I’ve been refusing to move to Manly for a while, it’s the distance thing. Then my surfing beloved plied me with Mecca’s dark horse blend and a breakfast bowl involving a soft-boiled egg, salmon sashimi, apple kimchi and wild rice at this unique, decidedly health-conscious cafe. I fell in love with Manly while sucking a smoothie of raw cacao and almond milk, cinnamon, avocado and honey when sitting on a long booth seat running along the open-fronted, concrete-floored, diner-feel room.

This place makes you want to be a better person. The Whole Bowl, an on-trend bowl of poached chicken breast, brown rice, wakame, kumera, mushrooms and egg in a miso broth, makes this season’s bikini seem doable. It’s not too virtuous, though. A “hangover” spaghetti Bolognese on sourdough with a fried egg is reassuring and dense, and is the order choice of most of the male-halves of the fit, bronzed, couples crowd when we’re there. The striped-tee (basically) wearing, young waiters are smiley without being chummy, and the music spans the 1970s, 80s, 90s, the Jackson Five; it’s all expertly designed to make you happy.

The baristas know what they’re doing, too. Filter coffee is sourced from Reuben Hills and Artificer, and the espresso from Mecca. These drops are some of the best in Sydney (Manly is Sydney, right?).

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Tel: 02 9976 5000