It’s official. Well, it’s been official for about six months now but due to things like work and our lease and all kinds of grown up things, I haven’t been able to talk about it. But now I can! In just over six weeks, Panu and I are officially packing up and moving back home to Sydney! For realz. I’m so excited about this. I’ve missed home and you know, all my friends are having babies and my brother has an 8 week old daughter and I seriously just want to go drown myself in folds of baby fat!

But I wouldn’t leave y’all here without a wonderful slice of Australia, even more wonderful than yours truly πŸ˜‰ A couple of months ago, Clerkenwell unveiled a little cafΓ© calledΒ St Ali, an export from Melbourne and reputedly one of the best.

Don’t listen to me, listen to the girls from Melbourne – seems these guys have packed the best of Oz and brought it all the way to London.

We wandered past last weekend for the first time and though we didn’t eat there, I loved the space inside – big and woody and there’s this huge rustic bench that I just want to take home and squash into my non-existent awesome open plan kitchen… but alas, back to reality. And back toΒ St Ali exactly one week later, this time for some grub.

Their menu is eclectic and totally Australian, ie no sign of an English breakfast. There’s bircher muesli and porridge and banana bread and corn fritters (interestingly named ‘my mexican cousin’ because I don’t know why? Corns?) and did you see this? French toast with bacon, maple syrup and caramelised walnuts HOLYSHITSOGOOD.

Except on the menu they call the bacon ‘Capreolus West Dorset dry-aged smoked bacon’. Say what? Say that five times fast. I think I’ll just call it bacon.

Panu and my friend Mel both had the same but different – free range organic eggs served any way, on sourdough toast with homemade spiced tomato kasundi, and you can choose whatever side you want… Panu had poached with spinach (healthy huh) and Mel had fried with grilled haloumi. That’s what I would have picked πŸ™‚

St Ali seems like a great chilled out place – you don’t have to have breakfast, they also have a huge selection of pastries and cakes…

… and fantastic coffee (so says the coffee expert half of my relationship) and adorable little milk jugs!

So now that you haveΒ St Ali, you won’t miss me too much right? I can’t wait to get back to the culture in Oz… and you know what? I’m going from summer to spring to summer so bring on the long weekend brunches followed by some lazing on my favourite beach!

St Ali
27 Clerkenwell Rd
Clerkenwell, EC1M 5RN
0778 011 2631
website

St Ali on Urbanspoon

26 Thoughts on “we’re heading back to Australia! But I’ll leave you with a slice of Oz @ St Ali, Clerkenwell…

  1. I don’t want to eat my porridge anymore. I want to go there.

  2. WOOOOOOOOT CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU MAAAAATE!

  3. I’m excited too Catty, can’t wait to have you back in Sydney!! xxx

  4. Not really a substitute for you – we’ll still miss you πŸ™‚

    But looks good!

  5. Wishing you best of luck for your move back home, Catty. This place looks great!

  6. OMG I had the french toast at the weekend…awesome!!! The banana bread is REALLY good too and very good value, comes with homemade jam and coffee mascarpone, yum!

  7. deepa: awwww hehehe, well if you live/work near there you can ditch your porridge!!

    chocolatesuze: I KNOW!!! more cookies in a pan! πŸ˜€

    Maria: me too. you gonna cook me some healthy food after suze stuffs me with giant cookies haha!

    meemalee: awwwww you are schweeet. I’m just giving y’all an excuse to go to Oz!

    Kavey: thanks lovely, and yes St Ali is worth a visit!

    chloe: I would have loved to try the banana bread.. might have to go back once more before leaving London.

  8. So sad you’re leaving. But we’ll still have your blog to read!

    There are so many great things about Oz and their cafe culture is one. So I’m really glad that their style of caffs are coming to London. We just need a few more in less trendy out of zone 1 locations. Like 5 mins from my flat.

  9. oh nooo…..will miss you in London but will be able to see you in sydney…=)
    am happy for you….

  10. Congrats Catty– you must be so excited ! I’ve been dreaming of repatriation lately–oki, so I would never move *home* per se–too damn cold. But mostly I’ve been dreaming of a place with English as the native language…

    But I assume we can be safe knowing that you’ll keep blogging down under ?

  11. Ah… so you are heading back! Boohoo! Hope your move goes smoothly and that as everyone says, you’ll still be blogging down under!

  12. Mr Noodles: I know, I was so pleased with St Ali.. it really does feel like an Australian cafe. You’ll definitely have to come visit me, Sung, I will bring you to noodles!

    Kay: Are you from Sydney too??

    Sweet Caroline: Australia speaks English (well, with our accent heh) and it’s not cold!

    So-Lin: I’m definitely still blogging down under so you won’t miss a thing! It’ll be business as usual πŸ˜‰

  13. Hi Catty,

    I’m glad you move back to Australia to your home country but I’m a bit sad coz this means you won’t attend Food Blogger Connect in August?! This will be my first time there and I would have wanted to meet you! πŸ™‚

    Anyway, enjoy London in the next 6 weeks, have a safe journey back home and I’m looking forward to reading your Sydney foodie posts! πŸ™‚

  14. YAY you’re going to have so much fun when you come home! πŸ˜€

  15. Mel C on June 9, 2011 at 1:26 pm said:

    St Ali was really close to me when I lived in Melb – a constant breakunch hangout for me! *sigh* Can’t wait to have you back in Oz! xoxo

  16. Oh so sad to see you go Catty but hopefully will catch up with you in Oz at some stage – you can show me around Sydney and I can show you around Melbourne!

  17. Zita: Awww… I won’t be going to FBC this year but you will have a tonne of fun! Would have been lovely to meet you too!

    Lorraine: Sure am! πŸ˜€

    Mel C: Ah, I probably would have seen loads of pics from your breakunches with Gio!!

    Gourmet Chick: Definitely, I’m looking you up when you get back to Melbourne πŸ˜‰

  18. Nooo what! That’s a shame for London but great news anyway!
    This random commenter is also leaving london for texas.. so I suppose it’s okay : P

    Also, Santorini really was amazing πŸ™‚ couldn’t find family taverna though!

  19. All the best on your journey back home! It was nice that you and Panu experienced living in London, and I hope that you have a most wonderful last couple of weeks here! Take care. x

  20. Suety: Texas WOW! What’s in Texas????? Oh no you couldn’t find Family Taverna?? I hope they are still there, they were pretty plain and simple.. not flashy like some of the restaurants there.

    Ana: Thank you and yes, my London experience will be with me forever πŸ™‚

  21. Now,..this may seem silly, but, I’m tellin’ ya, even though I live in California, I feel like a Londoner losing a friend. You made some special friends over there. On the other hand, you also have special friends and family in Australia. You lucky dawg!
    You will still be blogging, right? RIGHT? πŸ™‚

  22. benny lee on June 14, 2011 at 6:35 am said:

    looks awesome – this place is in the latest Monocle too, apparently the coffee is world class!

  23. I got a PhD offer in Houston so I’m going there for quite a while! : ( sad times. Yea I couldn’t find them at all but we only walked along that main road? The stuff we tried was pretty good though!

  24. Linda: awwww thanks hunny! but yes I’ll still be blogging so you won’t miss me at all πŸ™‚

    benny: hey benny! Apparently it is, pity I don’t drink coffee haha…

    Suety: Ah coool! well, enjoy Texas, my cousin moved there for her hubby’s work and she loves it. Family Taverna is along the main road (ie along the beach), anyway.. shame.. but you can always go back to Santorini hehe πŸ˜‰

  25. Yay! Catty in the southern hemisphere!

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