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The Barn Cafe & Grocery by Helen Greenwood, 23 June, 2006 The rustic feel of this store-meets-eatery keeps families queuing.

Address 731-735 Darling St, Rozelle
Phone (02) 9810 1633
Style Cafes
Cuisine Cafe Fare
Hours Breakfast seven days, 8am-noon; lunch Mon-Tue, noon-3pm, and Wed-Sun, noon-5pm; dinner Wed-Sat, 5-8.30pm.
Details Licensed
Payment Cash
Price Guide Barn breakfast .50

The Barn is big. It's a big space with big ambitions as a cafe, espresso bar, grocery store, deli and greengrocer. The tables are big, too - made for sharing. Even the queue for brunch is big. It snakes past the fruit and vegetables, the baskets of bread and half the length of the building, from the "Please wait to be seated" sign to the front door.

Apparently, this is the scene every Sunday morning. Breakfasters and brunchers pack into a rustic-looking room decorated like a country antique market. Dozens of different old-fashioned ceiling lights hang from the rafters. A collection of mismatching mirrors hangs behind the distressed timber counter with the cash register. The floorboards are stained dark and leadlights trim the huge windows.

Along with the usual players - mushrooms, bacon and a roasted tomato - the barn throws in a couple of ringers, a delicately spiced Cumberland sausage and a corn flapjack. They are good inclusions and though the poached eggs are a tad overcooked, the bacon is crisp, just as we requested.
"I don't expect a transcendental experience when I go out for breakfast," my friend says. "I just want my eggs to arrive on time and as I have ordered them." We are pretty satisfied on both counts.The fluffy stack of hotcakes topped with warm berries proves bland and a little oily, so we call time out.By now, tables are emptying and the queue has disappeared. But the respite is only temporary.

When I look up again, the lunch line is forming. It seems people are less inclined to share a table at lunch than at breakfast. The amazing hostess weaves in and out, taking coffee orders to keep them fuelled and happy. No wonder nobody minds queuing.