Take two hospitality professionals, add a trendy Marrickville location, an Indonesian-inspired brunch menu, great coffee and warm service and you get Algorithm.

The sleek new cafe opened in a corner site on Marrickville Road last September, bringing minimalist coffee lab vibes to one of the city’s most popular foodie strips.

When I arrive on a Sunday morning, I immediately notice a very obvious miscalculation. There are too many people, and not enough tables and chairs.

Thankfully, the crowd is mostly here for the takeaway coffees, which range from espressos made on Mecca’s Moonwalker blend to cold brews and iced coffees, spiked with condensed milk. There’s Mapo gelato affogatos topped with seasonal ice cream scoops, and a specialty ‘Rhythm’ coffee crowned with orange zest-infused cream.

It all adds up when you meet the owners, husband-and-wife team Beryl Leomongga and Baby Angelina Kartiko. Leomongga is the coffee guru, while Kartiko is the chef, having interned at Quay restaurant, before joining the kitchen at Luke Mangan’s Glass Brasserie at the Hilton Sydney.

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Kartiko’s fine dining skills are on full display in the truffle and parmesan folded eggs – a technique that involves gently pushing the eggs around the pan to produce a creamy, custardy texture.

Try them on sourdough or experience them in the spectacularly good spamwich, which combines folded eggs with a barbecue-glazed slab of grilled Spam, neatly stacked on an English muffin. It’s hands down, one of the city’s best brekkie burgers in the city.

If you prefer poached eggs, you’ll want to try the sous vide version which reveals a perfect set white and soft jammy yolk. Standing ovation please for this incredible ova.

When it comes to the perfect sandwich, there’s a formula for getting it just right. Apparently, it’s (√CM+C/P) x (B2)+(M1 +M2), which translates to ‘salad’ multiplied by root of ‘cured meat’ plus ‘cheese’ divided by pickle(s) multiplied by ‘bread’ squared plus mustard + mayonnaise. But there’s more than just a little subjective magic to the signature chicken sandwich at Algorithm, that generally obeys the rules, but also adds in delicious toasted almonds for crunch, and a spicy hot ‘nduja mayonnaise that’s so lip smackingly good it’s hard to quantify.

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Plus, there’s bagels topped with ham and smashed curried eggs or smoked salmon and nori cream cheese.

There’s nothing too sweet on the menu, but there is a selection of daily baked pastries and cakes on display, crafted by Kartiko. The front cabinet might hold a brownie (or greenie, rather) made from Mizugaki matcha and fudgy white chocolate or a pandan-filled cream bun or croissant. Plus, there’s thick, chewy, Butter Boy cookies, just begging to be taken home.

Tea is also taken seriously, with an artisan selection by Ttotaler plus a house made iced raspberry earl grey, spiked with raspberries and wildflower honey.

It’s not hard to see why so many people are lining up on the pavement. The food is great, the coffee is expertly made, and the service is warm and welcoming. You do the math.

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