The Blackout Cafe, Lindfield ($$)

Address: 304 Pacific Highway Lindfield NSW

Tel: (02) 9416 9172

Website: http://www.theblackout.com.au/

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A post-work catch up with some school friends led me to visit The Blackout Cafe in Lindfield. Located close to Lindfield station, Blackout is popular with locals and is part of a new generation of wine and tapas bars that are popping up on the North Shore.

Atmosphere

As the name suggests, Blackout has quite a dark interior with dim lighting and broken plaster revealing the brickwork underneath. That said, the place does not look derelict or run down, but rather has a sort of artsy vibe to it. A few tables and chairs and a large bar take up most of the space, providing spots for people to mingle and chat, have a drink, or enjoy dinner.

Service

Service was great. The staff are friendly and very down to earth. There is no rushing about or superficiality. We were even given a bottle of Rose which was already open, free of charge. Food came out quickly and plates were soon cleared away after we finished with them.

Food

The menu consists of a number of tapas-style items, pizzas, and desserts. There is also a good wine list and a selection of other alcoholic drinks including spirits and beer.

We started off by ordering some delicious caramelised garlic bread fingers with olive oil and balsamic dipping sauces. The bread was sourdough-y and had beautiful garlic and herbs rubbed over it. It was slightly charred and went perfectly with the sweet tanginess of the balsamic.

Caramelised garlic bread fingers with olive oil and balsamic dipping sauces, $7.00

Next we ordered a regular (small) sized spiced lamb, smoky eggplant, roma tomato and mint yoghurt pizza. The lamb was soft and tender, and was an unusual flavour on a pizza- I’ve never had lamb pizza before! The mint yoghurt was like a raita and was tangy and fresh, while the eggplant added a rich, creamy flavour to the pizza.

Spiced lamb, smoky eggplant, roma tomato and mint yoghurt pizza, $10.00

The Media Guru of the team ordered potato and chorizo fritters with red pepper chutney. I expected actual FRITTERS, but what we received was croquettes. Nonetheless, they had a crunchy exterior and were filled with a delicious and soft potato filling. The chorizo (one of my favourite foods) was crunchy as well, and a perfect complement to the potato (like bacon and potato!). I didn’t find the chutney very spicy at all, but would have preferred some more of it. I also thought the green sauce they put on almost every dish was a bit strange, and couldn’t work out what it was.

Potato and chorizo fritters with red pepper chutney, $11.00

My choice was the grilled haloumi with tomato and mint salad. The haloumi was grilled to perfection, just crunchy on the outside without being too tough or burnt. The tangy lemon with the tomato and mint was refreshing and diffused the salty flavour of the haloumi cheese.

Grilled haloumi with tomato and mint, $13.00

When dessert came, we were all feeling quite satisfied but the delicious menu tempted us to get something more.

Our resident travel agent Hannah tried the orange chocolate cake.

Orange chocolate cake, $10.00

I ordered the orange and cardamom brulee with pistachio ice cream and pistachios. It was divine. I love creme brulee and the crunchy top of the brulee cracked noisily under pressure from my spoon. The brulee was creamy and not too thick or sweet, toned down by the cardamom and orange flavours (the cardamom being the strongest flavour). The pistachio ice cream was cool and refreshing and the crushed nuts served both an aesthetic and a textural purpose. Overall a delicious, delicious dish!

Orange and cardamom brulee with pistachio ice cream, $11.00

Media Guru and ClareBear shared a hazelnut praline cake, which they seemed to really enjoy, but commented that they were glad they shared it as it was quite rich.

Hazelnut praline cake, $10.00

Cost:

All up the meal came to about $84.00 including dessert.

Rating:

Overall I would rate my dining experience (out of 10):

• Service- 7
• Food- 7
• Ambience- 7
• Value – 6