By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
Summer has hit The Bungalow Petersham and the venue has seamlessly slipped straight into its warm-weather personality. Inner Sydney style!
Bikinis and beach hair may not be on the menu, but AM at The Bungalow is all about its own brand of low-key polish. Locals roll in for coffee, pastries and food that’s familiar but dialled up.
The chilli crab omelette brings a fresh herb kick and just enough heat to wake you up without derailing your morning. Golden pancakes land airy and honey-slicked, with berries that feel intentional rather than ornamental. Even the bacon and egg roll gets the glow-up: smoky bacon, a runny egg and a milk bun that’s the opposite of an afterthought.
By late morning, things shift toward crêpes and bowls. The pastrami and pickles crêpe is basically a deli sandwich folded into a better format, while the poké bowl - salmon, mango, cucumber, furikake - tastes like it belongs a few blocks from the ocean. It’s casual, but never lazy.
Then comes the rebrand. At 2 pm, The Bungalow shuts the doors for its ‘Golden Hour Flip’ and when they reopen at 5.30 pm, the vibe has officially changed. The lights drop, the playlist gets moodier and cocktails turn up quietly, like they were always part of the plan. The Pina Passion Sour is tropical without the sugar crash, the Pineapple Ginger Daiquiri brings soft warmth and the Rosy Spark mocktail proves non-drinkers aren’t an afterthought.
Dinner leans into share-friendly plates with just enough attitude. Duck spring rolls are crisp, aromatic and backed by a garlic-chilli plum sauce that does all the heavy lifting. The tropical papaya salad comes bright, crunchy and lime-lit, while mushroom arancini arrives creamy and comforting without drowning in truffle bravado.
Medium plates go bigger. The garlic butter lobster roll is rich but tidy - sweet lobster, warm brioche, chives and a butter finish that stays on the right side of indulgent. Sri Lankan prawns hit the table in a coconut curry built for roti-swiping.
The larger dishes are where The Bungalow flexes. Crab and tomato gnocchi is soft, silky and dotted with blue swimmer crab under a garlic-basil crumb. Baja fish tacos bring crisp edges and tangy slaw energy. Clay pot biryani delivers proper spice without blowing out your palate and the tamarind and bourbon pork ribs arrive sticky, caramelised and cleaner than you’d expect from something that messy.
Desserts keep things tight. A caramelised Basque cheesecake, a dark and glossy mousse au chocolat and a straight-up classic tiramisu - no twists, no theatrics, just good.
The Bungalow’s Summer menu isn’t trying to be the next big thing - it’s just quietly cool, properly executed and perfectly tuned to the season. Golden Hour isn’t a gimmick; it’s the moment the neighbourhood cafe drops the act and turns into the kind of night-time local you actually want to stay in.
