Every day I make lunch for Mr NQN. Except Fridays when he goes out for lunch. Recently his favourite dumpling place stopped making dumplings and moved to making less exciting sandwiches and drinks and he facebooked how disappointed he was about that. So when it came around to Friday I suggested that we meet up with friends Buxom Wench and Silver Fox for lunch in Surry Hills just near his work. But where would we go?
Remembering Mr NQN’s warning about there always being a cold snap free during September I recalled a winter friendly favourite. A few months ago, there was a week where all I was hearing was “have you tried that potato place?” My ears pricked up, I mean anywhere that specialises in just one thing has got to be interesting, or at least heavily invested in doing it well. At Mad Spuds on Crown Street, there is indoor and outdoor seating and plenty of potato paraphernalia inside. Mr Potato Heads in various collector’s editions sit on display, potato drawings, any potato related you could think of really.
The edible potatoes in question here are organic potatoes from Robertson in the Southern Highlands of NSW. They are grown in volcanic red soil and watered through the natural springs. They come in varieties like King Edwards, Sebago, Spunta, Desire & Pink Fir. Buxom Wench asks and today’s is a sebago potato. There is also a King Edward potato oven that they tell us is good for cooking the potatoes as it makes them crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Items are marked as gluten free or vegetarian and there is an Irish bent to the menu items. Service is very friendly and welcoming.
Mad Spud Stack $15
The mad spud stack is brought to the table and promptly loses its two top layers. No matter, they’re easily put back on. It starts at the bottom with a crispy mashed potato cake with pieces of pan fried halloumi, avocado, caramelised onion, and topped with two pieces of potato skins, sweet potato and a surrounding pool of mint yoghurt. It’s a mixture of textures and tastes, all really quite complementary from the slightly crunchy skins the soft inner of the potato cake and the squeaky saltiness of the halloumi.
Oat Potato Penny Cake (old Irish Potato Cake) $16
I would gladly pass up an eggs benedict for this potato cake rolled in oats served with a piece of lightly toasted bread, two poached eggs, prosciutto, feta and Guinness onion relish. It’s best when you get a bit of everything into your bite, particularly the prosciutto which brings it all together nicely.
Blood Sausage Potato Skins $14
I’ve always loved eating potato skins – even when I make mashed potato, I save the skin from the ricer and eat it with dressing as a salad on its own. The menu even tells us that the skins are a source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese and dietary fibre. These potato skins were roasted, with the inside scooped out, stuffed with black pudding and then flash fried. Finally, a layer of aged cheddar and drunken apple relish were added. Silver Fox and Mr NQN are less keen on black pudding or blood sausage than Buxom Wench and I are but I really like this especially with some of the sour cream on the bottom layer and the yellowy orange sauce that has a hint of Indian spices.
Whacko Taco $14
I thought Silver Fox and Mr NQN might like this spicy number as Buxom Wench and I have ordered the blood sausage potato skins. The servings are bigger than I had imagined and there are two enormous roast potatoes split and filled with avocado and chilli salsa. There’s a side of Mexican style beef and a small pot of sour cream and a creamy seven seed coleslaw which has fennel, cumin, linseed, sesame, poppy, mustard and sunflower seeds. I found that I left quite a bit of the potato behind-I was admittedly potato-ed out.
Double chocolate cookie $4 (gluten free)
I really ordered this because I saw that Buxom Wench was having a soy hot chocolate and I thought that she might have liked this to go with it (and reportedly, it’s so good that she has to check whether it is made with soy). The cookie was fine although I wouldn’t necessarily order it again in favour of some of the other sweets.
Caramel slice $4
Sure you need to literally stab your way in with a fork and the bottom layer is quite thick but the rich caramel and thin layer of chocolate makes the excavation work worthwhile.
Funky Stuffed Monkey $4
The other goodie is the funky stuffed monkey which reminds me of an Eastern European biscuit served with tea or coffee. It’s crumbly and sweet pastry filled with dried fruit and is perfect for dipping in a hot drink.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you bring your lunch to work or do you buy it in? And if you bring your own, what do you usually bring? A sandwich? Salad or leftovers?
Mad Spuds Cafe
479 Crown Street Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Tel: +61 (02)9698 8108
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44 Comments | Add your own
What a great place to eat! Wow, the meals are really huge! I will have to take my teenager there the next time we are in Sydney! It may actually fill him up. I tend to make my lunch but it is usually a delicious extravagance, I would never bother with a boring lunch. This looks like an amazing lunch place!
This place is so cool! We love it – thanks for putting us onto it, Lorraine! We took the boys there recently, and I tried the white pudding breakfast dish, which was to die for! x
Yum! I love a good spud. And the funky stuffed monkey sounds cool. I usually bring my lunch.
I always bought lunch when I went to work. I could not get organised to make lunch.
What I wouldn’t give to have this place near school, no such thing as an overload of potatoes! I especially love that potato stack
And the desserts look soooo good, I can only imagine the taste
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The dishes look wonderful and I have to admit a potato place wouldn’t be first on my list, but after this post I think I would enjoy it.
I usually bring my lunch to work, and it’s usually leftovers from the night or two before. For example today was du Puy lentils with mushrooms and Parmesan cheese, tomorrow will be chicken cacciatore.
We loveeeee this place. Never tried their potatoes menu (quite shame) coz we always have breakfast in this place. One day we’ll definitely try their speciality.
ST
Blood sausage potato skins! Oh my, oh yes. I’ve eaten so much sugar here in the States; something that savoury sounds AMAZING.
What a brilliant and gloriously appetising menu and what the ? -it is potato – potato – potato!! – as coined by a group of guys in skivvies. The menu looks and sounds delectable. What a cool little gem.
Love the name of this place and the names of the dishes!
I try and bring my lunch to work each day as working in the ‘burbs I have very limited options for buying something. Today I have leftovers – a lamb mince mixture on Turkish bread.
When I used to work in an office I always brought my lunch in. Leftovers were my favourite! The exception was farmers market day on Wednesdays were I would buy as much as I could carry!
Potatoes are my desert island food so I’m pretty sure I’d love this place!
Wow – that stack looks amazing. Always wondered how creative spuds could really be – now I can see!
When I was in my 20s a friend was backpacking around Europe and the UK and when he got to Ireland his postcards only consisted of one word ‘potatoes’. We received at least five postcards that only used the word potatoes, sometimes over and over filling the whole card and sometimes just the single word.
My go to packed lunch is rice noodles with chicken, cucumber and carrot with sesame dressing. Travels well and always makes me happy.
lol the dumpling place at cafe 414? our whole office was devastated when it changed!
Have definitely been hearing a lot about this place lately. Look at that stack!!
What an amazing meal!! Loved the portions, and loved the different flavors presented. Awesome review.
wow, this place looks INCREDIBLE! The potato stack has my name all over it…great combo of flavours! Must add this place to my wish list (I mostly buy my lunch – cos I’m lazy).
We took my vegetarian mum here around Christmas and she had lots to choose from. I got stuck into a much-less-vegetarian Bacon & Guinness Sausage sandwich, but was equally happy.
LOL I love the name of this place and how they specialise in all types of SPUDS
They’re definitely one of my guilty pleasures during winter because it’s so cold I just want lots and lots of spuds but then it goes right down to my ‘backside’ 
I’m addicted to potato skins too but never thought of dressing the left overs with salad dressing very smart! Gonna steal that idea Lorraine
I try to bring lunch to work as much as I can because it saves money and it’s healthier
But i’m so bad lol if Mr Bao doesn’t make me breakfast, I’ll have to go buy and when he does make me lunch it’s usually leftovers or a lovely salad 
hehe, potato… love potatoes! And that’s for lunch. It could be leftover potato dish from last night, or potato salad with a lot of greens, doesn’t matter because it has potato… We need a place like this here, or not… I would spend all days and all money in it!
Too far to visit but I could cheerfully live on potatoes like these.
I ALWAYS bring a packed lunch to work. Usually left overs, or since im on a health kick at the moment, my mums roast sweet potato salad with tahini dressing. I shudder to think of how much money i would waste if I bought my lunch everyday!
Hi NQN,
Love your blog! We are visiting Sydney next weekend from New Zealand and I would love to have your recommendations for your restaurant/cafe picks. We usually stay at Darling Harbour and I definitely intend to check out Lucky Tsotsi in Darlighurst as I hail from Zimbabwe and loved your review. Anywhere else?
Many thanks
Bee
What a fun place to eat! I’m glad to see it’s doing well despite all the no-carb and paleo diets out there
I really enjoy potato skins too, they’re so crunchy!
I usually eat lunch at work, and it’s usually leftovers from a function, or excess that has to be cooked before it spoils. We would take turns, and you never knew if it would be a tossed salad, duck confit, fillet steak, or frozen chips- Luncheon lottery!
I’m craving potatoes.
I generally buy my lunch because otherwise I would never leave my desk. Am quite addicted to chirashi sushi.
Love the simple old Irish penny cake with to die for poachies. But,the stack reminds me of a remark my 90 yr old mother made when confronted with one of these, ” How to attack? One needs a ladder & an axe!”
What a cute spot! You’ve got me craving poached eggs and taters! =)
I do like to go out to lunch. What a great place. I’ve never heard of a restaurant specialising only in potatoes. Love that they’re all organic and come from Robertson – who could forget ‘Babe’. And the prices are so reasonable xx
What fun food and what a fun place! I so wish we had some potato options here in Mexico, but really we only get white bakers and baby reds and whites.
I work out of home so unfortunately nibble all day!
i LOVE this place!! tato skin nachoes OMG!!!!!!!!!!
1.You make lunch for Mr. NQN? Soooo sweet. What a treat for him! Lucky dude.
2. The Mad Spud Stack is what I WANT.
3. What are you reading, watching?
4. I bring the same lunch every day to work. TUNA!
5. Kisssssssss
What a fun restaurant, I love the spud theme and I’m drooling over the desserts!
What a great place to dine! And you were so ready to shoot the Mad Spud Stack, weren’t you?
I don’t see any traces of being dropped yet. That’s an awesome looking dish. With that dish coming first, I’d be totally excited for the meals that are coming up. I love the names of the dishes too – very unique and cute. I eat lunch everyday with my daughter after I pick her up. We usually eat leftover or I make panini for her (she likes cheese and nutella – no not together two kinds). I’m surprised that you cook lunch for Mr. NQN everyday! Unless it’s quick fix, I rarely make lunches… what a great wife! 
ive heard so much about this place but havent found time to go yet! now im excited all over!
I always forget to take lunch so end up raiding the vending machine or filling up on coffee.
Bad I know.
I am thinking of recreating that taco potato though…. mmmmm
I can’t believe you make Mr NQN lunch every day! That’s some dedication..I’m not working at the moment but when I was, I usually brought leftovers for lunch as my clients could be anywhere and often with no access to good food.
Hehe your friends have such cute names!
Hahah what a great idea! I’m impressed the mad spud stack made it to your table in one piece.. I’m a big fan of potatoes so I think I’d love this place!
I take my lunch four days a week. Nothing exciting, just a sandwich (usually peanut butter – force of habit after 20 or so years!) which takes me two minutes to make the night before. I don’t usually have leftovers because I’m much more in the habit of cooking the right portions for one or doing big batches of stuff on the weekend and freezing them. On Fridays to reward myself for my great discipline I buy a really tasty lunch – a salad or a filled baguette most of the time.
OMG I love potatoes, I would morph into a ten tonne tessi if I worked near that place! I for one make my lunch pretty much every day….fresh salads, but it’s hard trying to eat it while reading this! Thanks NQN!??!!
I would have visited here a long time ago if I had realised the food was so nice,,,,spuds here I come
Great review!! Love love potatoes, the potato skins + blood pudding sounds yum, definitely will give that a try when I go!
I love potato skins but have never made them myself. Im doing your trick next time I rice them
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