Esther’s Table

This place has had a few changes of ownership over the last few years and has recently changed names from La Buena Mesa to Esther’s Table. Esther’s Table, as it now stands, is a nice spot in the residential streets of Annandale, heavily populated by young mums and bubs.
Whilst Esther’s was once more tailored to tots, it still is quite kid friendly, with a blackboard, kids toy section and tiny table as well as a couple of high chairs. Babycinos are $ 1 and kids ice cream just $ 2.
Teas are by T2 and the frappes and smoothies here are yummy. However, the coffee at Esthers Table (Toby’s Estate beans) is hit and miss. Once fantastic, it’s now sometimes pretty good, but on this particular day my piccolo is one third froth and two thirds burnt. Disappointing, but I have had good coffees here in the past, so don’t accept this one as the rule.
My fruit plate was yummy and the rest of the food is ok too, although when our eyes are used to seeing plates decorated with a green splash of garnish, eggs, toast and tomato on a plate looks a bit like the orange and brown 70’s wallpaper at my Grandma’s house.
The owner of this establishment is lovely and when she’s around there’s a touch of warmth added to the café. On this particular day, however, the owner is absent and staff look bored and unenthused. There’s nothing terribly bad about the service, it’s just not fantastic.

The best part about living in the Inner West is walking around the neighbourhood after having to park three blocks away (the second worst part of living in the Inner West) and stumbling across a tiny café on an otherwise suburban block. That was how I found Esther’s.
The staff are very friendly and handle the café floor and scattered outdoor tables quickly. Last time I popped in, I ordered a juice (I think it was watermelon) only to be told a few minutes later that it was actually out. The staff were really nice about it and I ended up with a refreshing apricot juice, so c’est la vie. The décor is light and breezy, with this street corner getting a lot of afternoon sun. And the interior has large photographic prints along the walls. These are framed and available for sale, so you might leave with a little more than you expected.
Also, as a bonus, a massive Lincoln Continental is routinely parked outside the café. Take the opportunity to see this T-​Rex of the road in person. A truly impressive vehicle.