Cafe Sopra at Fratelli Fresh: Italian, Waterloo (21 Apr 2012)

7 Danks Street, Waterloo NSW 2017
http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

Fresh Italian brunching

Cafe Sopra is probably one of my favourite brunch spots in Sydney. The chalkboard seasonal menu always has tempting choices and seems mostly reasonably priced for the quality. Timing your visit is crucial in avoiding a long wait for a table, especially on the weekend. Stuffed zucchini flower with 5 Italian cheeses ($4.95 each) comes at a price but they're bursting with flavour in a thin crispy batter. The Vitello tonnato ($18) is an interesting flavour combo but not quite for me this time around. Flavours are good in the Frittata with goats curd and basil ($14.50) although I wish they'd have the toast on the side rather than buried underneath the dish. Some thicker crusty sourdough would be more to my preference. 

My Spaghettini with crab, chilli, & garlic ($29) could probably have done with a bigger kick of chilli and garlic to make it more noticeable for my liking and you can never have enough crab meat which was a bit on the sparse side in the dish. The pasta was cooked al dente as hoped though. I enjoyed the dressing in the Baby cos & cherry tomatoes with salad cream ($8.50). For dessert you can't go wrong with the Meringata with strawberry & chantilly cream ($14.50) aka Eton Mess, with its good combination of flavours. I didn't mind the Honey & rosemary semifreddo with baked plums ($14.50). The plums worked really well with the rosemary flavour and were nice and soft. The semifreddo was nice but I think I would have preferred a good vanilla bean ice cream with the plums. Torte di Verona with stewed blueberries ($14.50) had good flavour and the candied almond slivers worked really well in the dish giving it a bit of crunchy texture.

Other visits to Cafe Sopra:
• 21 Apr 2012 - Brunch
• 17 Sept 2009, 7 Apr 2012 - Brunch
• 22 Aug 2009 - Brunch

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Fresh ingredients, Tasty dishes, Reasonably priced for the quality, Nice decor and open space, Efficient service

CONS: Very popular so best to arrive early to get a table, Hard to get street parking on the weekend

MUST TRY: Stuffed zucchini flowers but pricey, Meringata with strawberry & chantilly cream is a classic
BABY ON BOARD: Noisy enough to muffle moderate baby cries, Fairly spacious, Need to make your way up stairs though which could be awkward for prams

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Fresh Sopra Juice ($6.50)

Stuffed zucchini flower with 5 Italian cheeses ($4.95 each)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vitello tonnato ($18)

Frittata with goats curd and basil ($14.50)

Spaghettini with crab, chilli, & garlic ($29)

Parmesan crumbed chicken scallopine with sopra coleslaw ($25)

Baby cos & cherry tomatoes with salad cream ($8.50)

Meringata with strawberry & chantilly cream ($14.50) 
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Honey & rosemary semifreddo with baked plums ($14.50)

Torte di Verona with stewed blueberries ($14.50)

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