The outside of Element 6, seemingly regular on a quiet street of antique shops and exotic grocery stores.
Then you walk in and this place is just so cool and quirky you almost feel ordinary. If the street were a school then Element 6 would be that kid at school; the one with a wild imagination, paired mismatched rainbow socks with vintage and had a retro lunchbox containing exotic lunches that put your chicken nuggets and fingerbuns to shame.
A bike that defies gravity in the corner, an animal cruelty free moose head, old school stamp table number and a museum worthy phone on display. Did you notice about half the descriptions were pretty much oxymorons?
The lovely Sarah whipping up some delicious coffee- she happily shared some background on Element 6 with me. It was opened around 6 1/2 months ago by owners Susan and Haejin. They use 5 senses coffee which they have sent over from Melbourne and on Saturdays they are usually packed with a line out the door- They must be doing something right! I also notice something else, everyone that walked in seem to be on a first name basis and almost everyone had something to say about the last time they were there. I heard a lady mention an amazing bread and butter pudding which had unfortunately sold out the day before (yes I may have been ears dropping...).
Now on to the food...
There was a slight wait on the food, but you have to realise this is not a fast food joint. Love and attention is put into the food so naturally there would be a wait. Also it was impressively busy on a weekday morning.
While we were waiting two trays of freshly baked Anzac biscuits were brought out to cool down (Great marketing, as soon as I took a whiff I knew I had to try these)
Tell me you can resist these?... There is also a special twist to these cookies... I will let you know towards the end .
My big sis' dish: A special- The E6 Ploughman's board $17.50:
This dish consisted of spicy pulled beef brisket, fennel slaw, rocket, beetroot relish, gherkins, cheese and sourdough. This dish was amazing, the beef brisket was sweet and tender, the fennel slaw was mellow and creamy, the beetroot relish was earthy and sweet and all the elements on the board together was a food symphony. It was so good that I couldn't suppress the "mmm" from coming out of my mouth. I of course being the piglet that I am quickly took as much as my fork could hold before my big sis could dig in.
Rosemary and Garlic Mushrooms (Another special) $15:
This consisted of Rosemary and Garlic Mushrooms of course, haloumi, roasted tomato, baby spinach, and perfectly poached eggs on sourdough. This is a vegetarian dish that had been recommended to me. I usually love my meat, I am a bulk bacon eater and pork ribs destroyer but this dish was surprisingly satisfying. The meatiness of the mushrooms and haloumi really makes you feel like you aren't missing out. All the flavours work well together, I was tempted to sprinkle some salt on it at first, but I soon realised that the saltiness of the haloumi seasoned and enhanced everything.
Sultans Sunrise $5.50: Fresh orange juice with a slash of pomegranate juice.
Served in a Mason Jar added to this cafes quirk factor and it was refreshing orangey goodness, I couldn't really taste the pomegranate but it is meant to only be a splash and I enjoyed it all the same.
Blueberry Frappe $5.50: Icy Blueberry with mint.
This was my big sis' drink and YUM. The mint with the blueberry was a great combination. Have you ever gone to a cafe, ordered a fruity drink and have it arrive looking beautiful only to start splitting 5 minutes later into 70% water and 30% fruit juice? This was NOT the case we were there for around an hour and the drink stayed completely blueberry packed the whole time. This is the type of fruity drink that makes me giddy with happiness because I know I have not been bamboozled with glorified water with a splash of fruit.
Okay so back to the Anzac Biscuit with the special twist, Rosemary.... That's right Rosemary. How does this work? I have no idea but it worked so well! The flavour of the rosemary just enhanced the buttery spiciness of the biscuit. I feel a recreation post coming...
Anzac biscuit with Rosemary $2.50:
Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside with the best Anzac biscuit flavour I have ever had.
To wash it down- 5 sense cappuccino $3.50:
I am by no means a coffee connoisseur, I am a tea girl but I found washing that Anzac Biscuit down with this coffee was delicious and it had a slight mellow bitterness to it which I loved.
Special Mention: I had to mention this dish because as the waitress took it out to the table next to us I caught a whiff of it. The Reuben : Corned Beef, sour kraut, fennel and guryere sandwiched between two slices of sourdough $13. It looked and smelt so amazing I wanted to take a big bite out of it (Of course I had to appeal to my inner self control seeing as it was for the table next to us- I ate it up with my eyes instead)
Overall I found my experience at Element 6 fantastic, there was great company and food. I understand why the people are repeat customers, I know I will be. I also found that being in a suburb that is slightly devoid of unique cafes like Element 6 means that it is not burdened by the pressure of being pretentious. What you see is what you get and it is quirk all the way.
Element 6: 65 Ryedale Rd, West Ryde
Love Always Mel x
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