The Wooden Whisk, St Leonards

It was time for another doggy date with the two Teddys and this time we headed northside to The Wooden Whisk. This cafe has outdoor, dog-friendly seating and a menu with twist on cafe favourites with fresh juices, salads, sandwiches and burgers.

Sammie and I are always on the lookout for outdoor dog friendly cafes and she always has her ear to the ground on the north shore with an almost never ending list of places to take the two Teddys. She books an outdoor table at the Wooden Whisk, one of her favourite cafes. The cafe is located on Albany Street in St Leonards. Service is friendly and we make our order while settling down the two Teddys.

I have a favourite juice combo: it's beetroot, carrot, pear and ginger and am excited when I see that there's a version wtih apple but they can sub the pear. I love it because it's sweet and the pear and ginger give it a fantastic flavour.

One of the most popular items is the braised lamb shoulder salad. It has soft, flavoursome lamb shoulder flavoured with pomegranate molasses and a cast of textures and flavours from pearl couscous, fennel, mint, dried cranberries, ricotta cheese, pistachios and a house dressing. We both really enjoy this salad and it inspires me to make a warm lamb shoulder salad at home that weekend for guests.

"Do we go with the kale bowl or a burger?" I ask Sammie. It's a serious question and the green bowl plus halloumi or chorizo is equally appealing as the burger. But fries tips the burger over the edge and we go for that. I'm not a huge pulled pork lover as I can find it sometimes a bit wet yet dry but this one has a topping of shredded, crunchy wonton wrappers. It's on a soft bun and filled with Asian sriracha slaw and I love the spices used in this including cinnamon which is a bit of a surprise but it works.

Like many cafes in the area, most of the sweets are bought in and the only one that they make is the protein balls. Instead we take our dogs off to the nearby park where they run free until exhausted!

So tell me Dear Reader, is it a kale bowl or burger for you? Do you have a favourite juice combo?

This meal was independently paid for.

The Wooden Whisk

Shop 7 &8, 38 - 46 Albany St, St Leonards NSW 2065

Open 7 days 6:30am–2pm