Shenkin, Erskineville

Shakshuka by Cafe Shenkin

This past Sunday, I was completely wiped out. Saturday was exhausting: woke up at 5:45am to send my dad to the airport, got back at 7am ish, went to pilates at 8, groceries at 9, then got picked up to go to the Easter Show at 10:20am ish. If you remember, it rained the whole day. Yet, we ended up staying till 6:30pm. So when I woke up on Sunday at 8:30am despite sleeping at 10pm the night before - a total of 10.5 hours. I was still exhausted and hungry.

Mocha and Soy cap

A quick message to a friend scored me a breakfast buddy and a ride to Shenkin cafe in Erskineville - her idea, as I didn't even know where Erskineville was.

I liked the way the cafe was very open, it gave a very welcoming sense. I was also promised great poached eggs - so that held its appeal too. We ended up getting a table at the front. Towards the end, I realized that my chair was actually a pew. That was real cool.

Hot pot of goodness

Though at first I was tempted to order egg Benedict with smoked salmon, I ended up ordering shakshuka with eggplant and haloumi. Apparently shakshuka is a traditional Israeli breakfast dish where egg is poached in rich tomato, paprika and onion sauce base. It came with a couple of warm pita bread too. It was so good, perfect for such a lethargic cloudy morning that screamed for comfort food. It reminded me of my mom's goulash, but different. The eggplant was soft and melted in my mouth. The portion was so big, I ended up taking it home and having the leftover for dinner. And I have been thinking about it since....

Eggs Benedict

My ride who already decided what she wanted the moment she texted me, had the egg Benedicts with bacon. I tried it, it was really good. I love hollandaise sauce' texture and consistency. Next time, I will be having a hard time what to get for sure: shakshuka or egg Benedicts.

Cafe Shenkin

53 Erskineville Rd

Erskinville, NSW 2043

+61 2 9550 5511