The Penny Royal

You expect big things in Mosman; big houses, big cars, big strollers. But when it comes to coffee, it's the little packages that yield mighty results. Penny Royal is a tiny café with four small wooden tables, and the open galley kitchen is within arm’s length of diners. The wall pops with a colourful, quirky mural depicting a babushka puppy dog, a mouth wearing sneakers, and spiked cactuses. Sticky Fingers and Bob Marley are on the stereo.

What they lack in space is made up for in the service. The super-friendly team are all smiles and happy to chat as they slide your coffee over. The small space also means a short, snappy menu, with breakfast bruschettas, sandwiches and a daily slow-cooker special – on our visit it’s a smoky pulled pork – that can be added as a side to any of the breakfast options.

We settle on the homemade, gluten-and-grain-free Paleo bread, with fresh tomatoes and avocado and boiled eggs. While we admire their efforts to cater to #cleaneaters, this loaf ends up being a little too bird-seedy for our tastes and we can’t help but wish for a poached egg with a properly runny yolk to give it a lift. The burrito is a better bet, with hunks of smoky beans, sweet salsa and cheese, served with avocado on the side to avoid that weird, warm avo taste not everybody loves. Still, the drawcard here remains the coffee; a small line snakes outside with every man and his super cute dog waiting for a cup of Campos gold.

While there are a few things that could do with a little polishing, there are also a lot of good things in this little café: namely a dynamic menu, super-smiley staff and a good brew.