Luxe Bakery, Newtown

How does that song go again? Something along the lines of, "don't it always seems to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone". During my brief stint at the University of Sydney (I got a transfer to another university the following year), I never used to venture off the central King Street strip in Newtown when it came to lunchtime options. And I pretty much stuck to the same foods - pad thai, pad kee mao or pad see ew day in, day out. Heck, I didn't even learn about the existence of Campos Coffee on Missenden Road until I'd already submitted my transferral form.

And that, my friends, was how I completely overlooked the gem that is Luxe Bakery.

It was only after I had left the hallowed grounds of USYD for good (and hence removing any possibility of popping into Newtown for lunch on a uni day ever again) that I got clued in on such hot spots as Max Brenner, Berkelouw Books Cafe, Black Star Pastry and Buppa's Bakehouse (which I hear is now sadly closed). Guess that's what the holidays are for :D

So when I did get the chance to visit Newtown again, I made it a point to have lunch at Luxe Bakery, having heard about their superlative sourdough and nutritious lunchtime options. I grabbed a few friends, and we ordered a dish each and shared for variety's sake.

There was the antipasto platter:

Luxe Bakery does their own pickling. I saw it with my own eyes - jar upon huge jar of pickled vegetables lining the shelves behind the counter. The ones we tasted here were so good that I asked the staff whether the jars were for sale. They told me very nicely that they weren't at the moment. Does that mean they will be eventually? :D

The antipasto came with a basket of freshly toasted and sliced baguette, brushed generously with olive oil.

My choice from the menu (displayed on a ceiling-to-floor blackboard and updated frequently) was the smoked trout salad. It came with avocado and yoghurt, atop a bed of greens. Beautifully seasoned, well-balanced across the various components, and enjoyed by all three of us.

The last dish that arrived was my veggie-loving friend's order: the eggplant bake.

This was truly a dish for the vegetarians...which only made me want to become a vegetarian! The flavours were all so vibrant and fresh. And, oh my, the colours of everything we ate that day. The visual appeal and superb presentation of all the dishes stimulated our appetites, and the three of us had no problem with polishing everything clean off of the plates...before heading over to Buppa's Bakehouse for peanut butter pie.

Luxe Bakery

195 Missenden Road

Newtown 2042

Phone: 4677 3739