Lady J Cafe & Wine Bar, Bondi Junction

Lady J Cafe & Wine Bar is doing everything right with a superb offering of food, coffee and wine. Owner Garrett Jandegian named the Bondi Junction eatery after his fiancee who will soon be changing her last name to Jandegian.

Mixing rustic with industrial, the space at Lady J is timber-heavy with splashes of yellow and custom artwork on walls. Cutlery is stored in cigar boxes and food is served on beautiful wooden boards. Originally from San Francisco, Garrett pulled a lot of the San Fran-style wine bar atmosphere to Sydney.

On the (non-alcoholic) drinks list you can take your pick from excellent Gabriel coffee, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices – including healthy stuff like kale, celery, beetroot and ginger.

The cafe and bar is open for breakfast and lunch every day and dinner Thursday to Saturday – but we’re here at lunchtime for a pit stop. On the lunch menu is an impressive Angus beef burger served on Brasserie Bread brioche with a side of crunchy potato wedges. There’s also a Mexican variation on the burger if you’re a fan of guac and pico de gallo.

For a hearty and tasty lunch, try the Angus beef meatballs, housemade tomato relish and melted Swiss cheese on Brasserie Bread Grande roll. Or if you want something fresher that’s full of veggies, go for the poached chicken with avocado, tomato, rocket and pesto mayo wedged between toasted slices of Brasserie wholemeal sourdough. Now that’s a sandwich!

The dinner menu is a bit more on the South American side with tapas-style share plates. Head chef Pedro tells me that it’s a mix of everything at Lady J, with a focus on lots of flavour and collaborative efforts between chefs. Three of the chefs are from South America, so it’s only natural that a bit of South American flair shows through in the menu.