Dachshund Coffee

Two russet gold Hungarian Vizslas sit like statues, their eyes boring into the café door, through which their owner has just disappeared. When they break ranks to say hello, he pops out to check we like dogs. I suspect this should be a rule if you visit a café called Dachshund Coffee. Despite this, co-owner Rob Stein explains: “It is just a name, though one that’s a little preppy and playful,” just like the resulting, stylish café. It has injected some long-overdue Surry Hills-style into the rapidly changing face of Hunters Hill, and it’s not just cosmetic. The attention to detail follows through into their produce selection, starting with Fat Poppy coffee, roasted in Seven Hills, and scrubbing up quite nicely in a Latte ($3.50) made on creamy Country Valley milk. The handcrafted Brickfields bread, brought in from Chippendale, makes an excellent platform for Reformed Avocado ($18.50), buried in a flurry of vine-ripened tomatoes, tabbouleh, quinoa, and crisp sage leaves. It’s a mountainous and filling meal, especially when topped off with a poached Egganic Egg ($4), hiding a deep yellow yolk. The weekday menu, including Zucchini and Goat’s Feta Fritters ($19.50) with red leaf and dill salad spiked with smoked ocean trout, is designed to be everyday food, while on weekends you’ll find some naughtier indulgences.

Dachshund Coffee
Shop 4, 64-68 Gladesville Road, Hunters Hill
Ph: (02) 9879 4619 facebook.com/dachshundcoffee
Café $$