Metro St James, Hyde Park

Nestled behind St James Station is an industrial bistro with magnificent views of St Mary’s Cathedral and leafy Hyde Park. Metro St James has a very open, tasteful vibe that I’m immediately drawn to.

Head Chef David whips up a beautiful panzanella, a salad of tomatoes, radicchio, witlof, basil, capers, olives and leftover Brasserie Bread sourdough. It’s so simple, yet so tasty. I also love that David champions sustainability by using bread that would normally go to waste. He does however point out that it’s not a frequent occurrence that there’s bread left at the end of the day, so the panzanella isn’t always readily available!

With St Mary’s Cathedral looming in the backdrop, you can spend your day drinking coffee and watching a giant chess game just outside the cafe. Sporting an urban feel, Metro St James sidesteps the cold, warehouse vibe that many cafes prefer these days. I’d attribute this to the sunlight streaming into the cafe and the warm wooden table tops, which have a beautiful taupe hue.

Metro St James alternates between three menus: a casual takeaway-style menu on the terrace and separate a la carte menus for breakfast and lunch in the sit-down section. Drenched in sunlight and spilling out into the park, the a la carte section of the bistro dishes up interesting meals for lunch – buttermilk fried chicken with celeriac remoulade, anyone? YUM.

Crowd favourites are the Reuben (Wagyu corned beef, caraway sauerkraut, Dill pickle on our New York Rye) and the Croque Monsieur (bechamel, gruyere, thyme and leg ham on our sourdough). I try the McMetro Burger: Wagyu beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, pickles on our brioche bun. This is a thing of beauty – just look at this bad boy! If your mouth isn’t watering, there’s probably something wrong with you.

David is French-trained, but he wanted to get away from the technical side, and now harnesses his attention on quick, produce-driven food favouring a Mediterranean style. The Metro St James menu changes every three weeks or so, keeping in check with seasonal ingredients. And here’s something that really excited me – it’s open on Saturday and Sunday! Sydney CBD cafes are so hard to come by on the weekends! Another plus? Metro St James is licensed, so you can enjoy drinks in the sun with park views – not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon, I say!

And if you’re interested in finding out a bit more on the history of St James Station, click here.