The Counter

Food was mediocre and nothing amazing. Service was terrible. Took half an hour before they noticed us. No one approached us to take our order. Coffee was terrible (it was that bad I had one sip and couldn’t finish it). There was a fly in my friends glass of water. Wrong order brought to us. Absolute nightmare.

You simply cannot find a better place for coffee, breakfast, lunch or a snack within in The Sham! I mean sure, you’ve got Portuguese Chicken Shops that will leave your mouth watering, but The Counter will give you something to look forward to before you even think about Chicken!
The décor is warm and inviting, and even though the furniture appears mismatched, you’re immediately reeled in by the warm environment created by the staff. The breakfast menu, at first blush, appears expensive to the discerning eye, but it’s well worth it!

What an amazing place for breakfast!!! :-)
The coffee is amazing and the food is well prepared and presented.
I had the fresh fruit salad with muesli that came with a side of milk and loads of strawberries. It wasn’t too heavy or too much. Very light, health and tasty.
The service was very attentive and understand, even when my partners was quizzing them on almost every single menu item.
The café is on a minor road, so you can relax and see the passing walking traffic without being to loud.

To quote the sign that is on their wall «we love coffee and food» and given that one of the most important factors for me when trying to find an awesome café experience is passion, these guys tick a lot of boxes.
Using Coffee Alchemy single origin of the week for all of their black coffees, this café highlights the need for and proper use of single origin coffees in the modern café. While their house blend is still delicious, I tried it as a mac, by having something a little lighter and with a little more character makes the experience of drinking coffee and enjoyable one.
This café is the clear pick of the bunch in Petersham, so jump on a train and check them out.
Coffee: Coffee Alchemy
Passion: ⁹⁄₁₀
Crema: ⁸⁄₁₀

Wow. What a find. Just had the most enjoyable Saturday morning breakfast. Excellent menu with interesting yummy choices. I had perfectly poached eggs on smashed avocado with feta on excellent Sourdough — Perfect. Top quality coffee. Friendly efficient service. We’ll be back

I’ve been 3 times now for breakfast, so I’m feeling nicely qualified to write this review (at least for breakfast).
The home made creamed corn with bacon and poached eggs is amazing (*must love corn though…). The mixed mushrooms with prosciutto and eggs is also divine.
There is a breakfast «platter» that would be perfect except that alongside the amazing yoghurt, museli, avocado and toast there is a sad looking hard boiled egg. This dish would rocket to greatness if the egg was soft boiled, in an eggcup and ready for dunking that amazing sourdough into.
The coffee is great (a few different blends to choose from) and the service is second to none.
There is one thing though that really bugs me. There is no salt on the table. Where there is poached eggs, there should be salt. I am a fiend for hardening my arteries with stupid amounts of salt. so I notice the absence… having said that though, the chef’s do a pretty damn good job of balancing flavors so I’ve struggled through without it. Maybe it’s a good thing. Counter, my arteries thank you.

We visited for brekky last weekend. Wow! Finally a decent café in Petersham! Their sourdough is sublime, eggs perfectly poached, food is hot, service is quick, and they’re very serious about their coffee.
I had the poached eggs with tarragon hollandaise was, well, amazing. It made me a very happy individual.
Plus, they’re so friendly you just want to go back. Love it!