Lil Miss Collins, with its inventive, road-less-trodden menu and all day alcohol options ticks plenty of boxes for intrepid brunchers looking for a high quality alternative to nearby Circa Espresso. We’ve been twice now – once on New Years Eve 2019 (I will leave you photos but not really any comments from this visit), and once more recently after a run of night shifts with our nights crew.
These Sweet Potato Fries ($9.80) were quite good, with a soft texture on the inside but a crispiness on the outside. They retained heat well, remaining warm for the duration of consumption. A good choice by my junior colleague DTC.
The Beef Brisket Sandwich ($17.50) was good, but only good. The toasted sourdough was crisp and adequate. The beef brisket filings were good, though taken as a whole, the sandwich, with its beef, American cheese, cabbage slaw and spicy mayo was just a bit too tasty for me. Each bite was a bit of an onslaught of saltiness, not adequately tempered by the bread. This is one situation in which the bread to filling ratio probably leant too much to the filling side of the equation – that is, this sandwich was a bit overfilled. It was by no means a bad toastie, but probably not one I’d get again.
I really enjoyed the Salmon with Miso Black Rice & Citrus ($25.90), though neither my girlfriend, nor my junior colleague MC did. The salmon was pan seared to medium perfection, neither overdone nor underdone. The miso and jalapeno rice soup had a nice umami flavour. The radish, golden beets, and pomelo citrus salad was just fine. I had never had a beetroot that was not red before, but I didn’t really think they tasted as special as they looked. I don’t know that the salad and salmon were really synergistic in taste or texture, but at the same time having a bit of freshness did not hurt. Overall good.
The Phoenician Kafta Bowl ($22.80) is a reasonably low carb option for those on a shred, if you ignore the very ignorable pita. The main component of this meal is essentially a gardenlike salad, spiced up with some pomegranate, flat bread crisps (a la fattuosh) and yoghurt. The two grilled lamb kaftas are the dish’s star ingredients, bearing a juicy, warm meatiness that don’t quite match with the coldness of the rest of the dish. While the kafta are very good, the fact that you can actually order them individually for a mere $3.75 each would lead me to suggest giving this bowl a miss and adding a couple of kafta to a different main .
The following items were consumed sixteen months prior to the writing of this post. Recollection is hazy at best.
I remember nothing about these Ricotta and Sweetcorn Fritters ($18.50), though my partner says that she remembered liking them. She’s generally much more of a fritter fan than I am, and she even enjoys many of the fritters that I straight out dislike.
I think I remember enjoying this Crispy Skin Barramundi with Braised Fennel ($23), or at least the barramundi component. I was and still am confused by the inclusion of a giant piece of white wine braised fennel, which I had never had before and wasn’t a fan of.
This is obviously some kind of elaborate French Toast, no longer served, and not identifiable through any secondary sources at this time.
AUGUST 2022
Back from our look into the past, we shall discuss this Squid Thai Pasta ($24.90). It straddled the line between “not bad” and “not good”, a pad thai-like creation with an unusual focus on tomato sauce and unclear identity as to if it wanted to be a stir fried Thai noodle dish or a pasta. It was not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten, but at the same time not something that I’d like to ever eat again. Most unusual was the addition of Turkish bread on top of what was clearly already a carb-loaded noodle based meal. The squid was at least succulent.
VERDICT
Lil Miss Collins, overall good. You should go, and let me know if I’m wrong.
Lil Miss Collins
13 Wentworth St, Parramatta NSW 2150
(02) 9635 3273