“Collector is not famous for Collectors” or so the advertisement goes. What it is famous for however is Lynwood cafe. On our drive to Canberra, Lynwood Cafe was suggested to us by my friend Teena as not only was it famous for its home made preserves and jams but it was a must visit as we were cold and hungry as our Plan A for lunch didn’t quite work out as planned…
We know it’s coming up in the drive as there is a sudden a cluster of cars amongst the landscape and a lot of activity. The building is a converted 1830′s bakery where outside sits a pile of firewood and a “ride blackboard ” where people list where they’re going and when so people can hitch a ride along. Inside there are rough cast white walls, country style green and white checked tablecloths and settings which include well worn bone handled knives. Despite the undoubted country charm of it, there’s a certain style that would appeal to the well to do Sydney sider and that’s not lost on the clientele – everyone looks as if they’d be at home in a Double Bay Cafe although they’re friendly and chatty (and the BMWs and Audi’s in the carpark are a dead giveaway).
The autograph wall of fame
Service is friendly from everyone (bar the hostess who never cracks a smile) and we ask what is good. Our waitress laughs and tells us “Everything!” and then proceeds to tell us what she enjoys “Before I worked here I used to be thin” she says jokingly (she’s hardly fat). I join the long queue for the restroom and Queen Viv points out the autographs from famous Australian visitors, mostly people in the media from John Laws, Indira Naidoo, Bryan Brown and Dr Karl.
Chai $3.50
Our drinks arrive first and the Chai tea is rather interesting. I know Chai is controversial as chai leaves are supposed to be boiled in milk and then served but here the chai is brewed separately in a pot and a cup of foamy milk and a shotglass of milk is served with it. Despite the untraditional method, Queen Viv declares that it works and the delicious Chai fragrance wafts across occasionally to my side of the table tempting me.
Toast and Jam $5
We start with the sourdough toast with Lynwood Preserves which is two enormous and thin slices of some of the crunchiest, most moreish sourdough you could ever want. Today’s preserve selection is rasberry and rhubarb which in truth isn’t that wowing. Miss America points out that it is too cloyingly sweet without showcasing the wonderful tartness of raspberries or rhubarb and is also overwhelmed by raspberry with only the tiniest hint of rhubarb only if you look for it.
Duck Liver Pate $15.50
I try my Duck liver pate which is a very generous serving size and is covered with their famous onion marmalade. I take some of the sourdough from the dish above and spread the vividly coloured dark pink pate along with some of the onion marmalade and it’s fantastic. We’re all in raptures over this as I urge everyone to try some. The pate is beautifully fresh and distinct in taste and the onion jam is the perfect accompaniment, never too sweet but giving it just the right balance. The only complaint is that I wanted more onion marmalade to go with it.
Onion and Goat’s Cheese Tart with rocket and walnut salad $15.50
I try some of Queen Viv’s tart and it has a beautifully light texture that melts in the mouth and this too is served with the onion marmalade.
Lamb & Rosemary Bangers and Mash $21.50
Miss America’s bangers and mash are divine with two enormously fat and meaty lamb and rosemary sausages. I help myself to seconds of this dish. It’s not particularly lamb-y or rosemary-ish but it’s comforting in the way that only bangers and mash can be.
Beef Cheeks with Creamed Polenta $23.50
Mr NQN loves his beef cheeks with creamed polenta. The beef cheeks have been cooked down until they’re soft and fall apart easily and the polenta resembles scrambled eggs in texture. I’m less wowed by this dish. For me the pate, sausages and tart had more finesse but Mr NQN loves it.
Pear Salad $14.50
The pear, rocket, pinenut and gorgonzola salad isn’t bad at all with the thin slices of pear providing a crunch and juiciness to the lightly dressed salad and peppery rocket.
We’re on the move so we don’t stay long but of course you know I didn’t leave without buying some onion marmalade.
So tell me Dear Reader, what kind of souveniers do you like to buy when on holiday? Snow Globes? Food? Spoons?
Edited to add: Thanks to reader Jess, I’ve just been told Lynwood Cafe has closed and is For Sale. As of yesterday it was For Sale ($750,000 including all the jams).
Lynwood Cafe
1 Murray Street, Collector NSW
Tel: +61 (02)4848 0200
This business is now closed and is For Sale
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Lovely post. Even though it sounds like not every item was a hit the place looks very unique overall. My personal favorite thing to bring home from vacation is any kind of local foodstuff. I love it because every time I cook with it memories come back and I don’t have a ton of space so eventually it gets consumed.
Onion jam as souvenier could be me… from Provence/France I brought some fig jam at home, and plates. mr. zwischengang loves plates like me, so its easy. AND we love to buy wine… good wine and expensive wine and us, this is dangerous. have a nice week…
Looks like a lovely little pit stop on the way to canberra- much better than the usual suspects (maccas, kfc etc). I usually buy teatowels when travelling as wel as chocolates, jams, sauces, pastes, honey….
my mum got me onto collecting spoons when we traveled up to Darwin by car… now I have a crap load of spoons hanging in my room which I think are tacky as!
I love how you started this one “collector isn’t famous for collectors” haha, brilliant =) I feel like going on a road trip now!
x
The beef cheeks sound great and I would love to try some onion marmalade..
Those beef cheeks and the lamb bangers and mash take my fancy – delicious. And how cool is the autograph door???
Ohhh Beef Cheeks.. I love them. The Pear Salad looks good too. Its 8:27am and I feel like going out to eat ehehehe.
Love ‘The Jam Room’ sign
We go to Canberra often but we always stop at Hungry Jack for a quick bite. Now I know a better place for a pitt stop. Thanks!
Have heard so much about Lynwood cafe yet never seem to get there (probably because it involves going to Canberra!;P). I love duck so I’d have picked your dish too.
Don’t really look for specific souveniors but food of some kind usually does the trick.
I love stopping at local places to eat when travelling rather than the fast food stops. On holidays ,we sparingly buy the usual trinkets but on our last O/S trip we visited Cinque Terre and while making the 12kms trek came across some fascinating characters plying their goods. One was a Russian painter Peter,who travelled to Cinque Terre every Summer,we just had to buy some of his colourful prints depicting the picturesque fishing villages . The other was an Italian hippie-looking sort of guy called Andrea, who had travelled far and wide,including Australia. He made lovely, unique pieces of silver jewellery, Gabriella and I decided on a rose ring and everytime either one of us wears it, we’re reminded of that magical place.
its for sale
and shut down
Interesting how the beef cheeks are so broken up. Looks very easy to eat!
When I go somewhere new, I simply must buy my Mum a fridge magnet. You should see her collection, it’s a little ridiculous. They have three full size fridges and two full size freezers in their house (yes, I got my eating abilities genetically), and they’re all covered!
Oh yum that food all looks so hearty and nice. I would have loved to try that duck liver. Phillip Mouchel’s Brasserie at Crown here in Melbs do a similar dish – its duck and chicken liver terrine with onion jam and the combo is absolutely awesome.
As for souvenirs – I dont really buy them actually.
it was on list of places to stop at. what a shame: 1. that I will never eat there, 2. that I don’t have a spare $750 000. *sigh*
That sounds like a really cute place. I think I’m too paranoid to join the ride board.
So sad to hear that it’s closing! I tried to go there on my way to Canberra but it had funny opening/closing hours and couldn’t quite make it on time. The beef cheeks look amazing
. No dessert?
Jess is right, it’s closing on Sunday, looking to sell.
That jam with your toast looks so good! After reading this, I’m seriously considering a road trip
i remember hearing a while ago that lynwood cafe was going to be closing and the owners selling? obviously not? i hope not anyway because will be visiting canberra early october and want to visit the place. i wouldn’t consider the way the gave you chai tea as an untraditional method. i think i’ve had it this way too. you then get to choose how much milk you want with your chai tea and can control the strength of the taste. i always like a bit of honey on the side to add for sweetness.
It’s a shame the jam didn’t live up to its promise, but the onion relish sounds superb. The ride board is a cute idea too.
Hi. I just read today in the SMH Good Living that this cafe has closed
OMG – it cant be closed? we went a few weeks back enroute to the snow. I had to book weeks in advance to get a table, we booked the Jam Room – it was awesome. Perhaps they on a holiday? The cafe, the settings, the food and the take home goodies are all so good. The Relish is the best and could buy online????
And PS: the scones & Jam were the best too!
‘Fraid so. From here:
After 10 sweet years it’s last orders at the Lynwood
Many a Canberran has enjoyed a scone with home-made jam in front of the fire at the Lynwood Cafe in Collector, feeling cosy within its whitewashed walls. The odd celebrity and politician has also popped in for a beef and stout pie or ploughman’s platter, including actors Eric Bana and Bryan Brown. The toilet door at the cafe is signed by notable noshers. And particularly during ski season, Sydneysiders filled the little cafe. But an era is ending the renowned restaurant is up for sale. Alan and Robbie Howard have owned the cafe for 10 years, naming it after their property, Lynwood. Their son Robert Broadbent and his wife Kats have run the cafe for the past three years. Sunday will be their last day, the doors officially closing at 4pm. “We just feel it’s time to move on. Rob wants to move on and I feel it’s probably time to let go,” Mrs Howard said. “It would be great if someone took it on and took it to the next level that would make me very happy.” The Howards are staying in Collector; the Broadbents plan to go overseas, possibly to Scotland. Canberra Times, August 28.
So sad to hear of its closing, hope some other brave entrepreneur will take up the challenge. I tend to collect food items that I’ve never tried before thus ending up with things like salmon jerky, salmon XO sauce (now available everywhere) unusually flavoured snack foods and stuff just normally unavailable at home – maple pocky anyone!
gosh that was nice, sorry to hear of them closing – perhaps they could open near to me?!
and -
don’t you just adore that advert? it makes me want to visit each and every one of those places!
one of my goals in life is to make enough money such that i can buy a new bmw. i don’t actually want one, mind you, but i want the comfort of knowing i can afford one.
meanwhile, i had a friend who collected spoons. did she pay for them? no, no she did not, but she still collected them.
Hee hee did you sign the door as well
? Mmmm all of the dishes look so good 
Wow, it seems a nice place to eat…the salad looks yummie!
This is such a quaint, cute cafe, and the food looks incredibly homey and comforting. My favorite souvenir to buy are cookbooks!
As a Canberran always on the lookout for and supportive of great food served at places with a warm & homely ambiance, I’m saddened to hear that Lynwood Cafe’s closing this weekend. Last year I was also absolutely hearbroken to learn that our favourite Byrne’s Mill (in nearby Queanbeyan) would close by the year’s end. I guess the only one of the same ilk in the Canberra region worth mentioning is the Grazing restaurant at Gundaroo. I’ve had a few birthday meals there and I’ve been impressed to bits each and every time!
i would love to try that pear salad!!
a terrific place!! loving that painting and the interior! 
Jam, preserves etc. Onion marmalade sounds yummmo!
Hi Kelly-Thankyou! Yes it was a lovely place indeed. Yes me too,and for the exact same reasons!
Hi Anja-Sounds lovely! Fig jam owould be just gorgeous too!
You too!
Hi sandra-Yes definitely! Ahh teatowels are something I should buy as I love having them around!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-hehe how funny! My friends mum collects them too. Haha it was the first thing I thought of!
Hi Anita-Oh yes that onion marmalade was fantastic! Lucky I got a jar as it’s now closed
Hi Cakelaw-I know! I wonder how that started?
Hi Katherine-Hehe I always feel like going out to eat
Hi Ellie-Sadly this is now closed but hopefully they’ll find a buyer and you can stop here!
Hi Shaz-Hehe yes it’s not a day trip sort of place, well sort of but it’s a bit far. Yes me too!
Hi Matilda-Yes me too! Oh that sounds amazing and well worth purchasing and yes a great reminder of lovely memories!
Hi jess-Thanks for letting us know.
Hi Conor-They were very, very soft!
Aww aren’t you a good daughter! LOL that sounds brilliant!
Hi Esz-Oh yum! I really want to make my own after this. Queen Viv said that it was very easy
Oh you don’t? 
Why is that?
Hi Anna-yes what a shame! But you never know, someone may buy it. It was full and you needed to book! Someone? Anyone?
Hi Blond Duck -Hehe I probably wouldn’t do it either
Hi food4two-yes such a shame!
Nope no dessert, we were full!
Hi Zoe-Yes I gave them a call to confirm it. Shame!
Hi Betty-Sadly it’s closed! But perhaps it will reopen!
Hi Simon-Well it has closed so I wouldn’t go now.
Hi Arwen-Iknow, we had such high hopes for the jam!
But I shall savour my onion marmalade 
Hi Slaly-Yes it’s sad but true!
Hi Nicole-I know, you always think that places sell up because they’re not bust but they were really busy! What a shame!
Ah damn we missed out on that-we were too full!
Hi Zoe-Thanks for the article! I hope someone else picks it up!
Hi Moya-Yes I hope so!
I’m the same, anything that I can’t get back home is fair game 
Ooh Maple Pocky!
Hi the projectivist-hehe yes or near me please?
Hehe yes it’s great!
Hi grace-Haha you are too funny!
Hi FFichiban-Hehe noooo!
Hi Juliana-It was nice! Such a shame it is no more
Hi Faith-It’s a really cute, lovely space. Ooh great! I try to but they tend to be so heavy
Hi Karen -Yes it’s a real shame!
Ahh cool thanks for the rec! 
Hi nora-Hehe cool! I love pear salads
Hi SydneyGal-I need to keep this jar close! I want to try and recreate it!
Guess you made it there just in time and glad I got to read about it here
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[...] bad although perhaps doesn’t quite as moreish as other duck liver pates I’ve had (the Lynwood cafe one for example although this may have had to do with their extraordinary onion [...]
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