In a quiet suburban side street, Sgt Pepper Urban Eatery is a hole-in-the-wall destination with a menu that reads like a wordy novella – think fare from poppy seed hotcakes and Canadian French toast to a croque monsieur and an Elvis-inspired sandwich. On the petite-side, Sgt Pepper has limited seating options; a handful of two-seaters tiled in pastel green and orange; a communal table; and a smattering of al fresco places. With a whitewashed brick wall and exposed light bulbs hanging from the high ceiling, Sgt Pepper gives hints of the studio style fit out favoured by its oh-so-hip High Street neighbours.
Wading through the extensive menu took a serious splash of gumption; breakfast offerings number close to a dozen with bespoke selections for tots; lunch choices span burgers and pork rolls to salads. Phew. As impressive as the ample menu is – especially for a café still in its first year – both Mother and I commented that culinary ambition loses its edge if every dish isn’t a flavour-filled hit.
An unmentionable number of crinkled forehead lines later and Mother opted for the vegan maple and coriander beans, a plateful of smoky cannellini beans, heirloom tomatoes, maple syrup, nigella seed-studded avocado, and grilled roti. A richly spice sauce was dotted with the creamy beans – no overcooked mush here – with hints from the saccharine maple; just enough to work with the tomatoes and not so much as to call for pancakes. Using roti was somewhat peculiar; it became cold and stiff, easily snapping when Mother endeavored to shovel out a scoop of beans. Toasty fingers of pillowy Turkish bread, zebra-striped from the grill or just-charred slices of ciabatta would work as a doughy vehicle, keeping soft and sopping up lingering slicks of sauce or beans.
Mimicking Mother’s hankering for beans, I cherry-picked the Baghdad eggs – fried and baked googies, housemade dukkah, Middle Eastern beans, grilled pide bread – which, like mum’s, arrived in board-toting fashion. With most of the elements occupying their own slice of board real estate, I began an assembly line of cutting, scooping and mixing to create a motley mix of flavours in every forkful. Individually, the components were underwhelming; the beans were cold and leaning towards bland; the dukkah blanketed the crisp-edged eggs without adding anything other than texture; the garlicky pide was chewy rather than doughy. Together the elements improved, providing a mix of smooth beans, runny-yolked eggs and crushed-to-smithereens nuts.
Our coffees, brewed from Ground for Hope beans, were fine without being spectacular. My café latte was scorching hot and on the watery side with slightly floral notes. Oddly, Mother’s long black arrived in a latte glass too, something I’ve never seen unless it’s been a specific request; a daintily tied napkin would offer a barrier between sensitive fingers and hot glass if Sgt Pepper continues to shun conventional – and slightly more practical – presentation.
Straight from the Mother As Daughter can well attest, I’ve been spouting for years that this little strip of shops has been in dire need of a winning café – and with Sgt Pepper Urban Eatery, my calls have been answered! My breakfast was divine; the beans were zesty with plenty of punch and were surprisingly filling, keeping my tummy content until dinner. To avoid jostling with darting school-kids and 4WD’s – Sgt Pepper is opposite a primary school – I’ll work my future visits around drop-off and pick-up times.
Sgt Pepper Urban Eatery
70 Wales Street, Thornbury
0487 283 165
Mother Says 