Review: Sugarloaf Patisserie

I generally end up driving to the airport about once a month. It’s just less than an hour on a good run, up to an hour and a half if the traffic’s bad. I usually drive roughly the same route from Wollongong, which sees me turning down President Ave at Kogarah from the Princes Highway.

I started noticing an intriguing looking café over a year ago. Seeing that most of my trips to the airport are for work, I try not to waste too much time getting there and back. But this café on the corner, opposite a service station and next to a delicatessen and dive equipment shop (obviously no relation) kept catching my eye. Was it the restrained, newly painted exterior? The funky pale green chairs around tables out the front? Whatever it was, I decided next time I returned from the airport, I "really needed" a coffee and would stop and check it out.

Isn’t it exciting when you spy a new (for you) restaurant or café, and then when you go in there it meets all the criteria for a “good find”? After that initial visit, the Sugarloaf Patisserie then became a regular stop-off, usually returning from the airport, but also used as a welcome alternative to parking for an extra half an hour at the airport and indulging in some insipid brown liquid from Starbucks.

By the way, [START RANT] what the hell is it with the Macquarie Bank Fun Park also known as Sydney Airport? When picking up Jono and Maddie from the airport last week, I realised that private cars are not allowed to pick up people standing OUTSIDE the airport, waiting WITH their luggage, and in every way READY to jump in a car. There are signs there saying “NO PUBLIC PICK-UP”. What’s the legal alternative? Drive into the carpark, get charged the minimum fee of $7 for the privilege of stopping for 30 seconds? I ended up stopping at the entrance of the taxi rank, feeling very conspicuous and waiting for the travellers as they jogged down the walkway risking (others) life and limbs to reach the car as I frantically waved them over. I would have almost welcomed a security guard or (pseudo) parking officer to come and challenge my right to stop there (not obstructing anyone I must point out) just so I could have given them a “piece of my mind”- an ANGRY piece! [END RANT]

So, obviously needing a calming caffeine fix (is that an oxymoron? Or a sad indictment of my caffeine habit?), we stopped off at the Sugarloaf Patisserie last week.

From the inside, looking out onto the pavement and the cool kids

The interior of the café seats around 15 or so at tables. There’s some decorative coffee bags behind one end of the counter, but it’s the pastries behind the counter and the larger cakes in their own display case that take centre stage.
Sugarloaf Patisserie is owned by an Argentinian couple, who have transplanted the South American delicacies to Sydney. Apart from the sweet treats (I’ll get to them in a minute) they also have pies and sausage rolls plus a variety of empanadas – South American savoury pastries, pastry covering a range of fillings – chicken, meat and spinach & cheese. My favourite is the spinach and cheese – the short pastry enveloping a firm mix of spinach, cheese, garlic and other subtle spices. Very tasty indeed. We haven’t tried the other types of empanadas, but both the meat pies and sausage rolls get a thumbs up from the crew.

Well I had to show you the inside...?

Aaahh, the sweet treats. Let me start with the croissants. They have plain and sugar glazed. Then they have filled – with chocolate, quince, jam or dulce de leche (soft, gooey caramel). Nick had the sugar glazed, I had a quince filled one and took home some more for later – and they were good. Beautifully buttery croissant pastry surrounding the not too sweet quince jam – a great combination.

Sugar glazed croissant

Quince filled croissant

Other treats I have tried are the alfajores – sort of a Wagon Wheel type, chocolate coated biscuit, or a coconut covered alternative. The millefueille and French vanilla slices are a great blend of smooth, vanilla custard and again with the great pastry. Everything in and behind the counter looks amazing – and I nearly forgot about the churros!
I must admit to getting a little bit addicted to churros when I was in Spain a year or so ago. What’s not to like about chewy, yet soft fried doughnuts with liquid chocolate or caramel to dip them into? Yep, I didn’t think you would disagree. No disappointments at the Sugarloaf Patisserie in the churros department.

The coffee is excellent – strong and not too hot. The service has always been quick and cheerful and I can imagine this would be a busy place on weekends, it’s just too good to drive past. One point – they don’t have EFTPOS, but there is an ATM at the service station across the road.
¡Buen apetito!

Sugarloaf Patisserie is located at 37 President Ave, Kogarah. I'm not sure of opening hours, but it was open on the way to the airport (7.00am on a weekday).