Benzin Cafe, Dural

I rarely venture out to Dural but thanks to the Australian Good Food Guide, they have suggested I check out new venue Benzin Cafe. As you walk into Benzin Cafe, you will see a theme of cars cars cars! 

Benzin Cafe have lots of car artifacts and a big space which is perfect for groups of friends/family or if you  need space for a pram. It's a new cafe that's opened up in the area. I look at the menu and there's an all day breakfast and also some lunch options.

I can't help but appreciate all the space. Most of the cafes in the city or around my area are much confined. I noticed that each Sunday they hold a "Car Meet up" where people who have fancy cars showcase the goods which is very much on theme with this cafe.

To kick off my brunch, I order a Chai Latte and Mr Weekend Food Escapes orders a Booster ($8) which is a smoothie made from banana, mango, spinach and lime juice. The interesting thing with the smoothies at Benzin Cafe is that they are all made with coconut water rather than milk. The Booster smoothie comes out bright green with a taste with more prominent coconut water flavours and more subtle banana flavours and I could not taste any hint of mango. I like the coconut water notion - it makes for a more refreshing drink. The chai latte is milky, warm and light in chai flavours.

Also, we are treated to a Benzin Milo ($6) which has a glass of milk and is topped with milo. Mr Weekend Food Escapes comments that he grew up with a much strong flavoured milo compared to the Benzin Milo. I can't say I really consumed this drink when I was younger. This would be a great way to get the kids to drink more milk as it's quite a large glass of milk.

So now onto the breakfast! Based on the staff's recommendations, I start with the Potato Hash With Salmon - Confit Salmon Hash  with spiced crispy chat potatoes, bacon bits, caramelised onion, freshly pickled herbs topped with poached egg ($19). This dish is beautiful looking.

So you should be a big fan of roast potato if you order this dish. The confit salmon hides among the potato pieces and I enjoy the little bacon bits and the onion. The dish is very well seasoned and is quite salty. If you closed your eyes, you could think this is a meal for dinner with the savoury roast flavours. The poached egg turns the dish into a brunch dish. I think this dish could be more balanced as it feels quite potato heavy. 

Another dish that I order is the Benzin Eggs - Chilli and garlic scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, sesame oil, fried garlic, sriracha mayo served on toast  ($19). The eggs taste quite rich with the thick drizzle of mayonnaise. My preference is to probably have the sauce to the side so you can enjoy the eggs which have been cooked really well - fluffy, light and flavoursome. The smoked salmon is also drenched in the mayonnaise.

The dish that I would say is the "Signature" are the Pulled Beef Tacos ($16) which has slow cooked beef rendeng on soft mini tortillas, rainbow slaw, pickled cucumber, salsa, fried shallot with guac, beans, salsa on the side. Who loves Beef Rendeng? I do. 

It has those rich spices you'd expect in Indonesian or Malaysian cuisine.This dish is bursting with amazing rendeng flavours which work so well in the soft tortilla. I love the fusion in this dish. The added beans, salsa and guac make for a really well rounded dish. Highly recommend.

Summary: Overall, I loved the rendeng tacos at Benzin Cafe in Dural. I think it's a spacious cafe that's perfect for groups. With some minor adjustments to the Potato Hash and the Benzin Eggs, I would expect this to be a suburban favourite for the locals in Dural.

Price: Most dishes $10-19

Location: 1/242 New Line Rd, Dural

Opening Hours: 
Open Daily Mon to Sat - 7am to 4pm. Sunday 8am to 4pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.