2773 - Glenbrook

There is a big trend in the Sydney cafe scene not to take reservations for tables. This really irks some people and to be honest, when you have the courage to dine out with children you want to be able to walk straight in to a cafe and sit down with your tribe - kids aren't good at hanging around. So I tend to avoid places that don't take reservations, especially at lunch time. However I threw that tendency out of the window last Sunday and rocked up to 2773 at Glenbrook in the Lower Blue Mountains. I had heard about how darn kid friendly this place was so I dragged my 3 boys along on a Sunday drive.

2773 is located in and old house in the gorgeous village of Glenbrook. It used to be MASH cafe which was a favourite pit stop of ours whenever we were heading over the mountains. I was saddened last year when MASH closed down but now I am so excited that it has been taken over and transformed into the fabulous 2773. The new owners have given the house a facelift, ironed out some wrinkles and have made the most of the large outdoor area - they even have an awesome outdoor pizza oven complete with a Heston Blumenthal lookalike chef!

We had arrived just before midday and we could see that the cafe was full to the brim and that there was a small queue. Determined to get a table I hunted down a young lass with a clipboard and gave her my name and said we needed a table for 4. Thinking we were going to be in for a long wait I went and ordered takeaway coffees for myself and the husband. Meanwhile the little bulls had scampered off down to the backyard as they had sniffed out some fun.

The little bulls had sniffed out some very cute mini pigs and fluffy white chooks. Daphne and Morris were the very sleepy pigs, and you can see the names of the chooks above in their hen house. The animals are secure in large enclosures and in between the enclosures is a vegie patch - all so very River Cottage. The livestock didn't hold the attention of the boys for very long and they then scampered off up into the cubby house (yep this place is very child friendly!). Meanwhile we stretched out in the sunshine and sipped our coffees whilst watching the queue for a table lengthen. Just to let you know there are blankets available and you can have a picnic on the front lawn if you don't want to wait for a table. On a sunny Sunday afternoon this would be perfect as some local musicians belt out some tunes right in front of Heston and his pizza oven.

As the queue was growing so was my concern as to how the clipboard lass would remember who we were. I needn't have worried as she was totally in control of the situation and just as the boys wandered out of the cubby house she came over to me and said "Rebecca your table is ready." I think we had waited a maximum of 15 minutes. We were shown to a table inside the house. A table outside would have been better so that the boys could have run around a bit, but I was happy that we could check out the cosy interior.

The interior of 2773 is dominated by a large mural depicting the Blue Mountains railway line. There also is an open fire so on a cold winters day it would be bliss sitting in here. Upon being seated our drinks orders were taken and we had a peek at the menus and in a flash our drinks appeared. Service was very switched on the whole time. The funky young staff were decked out in butcher's aprons and let me tell you they were working their little butts off last Sunday.

With the outside being so kid friendly it makes sense that 2773 offers some great kids meals. There are options for both breakfast and lunch. All kids meals are $10.00 except for the very reasonably priced grilled cheese on toast for $3.50 and hot cakes are $9. Kids milkshakes are $3.50; freshly squeezed kids juices are $4.50; babycinos $1.60 and soft drinks are $4.50.

We didn't order from the kids menu as the smell of the pizzas coming out of the outdoor oven when we arrived hooked us. We decided to order two pizzas and share. Our choices were seafood with broccolini ($19) and tomato with mozzarella, bocconcini and basil ($17). The pizzas were a decent size and fed the four of us easily - oh and they were very yum!

Ordering the pizzas turned out to be a wise decision. As I have mentioned 2773 was chockers and I noticed that people who had been seated before us waited quite a while for their meals from the kitchen. Our pizzas were served in a flash which is what you need when you are dining with 3 ravenous males. The meals that were coming out of the kitchen did look delicious so they would be worth the wait. Most meals were accompanied by a small deep fryer basket full of sweet potato chips - I'm thinking a couple of baskets of those accompanied by a glass of vino whilst lounging on a blanket on the front lawn, listening to a few tunes, would be the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon (if only we were locals!).

When you have finished your meal make sure you take a wander around the streets of Glenbrook. There are some lovely shops and the awesome Glenbrook Park (located on Park St) is a great place for kids to burn off some energy. There is a cute train for kids to pretend to drive, climbing equipment and some good ol' boring swings. There is plenty of seating for adults and loads of green space as well.

Now I know queueing for a table isn't everyone's cup of tea. So tell me dear parents - would you queue and if so how long for?

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www.2773glenbrook.com.au
19 Ross St Glenbrook NSW 2773
02 47395908
Open 7 days from 7.30am

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