Sydney’s mantra is undoubtedly “Location, location, location!” such is our twin obsessions with property and waterviews. I was put onto the Thelma & Louise cafe by loyal reader Caz and when I saw the location was alongside a wharf, it was a no brainer. I checked the weather for the upcoming long weekend Saturday and we were rearing to go.
So it seems was much of Sydney for we were greeted with a line snaking out onto the street when we approached the cafe. Cars stopped and stylish young things craned their necks out to see what sort of queue had formed and drove off when the challenge and wait looked too daunting. Couples came and went after asking about the wait whilst some got takeaway coffees and food. One crowd of four women are apologetic when they tell us they have a booking and go to the head of the queue. We stood our ground (well I did, Mr NQN went to sit down on the bench and take photos). You see I was starving and was determined to nab one of the prized tables out on the balcony perched right above the lapping waves. I didn’t know how I was going to get it – after all the line in front and behind me suggested that I would be lucky to get any table I could.
I watched and I waited. The seated patrons would occasionally glance our way and then look away and drink their wine. I picked up a copy of the paper as I felt too stalkerish staring them down having already checked out the cafe’s interior. It’s full of trinkets and retro items as well as a clock stuck permanently on 6.43. There’s a billy cart filled with flowers suspended from the ceiling and black and white photographs of Jean Harlow and Bette Davis. To the right is a small square shaped kitchen where two women (Thelma and Louise?) tend to the palates of the folks of Neutral Bay. After waiting 30 minutes, a couple on the balcony leave and the waitress ushers us through with a smile. We have finally landed a table on the balcony and breathe a sigh of relief.
View from the table
Breakfast is served until 12 noon but as it’s 2.30pm we’re choosing from the Winter Lunch Menu. Items sound warming and we choose the Seafood Linguine and the Spicy lamb mince with Zaatar Turkish bread as we’re both seeking pure comfort food on this slightly chilly Winter’s day. A coffee is ordered for Mr NQN but a Babycino is ordered for me. I know I’m not a child but Your Honour this one comes with marshmallows and after all fits the theme of comfort food.
Cappuccino in a mug $4.80 on left and Babycino $1.50 on right
Service is said to be pushy, rude and or scatty according to eatability but there’s none of that today. In fact all 3 waitresses that we encounter are absolutely pleasant and full of “Yes madames” and smiles. Perhaps that has been an improvement. We receive our drinks, and the coffee is good but the babycino is mostly foam and is lukewarm which may be in fact the norm for babycinos to avoid burning the mouths of babes. I’m not a connoisseur.
Seafood Linguine $26
Our meals arrive and the serving sizes are very generous. The seafood linguine is piled high and topped with mussels, squid, vongole clams and king prawns. The tomato and basil sauce is deliciously garlicky and seasoned perfectly. Mr NQN enjoys this immensely as it’s sizeable and has a decent amount of seafood in it.
Spicy Lamb Mince with Zaatar Turkish bread $18.50
My spicy lamb mince with toasted Turkish bread dusted with Zaatar is delicious. Lamb mince always has that comforting, slightly floury texture and the serving of this is enormous and I can only finish half of it (and I had skipped breakfast in order to come here). It’s not spicy hot though with the spices coming from the aromatics used so if you’re seeking heat you may want to ask for some Tabasco or the chili to be upped in it.
Whilst waiting for Mr NQN to demolish the contents of my bowl and his I wander up to the sweets counter and order a walnut cookie dusted in icing sugar and a coconut flower cupcake. Both aren’t bad although the cupcake is a touch dry although it does look spectacularly pretty.
We leave and are pleased. Me for having come across this secret little gem (thanks Caz!) that could easily have been turned into a $40+ main restaurant because of that view and my husband because for once he’s left a cafe with a full tummy.
And in some rather exciting news, I was quoted in the Sunday Life magazine’s Food Issue this past Sunday! Click the image below to read what they said. It’s brief but I am excited nevertheless!
I have also updated my About Me page to include more photos and information 
P.S. If you haven’t had a chance to do so, I’d be ever so pleased if you could fill in the Not Quite Nigella survey. There’s a chance to win 1 of 3 Nigella Lawson aprons! 
Link here.
Thelma & Louise
Shop 1/1 Hayes Street, Neutral Bay, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9953 7754
Open 7 days 8am-5pm
10% weekend surcharge
Corkage $2.50 per person
Visa and Mastercard accepted, $20 minimum. Reservations strongly recommended.
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38 Comments | Add your own
I love the hanging billy cart. That lamb mince looks like a veritable mound of food. Could this beat the amount of mince in a Counter burger?
Oh and I thought babycinos were just frothed up milk, for kids..?
I have actually been here with a friend, and I loved it. I didn’t find the service terrible as suggested by eatability either. And I had a cuppy too – mine was lemon with lemon icing and the cutest baby marshmallows on top. It was rather pricy (~$5) but was ever so cute. I loved the retro interiors. I have my copy of The Sunday Age waiting to be picked up – I will be sure to check out your quote in Life.
Looks like a place I’d like to dine at! Always disappointing when you get a dry cupcake thought =(
Love the new photos in your about me section =)
And congrats on being quoted in the paper!
x
That really is a stunning view, no wonder you were so determined to grab one of those tables! Hurrah for filling cafe food! Congrats on getting quoted, I would be thrilled to bits too!
That view looks amazing! I also enjoy meals more when they come with a view. Congratulations on the press mention too! Well done.
What a very quirky cafe name! And don’t you love generous seafood portions on a marinara? Oh and congratulations on being mentioned in Sunday Life!
It’s lovely that you were quoted! This looks like a great place with such a stunning view, and I like the sound of the zaatar bread. It’s nice to get generous serves as well as a pretty view.
I was pleasantly surprised that you already made your way over there!
glad you both enjoyed the food and great water views!
Wow! That’s excellent news about the mention in the press! How exciting!!!:)
That interior is fabulous!
Congratulations, always great to see you mentioned in the media.
Looks like a beautiful location and that view is certainly impressive on a beautiful bright Winters day like we just had on the weekend.
Congrats on the paper mention and love the new look About Me section. Very very cute shoes btw ;P
I used to live just a couple of streets up the hill (Aubin St), so I know this place very well.
The quality of the service used to vary depending on which front of house staff were working…there was a lot of friends and family involved, rather than selection on skills/merits. The food however is always good – they used to source most of the cakes from Simone Logue, so it’s possible that the cup cake was suffering from bank holiday supply problems – it amazes me how well they deal with such a tiny kitchen space.
My tip would be to visit for a mid week lunch…it’s a short cab ride from CBD or North Sydney, and if you can book a balcony table then it makes for a nice break from the hustle.
Love the name and the view! The portions look huge! But great! Congrats on getting a mention in the mag
the seafood linguini looks like very good value. fun looking place. have never heard of it before.
whimsical! Lve the lamb mince…and congrats on being mentioned on Sunday Life! wow! that’s so exciting!
Hi NQN, I did see that article in the Sunday Life magazine and was going to let you know about it but guess you already did.
Did you read the piece about digital cameras being considered bad table manners these days? I love taking photos of my food too but if it’s considered bad table manners maybe I shouldn’t…!?! What are your thoughts on this?
I love how the flower on the cupcake adds a summery touch to a chilly day. (And a babycino with marshmallows? Adorable!)
This place looks so cool! Im going to try and go this week with my friend who lives near by. Congrats on the mention, that is uber cool too! =)
That cupcake is very pretty and the babycino is cute! Sounds like a good meal despite the wait..and you got the balcony! woo hoo!
There is nothing better than dining on the waterfront! I was lucky enough to get to this weekend and it was amazing!
Wow, indeed a fabulous view! I’d never heard of a babycino – how cute! And I’ve never heard of Hummingbird Cake (on the menu), either… love the name… any chance of you baking one for us?!
sounds like a nice spot for a meal, with a good view.
I like the updated ‘about me’ section, you’re pretty photogenic (I’m envious!)
I saw your quote in Sunday Life, very exciting!
what a fantastic view! food looks scrumptious and i love the trinkets behind the counter! shame that the cupcakes were on the dry side because they do look pretty.
This place is a gem. How did I not know about it? Amazing view! Congrats with your quote on Sunday Life. Love the updated About Me page.
What a lovely view! I love the kitschy interior as well.
Oh what a great lil gem! Love the view, and it is so close to me too ^^!
Hi Y-It was very cute. Perhaps! I wish I had a scale with me! Hmm no milk at all? I would have thought that they would have had some milk in it?
Hi Cakelaw-Ahh excellent! The service isn’t bad at all. I scanned the article below if you are interested!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-I know, I was a bit disappointed but not enough not to eat it
Thanks so much!
Hi Steph-Haha I think I was starving and determined!
Thankyou so much!
Hi MrsDesperate-The view was something amazing indeed!
Thankyou! I was very excited.
Hi Trisha-Haha it certainly gets your attention doesn’t it! Yes we weren’t sure whether to order it and then saw another table’s order and thought “Oh yes!”. Thankyou!
Hi Arwen-Thankyou so much!
Yes no wonder it’s so full 
Hi Caz-Thanks for the rec! As soon as I read about it I knew I had to get there
Thanks, I was thrilled!
Hi Maria-It’s very cute and kitsch and vintage store
Thankyou so much!
Hi Forager-We were so lucky with the weather this long weekend. Thankyou! Haha they’re my Wizard of Oz shoes
Hi Wayfarer-Ah perhaps that’s what people meant on eatability. Although it was very good when we were there so perhaps that has changed. Yes it’s a small kitchen! A week day lunch would be nice and I’ll know now to book!
Hi Betty-It’s a winner on all counts! Thankyou so much!
Hi Simon-It was all very filling and tasty. You need to venture North a bit more!
Hi Sophia-Thankyou so much! Yes it’s one of those places that seems to have gotten the magic formula!
Hi Min Ai-I haven’t had a chance to read it from cover to cover-yet!
But considering blogging is all about taking photos I don’t know if I’d agree that it’s bad table manners. Depends on whether you’re disturbing other diners or your dining companions mind too I suppose!
Hi Midge-Yes it was very tropical as they also had yellow ones that looked like frangipanes!
Hi Brianna-Don’t forget to book!
Thankyou so much!
Hi Alexandra-yes it was all worth the wait!
Hi maris-definitely! On a beautiful day there’s nothing better than being on Sydney’s waterfront
Hi Angela-Perhaps they’re an Australian thing?
I’ve made it many times and I’ve got a recipe here for you that I made for a wedding. It’s SO good!
Hi arista-it was great!
Thanks so much!
Hi fickle red-It was! I was very excited
Hi Panda-It was almost like being at someone’s house! Yes I’m a bit of a fresh cupcake nazi too as I make them so dry ones are not good in my book.
Hi Ellie-Hehe I didn’t know about it and I live nearby!
Thankyou so much! 
Hi anna-It’s lovely that you can enjoy the view like this and not have to pay $40+ for a main!
Wow! Amazing views! Also, I think it was brilliant of you to persevere for a table with natural light so you could take these great photos! Looks like a lovely meal
great name!! and you’re right–that’s a particularly lovely cupcake.
Wooooo look at the balcony seats! That’s fantastic! (but that’s something you wouldn’t want to sit if there was a big party of overweight people eh? LOL)
The portion is pretty generous and ahhh the pretty cupcake! Hmm hmmmmm.
Great view! You guys had a fabulous meal. The seafood linguine looks so amazing.
I agree with your comment, people like honesty and I think its important that the comments are credable and that a blog is not used as a slag (sorry about that word but I couldn’t think of anything else) fest for egomanics. This is precisely why I like your blog. It’s written with scruples and courtesy but still get the point across. Well done and kudos to you.
Hi Marta-They were! thankyou-I’m so glad it worked out in the end
Although I suspect I would have waited longer just to get one of those tables 
Hi grace-It’s a cute name isn’t it. I wonder if they’re actually called that? Probably not but it’s nice to think they are
Hi Yas-Haha yes that’s true! I looked down a couple of times through the wooden slats and thought “Woah!”
Hi The Duo Dishes-thanks, it was well worth the wait!
Hi leslee-Thankyou so much! That’s such a lovely thing for you to say and I really appreciate you taking the time to say that! It’s something that I always try to do so thankyou!
OMG this is the first place that I’ve been to before your blog did! (Heh, so proud of myself!
)
And you missed out on the muffins! That’s a really big shame – I go there every Sunday (and I live down south near the Shire) just for the muffins!
The Seafood Linguine looks so fab!
I love this cafe the rasberry muffins are to die for..ya I think their names are Thelma & Louise.
Sad to say that the reviews regarding service are true. We were treated like we were taking up their valuable space, MANAGERESS (THELMA?) TRIED TO TAKE MY PLATE TWICE WHILST I WAS STILL EATING THEN TOLD US TO PAY AT THE COUNTER!!!!
Would have been a great experience except for that.
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