Restaurant Find: Pasture of Balmoral in Sydney, Australia

It’s hard for the cosy, coastal interior design (featuring exposed brick; restored stairs; a crisp white moulded ceiling; and all original sash and double-hung windows) to compete with the view of the rotunda and Balmoral Bay. But the corner-set Pasture of Balmoral Sydney gives it a very good crack.

Owners Lizelle and TJ Viljoen, neither of whom come from a hospitality background, are striving to make a conscious and positive environmental impact with Pasture, using vetted producers and Earth-friendly measures (no plastic straws, and an I-Milk bench-top milk bladder in place of hundreds of plastic jugs) to cap off the culinary experience.

Brunch is a calling card, given dinner is currently only three days a week. Fat spelt crumpets marry well with honey and a lemony cream and, while its lemon-myrtle powder could certain feature more heavily, celebrates the hand-made ethos. Salmon rillettes sit on poppy-seeded Brasserie Bread, with beetroot three ways (thin coins, fried, and matchsticked) and plump, bright caperberries. Coffee is by Will&Co – a partnership from the cafe’s inception – and is served in pottery sourced by Lizelle from around the world, providing a comfort that comes from the most considered of coffees. Even the butter is thought out; here, it’s flown in from France.

Seafoam features in many incarnations, from musty blue tones to deep, oceanic greens — and then some. The space – which features bi-folds along the front, looking out across the park – is very much an homage to the ocean it faces, and the land on which it sits. Previously an Italian restaurant and before that a car dealership, the cafe is historic without being histrionic; Lizelle’s vision was executed by Guru Projects, with the nature focus spruced up with touches of brass, multiple heights of pendant lighting, and sunken rattan chairs. While TJ hopes Pasture becomes a destination venue, it’s the locals – puttering up with their dogs and strollers – who seem to best understand the charm: “Same time tomorrow?”