Haberfield

Lamonica IGA

I've lived in various parts of Sydney for close to 16 years and yesterday was the first time I've visited Haberfield. Just goes to show how "big" Sydney is. Don't ask me why it has taken me so long to pay a visit though... I guess the opportunity had not presented itself.

Haberfield is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney and is located 9 kms west of Sydney CBD. It sits south of Iron Cove, which is part of Sydney Harbour. Its suburb contains well kept parks and Federation homes with proudly maintained gardens. Did you know that the entire suburb of Haberfield is heritage listed?

Mum and I arrived shortly after 10.30am having navigated the busy streets to Haberfield and thankfully, it was not too hard to find a car spot . There were plenty of traffic off the main streets, Ramsay and Dalhousie Streets. My other "tour" members Jennifer and her sister, Vivien were waiting on a corner bench, basking in the sunshine together with our tour guide for the day, Kevin. What a glorious day to be out! The cafes were abuzz with people having their weekend brunch and the main supermarket, Lamonica (photo above) was doing a brisk trade.

First stop was a going to be a cheese store but at the risk of "fighting" with another gourmet safari tour which was in session, we headed to a chocolate store instead. The chocolate store, Colefax chocolate for some yummy hot chocolate and hot coffees. The cafe was getting ready for Mother's Day with chocolate bottles of champagne as well as teddy bears. There was a great selection of home made chocolates. Nice decor together with a Parisian chandelier.

Haberfield has a strong Italian influence, so, after having our coffee and energy fix we then headed to a bakery, A & P Sulfaro to drool at the yummy cakes and biscotti. We bought an assortment of biscotti for dessert tonight - they proved to be a real hit! A tip... if you intend to get something get it early as the cakes are very popular. Do try the Ricotta Cheesecake...and someone would also say... Alessandro please, if possible...

Next stop was Pasticceria Papa. The Pasticceria had a European feel to the decor with a showcase of cakes and biscuits. It was bustling with the locals meeting friends over coffee or taking a breather from the busy day.

Crossing the street brought us to a fresh pasta shop, Peppe's Pasta, "Australia's most favourite pasta". All the ravioli and sauces were nicely packaged. Bought two packets of raviolis for Charmaine, "Roasted Butternut Pumpkin and Sage" and "Veal, Pancetta, Sage & White Wine Ravioli". Sorry Ash, have to get there early next time for your "Roast Duck" ravioli as it was so popular that it had been sold out!

Next stop, the bakery - the array of freshly baked foccacias, sour dough and a lot of other breads which I don't even know the name to was being snapped up by the locals. Bought a semolina sour dough to try - smelt delicious!

Lamonica (pictured above) was busy with the locals queuing up for their staple from the deli. The varieties of pasta filling the shelves in Lamonica were amazing! Big, small, tubular, round... you name it, they have it together with bottles of Passata to match!

Smelling the fresh bread and being surrounded by food tend to make one hungry. Haberfield did not disappoint with the options available for lunch - there was La Grotta, Dolcissimo being the more popular restaurants. We decided to head off to Napoli in Bocca (translated Naples in your mouth) and had a yummy lunch. We shared a pizze ("4 Stagioni" consisting of tomato, mozzarrella, prosciutto crudo, olives, mushrooms & eggs), Spaghetti Marinara, Fettuccini with Chicken and Pesto and Calamari Ripieni (Stuffed Calamari with seafood, cooked in Napoletana sauce). Needless to say, we were all too stuffed to fit in desserts. It was also interesting to note that Maeve O'Maera's Haberfield Gourmet safari group was also having lunch at this restaurant. Thumbs up!

Pity the lovely morning had come to an end - we did not have any room for a gelato - oh well, have to do save it for next time. Thanks Kevin for taking us around and highlighting some of the shops and things to see.

Definitely worth another visit as the suburb is not too busy but filled with quality shops, cafes to provide the caffeine hit and sufficient choices of eateries to fill an empty stomach.

Where to next....?

Final piece of the pizze...

Napoli in Bocca

Haberfield Post Office converted to a restaurant

Pasticceria Papa - situated at the corner of Ramsay and Dalhousie Streets