The Boyfriend and I used our recent acquisition of the 2012-2013 Entertainment Book over the weekend to make a third trip to Roxanne’s at Glebe, this time for breakfast! We actually stumbled across Roxanne by accident sometime last year. We had meant to try Flying Fajitas Sisters down the road, but were dismayed to find out that there was no way we could get in without a booking, because they had a full house all evening. It turned out to be a happy accident though! We discovered Roxanne instead, and I’ve been in love with the place ever since.
At night, Roxanne is exotic, but low-key. The decor is a little vintage (that dreaded ‘it-word’), a little burlesque or Paris in the 1920s – burgundy velvet drapes, smoky gilded mirrors, a glittering chandelier. The fusion menu is exquisite too, with hints of Asian and European and modern Australian inspiration, though my picky man declared it “nice”.
Our first dinner here was particularly memorable: we ordered the Moroccan lamb cutlets, which were succulent and full of flavour, and the red duck curry with lychee. We actually weren’t as successful the second time round – I ordered a rather bland soft-shell crab fettucine, The Boyfriend a barbeque platter of prime scotch fillet, lamb cutlet, pork belly, chicken skewers and a side of triple mash (which wasn’t all that bad).
Perhaps the bar was set too high by the lamb cutlets, which are something of a signature dish at Roxanne’s? Or perhaps it was a matter of poor choice? There were some other options on the menu that sounded quite delectable, including a poached Atlantic salmon fillet in lemongrass-infused tangy sauce with coconut saffron rice.
After that second experience, we were both a little worried that the place might be hit-and-miss. Breakfast, however, did not disappoint. The Boyfriend has a tendency to order Eggs Benedict for breakfast wherever we go – poached eggs with baby spinach on English muffins topped with hollandaise sauce and ham/smoked salmon – so it was an easy choice for him. He ordered a pot of green tea to go with his eggs. I opted for the Roxanne Big Breakfast (as pictured above: scrambled/poached/fried eggs, baby spinach, sauteed mushrooms, baked beans, hash brown, slow-roasted tomato and sourdough toast), with a glass of freshly-squeezed apple juice.
When I asked him how it compared to the other Eggs Benedicts he’d tasted, he replied with a non-committal shrug: “not the best I’ve ever had, but not the worst either.” That’s pretty much high praise coming from him; he can be quite particular about his food. For me, it was probably the same. My hash brown was a little over fried (it had too much crunch and not enough soft potato), the bacon and sausage were a little on the burnt side, but overall it wasn’t a bad breakfast. The eggs were creamy, and my mushrooms caramelized just the right amount. So – not the best I’ve had, yet not the worst either. Just a classic Aussie breakfast on a breezy spring morning.
The thing I loved was how well Roxanne transformed itself from night to day. It retained its chilled, relaxed vibe but became a wonderful sunlit cafe, perfect for a Saturday morning date with my favourite person!
» Roxanne is located at 39 Glebe Point Road Glebe NSW 2037, (02) 9552 6087
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