likes cutesy collectibles and ornaments. Did I mention that potato-crazy auntie happens to be a great cook?
If you prefer to watch the world go by, turn your back on Mr and Mrs Potato Head (they’re there, grinning maniacally among the other potato figurines) and sit at one of the street-facing stools at the window.
Mad Spuds Cafe, Surry Hills
The service is friendly and efficient. The staff member who serves us notices we’re taking photographs and asks if we’re bloggers. We tell her we are, and that we’re visiting from Perth. We have a quick chat about our trip and talk about where else we’ve eaten so far. She invites us to check out the special oven that they use to cook their speciality baked spuds.
Oven for baked spuds
I’ll be tempted to return to Mad Spuds for lunch on my next visit to Sydney to try one of their baked spuds. The chalkboard on the wall only captures part of the baked spud menu, but all three featured spuds sound pretty tasty to me.
Baked spuds chalkboard – these are just some of the baked spuds available
The breakfast menu is both comfortably familiar and refreshingly original, with something for everyone – from plain old toast, toasties and granola to Spanish eggs and a vegan brekkie stack to two Irish-inspired dishes (the oat potato penny cake and the boxty), to Mad Spud’s version of the full fry-up – the spud plate, featuring pork sausage, black and white pudding, bacon, baked beans, cheesy spud skins, fried eggs and soda bread.
If that sounds good to you, go eat some mad potatoes (mad cheesy crispy spud skins highly recommended)!
Mad Spuds Cafe
Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm
Sunday 9am to 5pm
My Sydney trip (2011)
I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011.
See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.
See Juji’s post on Mad Spuds Cafe.
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Whaaat?! No hash browns/rosti? Maybe I’m too Americanised now but I love my potatoes shredded or cubed and crispy for breakfast. :)
Everything looks really delicious. I had congee for breakfast. :/
Michelle,
Mmm, I’d love congee with a side of cheesy crispy spud skins. :)
Oh yes — I’d be beating a path to this place! I am a potato *fiend*!! :-D Food looks great, seems a nifty place. I’d like to try the Boston Baked. Always amazing how well the restaurants you feature “do” poached eggs; it’s almost like the same experienced cook’s hand prepared them. :-o I’ve tried poaching eggs…never again.
“…it’s like visiting an old auntie who likes cutesy collectibles and ornaments.”
Yes, very welcoming aura. A tiny cafe near to my home has kitschy/cute stuff — little humorous plaques, tidy knick-knacks, and good food!
Oh, and about those pats of butter? Every time I see that brand on a breakfast plate in your pics I think “Texas??” The design really seems “Lone Star,” and of course the Texas flag is red/white/blue.
I’d like to try a potato (especially mashed or baked, with minimum condiments) from foreign soil. I’ve only eaten spuds grown in the US (particularly Idaho; no surprise). I’d be curious to taste Irish and Australian potatoes. :-)
Cindy,
Have you ever tried using a poach pod? http://www.amazon.com/Fusionbrands-3-Inch-Silicone-Poach-Poaching/dp/B000P6FD3I They take a little longer than just in a saucepan, but they keep the egg nice and neat!
Hi Jessi: Thank you for the suggestion and link; I might try that. :-)
Cindy,
The butter is by Western Star, an Australian company, very popular here. Jac and I often buy unsalted Western Star butter to use in baking. See their website http://www.westernstarbutter.com.au/
You’d like to try an Australian potato; I’d love to try a Vidalia onion and a Honeycrisp apple!
The poaching pods Jessi suggested are available here too. I’ve seen them in many a kitchenware shop. Jac is quite happy to poach eggs in a pan though, so we’ve not bought the pods.
Potato skins are popular in Arizona as an appetizer; usually the potatoes are rubbed with oil then sprinkled with sea salt and parmesan cheese, baked, cut into quarters, then scoop out the majority of the potato innards, sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and bacon bits, tossed back in the oven until the cheese melts, then top with sour cream and chives or green onions. It’s like heart attack on a plate.
AZ,
Jac would love that dish you’ve described! Anything smothered in cheese!
The mad pan brekkie sounds right up my alley! It looks so good, I’m pulling Italian sausage out of my freezer right now…
What a fun little place!
Jon,
Hope you had a good meal with that Italian sausage! :D
I love baked potatoes! Man, that Whacko Taco one sounds great.
Dea,
I think nex time I’m there I’ll have a really hard time choosing which baked potato to have!
Your mad pan brekkie looks amazing, TFP! I’m not a huge fan of jacket potatoes (unless they’re smothered in butter, beans, mayonnaise, prawns or chilli con carne), – but, like someone said above, a certain type of fried potato breakfast item is right up my street! – but your breakfast really does look delicious.
Jessi,
It was excellent!
I like jacket potatoes as long as they aren’t too large and there’s a good potato to filling/topping ratio.
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