On our way to Jenolan Caves, a place I hadn’t visited in over 20 years, we stopped by the Whisk & Pin cafe and shop for a little sustenance on our drive. OK technically we didn’t need to as we could have eaten breakfast before we left but I will take any opportunity to stop for a meal. I had heard that the cafe version of the boutique muesli and cookie brand was cute. If a cafe has a shop attached to it, it’s a source of excitement for me and a source of frustration for Mr NQN.
Formerly a post office, it’s a cute white building with seating outside but as it’s lightly drizzling we take a seat inside. To the right there is the kitchen with a range of their cookies, slices and chocolates and further in there’s some more seating with a big comfy leather couch and more things to shop. It’s 11:15am when we arrive and the breakfast menu finishes at 11:30am so they ask us whether we’d prefer the breakfast or lunch menu. We take a look at both and decide on some blueberry pancakes from the breakfast menu and a Reuben sandwich from the lunch menu. Our waitress returns a few minutes later to let us know that one cannot order from separate menus which we find quite arbitrary so we order breakfast of housemade baked beans with speck on sourdough with a fried egg and the blueberry pancakes with blueberry sauce.
Vintage molds
The store is stocked with all sorts of items including Mario Batali cookware, all sorts of other boutique brands including Princess Pantry, Bitton etc as well as Mariage Freres tea. I have a bit of an obsession with birds but I am promptly cautioned against buying a large white feathered bird by Mr NQN (”Where are you going to put it?” he asks. “I’ll find…somewhere” I argue lamely). There are unique kid’s toys and presents as well as their own brand of mueslis and pancakes. I find some goodies including a gorgeous retro style apron and some presents for friends.
“Where are you going to put it?” asks Mr NQN about the large white bird…
Cute apron!
Black Mulberry Juice $5.50
Our drinks arrive and my bottled black mulberry juice is fabulous. It’s made of 100% mulberries with no added sugar or water. It’s sweet and slightly syrupy and the label says that it contains 44 mulberries in each bottle. I make a mental note to seek this out when we get back.
Coffee $3.30
Mr NQN likes his coffee but I don’t get to try it as I’m too busy shopping.
Blueberry pancakes $12.50
Our blueberry pancakes arrive and there are four puffy blueberry pancakes on the plate. They smell wonderful and the pancakes themselves are very good indeed although I do think we could have done with more sauce and perhaps a pat of butter.
Baked Beans $14.50
The baked beans are smoky and sweet with small cubes of soft speck. The sourdough toast has gone a little soggy under the beans and there isn’t quite enough egg for the beans (and I would have preferred a poached egg but that’s just me personally) but it’s a tasty and hearty meal.
I make my purchases while Mr NQN goes outside to take photos. Returning to the car, Mr NQN says that he would rather not know the details of my little shopping expedition. Ignorance and pancakes as they say, are bliss.
So tell me Dear Reader, are you an all day breakfast kind of person?
My purchases – the retro apron, yes a bird, Aztec Hot Chocolate and Pearl Sugar.
Whisk & Pin
1 Railway Parade, Medlow Bath, The Blue Mountains, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 4788 1555
Open 7 days 8am-4:30pm
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48 Comments | Add your own
Yay, I’m glad you bought that adorable apron! This place is so cute, Lorraine! I probably would have missed out on coffee by being preoccupied with shopping too (I guess in my mind I’d rather miss out on coffee than a one-of-kind find…especially if it’s food related!
) The food looks delicious, especially those pancakes. I’m definitely a breakfast all day kind of girl! 
I’d love to visit this place as I love their cereals, although they’re on the pricey side!
I am, indeed, an all-day breakfast person. Evidenced by the fact that one of my favourite cafes in Canberra is the one where I can order poached eggs on toast for dinner, and that I will happily eat oatmeal at any hour.
That not-both menus thing is bizarre, though… unless there was a breakfast and a lunch chef out the back and you were the deciding factor in whether the first got to go home or not?!
I only do breakfast in the morning, but those pancakes might tempt me!
What an adorable cafe
And YES … I LOVE all day breakfasts 
I much prefer to order from a breakfast menu.
The bircher muesli sounds good as does the breakfast sandwich or the fig and cranberry bread with ricotta and honey.
Gotta love a cafe plus a shop
Wow, I’ve seen their muesli around forever, but nice to know they have a cafe and shop! And it’s so cute! I would have expected so from their sweet logo and packaging, but nice to know they follow through.
What a great shop! I love the collection of things they have on display, and that bird you didn’t buy, is totally gorgeous! (having regrets now?
) Great post, Lorraine.
Definitely an all day breakfast kind of person. I’d eat breakfast three times a day if I could get away with it. I love all types of breakfast foods – pancakes, eggs in all different incantations, croissants, corn fritters, and of course, the ultimate breakfast food – BACON! Now don’t get me started on drinks…
Hi NQN,
I live quite close to the mountains and go up there OFTEN to our holiday house in Blackheath. I do love going to the Whisk & Pin store because it’s cute and they often have quite nice gifts and cookware, etc. But in my experience, the service there is pretty rude, like you commented. I went in there with my Mum once and we were looking at the front counter where they have the cakes and things on display, and one of the staff just looked at us and said, “did you just walk off the street??”… A rude look from the waitress was to follow, and I, being in the hospitality industry myself, was so mortified by such impoliteness that I had to leave! Anyway, I’ve never eaten there, but my parents have several times, and they usually come back with a similar anecdote of bad service. But the food sounds lovely and it’s a nice atmosphere there, so it’s a hard choice!
Breakfast is when we feel like it around our house. I have known my son to have breakfast at 2 in the afternoon.
How odd that they wouldn’t let you order from both menus…
Definitely an all-day breakfast kind of gal. Eggs benedict is good at any time of day as far as I’m concerned
I could do all-day breakfasts…for sure!! Especially if there are pancakes on the menu…I love pancakes!
I wish I could go here…this would be a nice place to visit 
Those blueberry pancakes you ordered look really nice! From just looking at the photo, I think more sauce would’ve been good!
I’ll be at the Blue Mountains next week…but I won’t be able to get anywhere interesting
Ha! I love that you managed to sneak a bird into your purchases anyway..
Must look out for this place on our next trip to the Mountains. And re your question – absolutely, I could eat a hot breakfast at just about any time of the day!
Looks very cute indeed – i love their muesli, even if I think it’s overpriced!!!
all day breakfast = essential.
Proper breakfasts later on in the day are wonderful! I’ll have to hunt this cafe down on my next trip over the mountains – looks v tasty (though don’t get the menu issues.. weird). And I’d have to agree = poached over fried as long as I’m not the one trying to cook. Poaching has always failed me – and that makes me sad.. any tips??
Love cafes like these in the Blue Mountains, so homely. And the food is often good too.
Oh my, that’s MY kinda place. Love those moulds!!
Oh MAH Goodness! So that’s where birdy came from! Birdy is very happily living in a candelabra these days. He’s been making eyes at the beaded flamingo though… I think they’re in love.
Also, this brand of hot chocolate is some kind of wonderful. It has chunks of real chocolate in it. Mmmm…
I think my years in Hospitality have gifted me the “all day breakfast”.
I will happily eat pancakes, eggs on toast and even cereal at any time of the day.
And now you’ve got me craving pancakes…
Even though I love breakfast foods, I can’t go past a delicious plate of pasta for lunch or dinner. Nice place with lots to browse through, shame the service is not up to scratch.
Your bird is cute but while you were at it, you may as well bought the white peacock Lorraine,lol!
Hello Claire, you can buy poaching moulds from Peter’s of Kensington, my poaching skills have greatly improved since I purchased some.
oooh, what are you going to use the pearl sugar for?
would sitting at two different tables to order get you 2 different menus???
POACHING – microwave enough water with tsp vinegar in glass bowl to come half way up; try 2 minutes, whenever it boils, open, crack egg in,33 seconds, and LEAVE IN OPEN MICROWAVE AND DISH for at least a minute; should have perfectly coagulated poached egg with soft center! Keep tryin…
Wow! I’m sure that we visited the whisk & Pin many years ago but it was just a shop. They had all kinds of interesting things like packets of dried wild plums in those days. I think breakfast is linked to a state of mind rather than a time, so can happen anytime. Fried eggs with beans – poached with spaghetti – it’s all about texture. I love the idea of sitting at 2 different tables – definitely a solution to the 2 menu problem I would think.
hmmmm…I was curious to read your review as the one and only time I visited Whisk & Pin after reading about it was a disappointment. The waitress was rude and we waited 10 mins to fix up our small bill as we were ignored by one staff member whilst the other served other customers. We didn’t bother ordering food as the whole experience seemed to take so long. Also the ’shop’ is hideously expensive – and over priced. A shame as they make lovely muesli!
I have seen the whisk and pin items in stores and they always look good quality – if a little pricey – so I would love to visit their cafe and store – looks like a fascinating place to browse in – did you get the museli and cookie?
This looks like a fun place to visit. Love your purchases – especially the bird.
I’m not an all day breakfast person – I often find breakfast a utilitarian meal rather than a fun one.
Love the breeky…..reminds me of something I had in Spain.. BTW…
WHat is your DAY JOB.. I can barely cook once a week these days = (
I most definitely am an all day breakfast kind of person. Especially when it comes to the weekend. Hello 3pm brekkie!
Oh I am in love with your blog! What a divine store and cafe..but I agree that butter would have make the pancakes sublime. Butter makes the ordinary extrordinary.
This place looks so adorable I love the idea of using vintage moulds to decorate the walls.
how cute is this cafe! love your purchases , especially the apron. what are you going to do with the pearl sugar?
Must. Have. Stuffed. White. Peacock. Mine, mine, mine! It’ll look great sitting on top of my hundreds of cookbooks, hehe! I love all day breakfasts, sometimes pancakes and sausage and scrambled eggs with maple syrup at 2pm is exactly what hits the spot.
Lovely store, and nice purchases as well! Oh please, please, can you ask your Dad to draw another one of his amazing birdcages? This way you’ll get another excuse to write a gorgeous post about bird-themed cookies, and you’ll also prove your point to Mr NQN, showing him that buying this bird was of absolute necessity to your work ; – )
i could and would eat breakfast foods for every meal every day. i love it. the food you ordered looks amazing, and the store itself looks full of eclectic charm. i’d call this a good find.
I adore the bird! Just doing up the bedroom atm and have counted 8 owls, and 6 blue birds and robins. They are sooo lovely. I don’t know how you let the white one stay!
Blueberry Pancakes look lovely!
And re: your Q – We are breakfast for dinner type people. <3
First of all, I am glad you did some shopping anyway, and bought the bird. I would have bought the big white one. I would have bought the mulberry juice, just to see if it tastes as good as the ones that are homemade in Lebanon from purple mulberries. Plus I make a pudding with the juice.
The pancakes looked fabulous.
excellent purchases.
generally i can do breakfast at any time of the day (but that really just means pancakes or waffles), but my food moods vary so much from day to day it’s hard to say.
This place looks gorgeous. I have a friend who lives in the blue mountains area so I’ll have to send her on my behalf!
Cute store….I love those old moulds. They would have been so hard to use….we are so spolit these days with silicone, baking paper, etc.
My kids refuse to eat eggs at any time of the day other than breakfast. If we ever suggest an omlette or something for a quick dinner, they are quite scandalised. Wierd children1
What a wonderland!
I love breakfast all day, any time of day. I think I like it best at suppertime, actually.
OMG those vintage moulds are killing me …slowly….
Oh boy! Yet another gorgeous place to put on my endless list of places to visit before I die. Those blueberry pancakes look incredible. I find breakfast to be the most boring meal of the day to be honest, but if my waistline could cope with pancakes every day I would definitely change my view
Hi Faith-I know! I saw it and had to have it. Forget the fact that I had too many aprons already
We have so much in common! 
Hi mademoiselle délicie-Yes they are a bit I have to agree!
And I’m a toasted muesli lover too but I think they have 1 or 2 toasted mueslis 
Hi Hannah-yes I don’t like those “breakfast stops at 11am” rules! Where’s the sleep in?
Sadly no there was the one chef and I don’t know why they couldn’t have done both. Perhaps it’s a hangover from the service that other people have mentioned?
Hi Fiona-Hehe really? But it’s so much fun at night!
Hi Lisa-Fabulous things aren’t they!
Hi sandra-Me too. I like the luxury of having someone else make me breakfast which doesn’t happen often!
I was really hankering after the breakfast sandwich too!
Hi Yas-I know, I love how everything is styled and it’s so cute even from the outside!
Hi Y- Nah it’s true, there really is nowhere to put him
Thanks!
Hi Sian-Mmm ye maybe it’s the presence of bacon that has me so excited about breakfasts
Hi jen-Our waitresses were nice but whoever didn’t want to let us have the pancakes with a Reuben sandwich was a bit silly really. Sorry to hear about that! I did read some similar experiences on eatability and was very much wary when I walked in. What a shame! It’s so cute otherwise!
Hi Mary-Hehe now you’re definitely a fun mum!
Hi BuBbles-I know, I still don’t understand why!
Oh yes I do love a good eggs benedict! 
Hi Liv-Me too!
Yes I do love a nice berry sauce and there just wasn’t quite enough here 
Oh no, what a shame! 
Can you steal away? 
Hi Celia-Hehe well spotted!
Yes that was for a friend’s Christmas pressie 
Great stuff! 
Hi brussellsprout-Yes the sign of a civilised society an all day breakfast!
Hi Claire-Yes it’s a nice pit stop
Hehe I didn’t get the menu problems either! Oh yes I do, watch this space and I’ll share some tips with you 
Hi joey-Yes and there’s a shop too! Weee!
Hi Liss-I know! I wish we could have bought them!
Hi Emma-It sure is darlin’! Oh fabulous, I feel that it should be living in a candelabra
Aww love! YAY I’m so glad that you liked the pressies 
x
Hi Joy-Ahh very nice!
Me too-cereal is great at night! 
Hi Matilda-I know, but he so wouldn’t have had a place to live here. Maybe when we clear up the spare room I’ll go back and claim him
Ahh are those the poach pods?
Hi Reemski-I’ve read that it’s good for Swedish breads etc? I only checked after I bought it though
Hi rose-LOL I like your way of thinking!
Thanks for the poaching tip! 
Hi John -Ahh really! So the cafe is a newer thing? Mmm that sounds delicious. And yes that’s an ingenious idea!
Hi Claire-Yes I think it’s a common issue there from hearing from other readers and from reafing reviews online. Such a shame I agree!
Hi Johanna-Yes I make my own muesli so it’s always hard to pay the price for muesli! I didn’t no, we were quite full after our breakfast but the cookies did look good!
Hi Cakelaw-Thankyou very much!
Isn’t it darling? I want to go back and buy more birds but I know Mr NQN won’t like it 
Hehe fair enough! 
Hi April Marie-Hehe this is my day job darling!
Hi Karen-I know, isn’t the 3pm breakfast the best?
Hi Anna-Thankyou so much! Doesn’t it just! I love butter
Hi Gourmet Chick-Cute isn’t it! I wonder where they get them from!
Hi Panda-Thankyou! I love shopping
I was thinking to make some Swedish breads. If you have any ideas please let me know!
Hi Moya-haha you are so funny! I felt like I should have it too but yes lack of space…
Mmm that sounds divine! I forgot about how good breakfast sausages are!
Hi Myriam-Hehe he was so happy about everyone’s comments about his bird cage!
Hehe I like your way of thinking! 
Hi grace-I’m with you! I could do some serious damage on the credit card here
Hi Miss Marci-Isn’t it cute! Oh really? It sounds absolutely fabulous! It hurt trust me but I might be back for him one day! Excellent, it’s a good way to be
Hi tasteofbeirut-Hehe yes it’s gorgeous!
Ahh yes I wonder if it’s as good! 
That pudding sounds divine!
Hi clearlytangled-Thankyou!
Ahh I see! 
Hi Sarah-Ahh fantastic! Perhaps she could buy you a bird!
Hi spice and more-I know, aren’t we! They’re really adorable though
Really! Oh perhaps when they’re older and sleep in as teenagers (hehe or was that just me? 
)
Hi MaryPoppinsinHeels-It’s a purchasing wonderland!
Absolutely, nothing better than eggs late at night or pancakes 
Hi zurin-hehe you are too funny!
Hi Natalie-Hehe!
Sometimes it can be but with pancakes they’re not (but yes very calorific!)
Yes Lorraine, they are the poach pods from POK, mine are double and yellow.
Ah, this must be the place my friend was recommending, but she didn’t know the name. She said she’d found a place off the highway at Medlow Bath in the old post office, and she recommended it to me for great coffee and gluten free goodies. I must check it out next time I’m in the mountains.
Hi Matilda-Ahh ok I see! I’ve seen those
Hi Arwen-yep and there’s not a lot in Medlow Bath so that must be it!
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