UPDATE: Now permanently closed (prior to publication)
My partner is one of Sydney’s foremost potato fanatics, and Mad Spuds Cafe in Surry Hills had been on our hitlist for a while. Unfortunately, despite the potato heavy menu, we were disappointed.
One thing to note about the food at Mad Spuds Cafe is that the menu options by themselves feel a bit half cooked – that is, they feel incomplete and are lacking essential components. We had the Mad Spud Stack, a signature dish of the restaurant, which was a stacked dish consisting of a mashed potato patty, haloumi, avocado, spud skins, sweet potato, caramerlised onion, and sprouds, decorated with a solitary cherry tomato and yoghurt/balsamic glaze. While props had to be given to the plating and delicate balancing act of keeping all of these ingredients vertical, I found the taste to be quite bland. It was only with the addition of a sausage ($4) that we were able to turn this subtle tasting vegetarian dish into something more tasty, but even then I had my reservations.
My partner enjoyed the Sunny Salmon Rosti ($15.50) more than me. Again I thought that the flavour of t he rosti was too mild, however this time it was helped along by the smoked salmon. I will also take this opportunity to say that an extra $3 for a single poached egg is too much, even if it was poached to a perfect amount of runniness.
My partner paid $6.50 for a choose-your-own-adventure green juice. She liked it, but it would’ve been no one’s fault but her own if she hadn’t.
Verdict
Don’t let the fun, casual name fool you. Mad Spuds Cafe plays it safe with its mild flavours, with no madness or spirit of exploration in sight. I would hesitate to bring a colleague here, especially considering the smorgasbord of yummy foods available elsewhere on Crown St.
Mad Spuds Cafe
479 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9698 8108