La Buvette Cafe
| Jeremy Brender is a man on the run. He runs La Buvette Café, 35 Challis Avenue, Potts Point, in the nucleus of Potts Point on the t-intersection corner of Macleay Street and Challis Avenue. La Buvette is the French word for kiosk or refreshment bar and its layout reflects the original La Buvette café casual design with its galley-style interior and chevron-shaped soft lighting. Both elements complement the French Art Deco awning with its v-shaped pressed metal under-awning ceiling. After all, it’s not called the Parisian end of Potts Point for nothing. La Buvette was later combined with Spring Espresso, its buddy building, in the 1990s. Spring was one of the earlier “milk crate” casual, über-trendy, petite cafes: patrons sat on milk crates on the pavement to enjoy their first morning caffeine intake. Now they sit at tables on heritage mid-century metal cinema chairs to complete the vintage ambience.Joining both cafes meant keeping their individual personalities and charms, which has proved very successful. It is constantly busy with its capacity for 60 patrons, inside and al fresco. La Buvette works as an extension of locals’ busy professional lives: it is their “kitchen” as they toil through the day as part of the hum and thrum of high-octane inner-city living. Many call in for a quick breakfast and home-in for dinner as well. “Few people work the standard 9-5 hours anymore,” observes Jeremy.The menu changes over the seasons but locals do have their preferences. Popular breakfast items include Burritos, and Eggs Benedict, a 25-year favourite; an English muffin, each half of which is topped with smoked salmon, a poached egg, and warm, creamy hollandaise sauce (whisked egg yolk, liquid butter, water and lemon juice, over the low heat of a double boiler with salt and pepper seasoning – got all that?). Patrons come from all over the area including the nearby Defence Force base, joggers and dog-walkers as well as from interstate and overseas, particularly as Sydney kicks up its heels for big events such as the Vivid Festival and the three-week Mardi Gras Festival (8th February to 3rd March. 300,000 attend the parade and eat out in the area. La Buvette attracts loads of famous personalities – so famous they can’t be named, including some famous crims. Jeremy says “you’d be surprised to find out which patrons are really nice to his staff.” He loves the area and loves the people. Having been in the area for so long he has a helicopter view of trends. He says, “this area has more chef-hatted awarded restaurants per square kilometre than other area in Australia: it’s a food mecca.” He expects more high-ended, empty-nester residents to populate the area, bringing all their needs and desires with them. La Buvette meets all challenges and exceeds all expectations. La Buvette By Andrew Woodhouse, Director, Heritage Solutions Image: La Buvette, a meeting place embedded in its streetscape and locals’ mindscape |
