If you lived in Woollahra 25 years ago, your afternoon tea plans probably revolved around Margie Agostini’s orange cake. The Sicilian-inspired dessert was a hit at Caffe Agostini, in the Queens Court terrace, which closed in the early 2000s. Now the tucked-away space has been revived with Cafe Cressida, by chef Phil Wood and his partner Lis Davies.

“The whole community was fond of Agostini’s orange cake – it was really, really famous,” Wood tells Broadsheet. The couple brought Ursula’s – a yolk-yellow dining room with fine Euro bistro plates – to a Paddington terrace in 2021. When designing his most casual menu yet, Wood (ex-Pt Leo Estate, Rockpool) decided that rather than mess around with the original cake, he’d replicate it. That meant loads of butter and a zesty, juicy syrup.

The decision to move under the pink arches of Queens Court – which have also homed Bill’s and Luxe – was down to the building’s rich history and a love of the local community’s vibe. “We were driving down the street and saw a ‘for lease’ sign. And we’ve always loved the courtyard – it’s such a beautiful space to sit.”

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Broadsheet visits Cressida on a Monday morning, a few days after opening. It’s already busy with locals chatting over coffee and families with kids colouring in blanks of the cafe’s menu artwork. Immediately, the colour jumps out: spritzy orange-and-white cushions, canary-yellow chairs, fire-truck red coffee cups, green saplings in giant white pots. A sweet trio of dancing characters are hand-painted at the doorway. “We wanted it to be fun,” says Wood, who worked with Larissa Leigh Interiors on the design. “It’s somewhere between a Parisian hotel and a restaurant in LA.”

The brekkie menu spans light snacks (including a summery yoghurt and honeycomb passionfruit cup) to heartier hot plates. For a toastie, two thick slices of Iggy’s sourdough sandwich generous slices of gruyere and parmesan melting into each other, cut with the tang of sauerkraut and Dijon mustard. The full breakfast is a meeting place for top-shelf ingredients handled lightly: gently scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, a parsley-pecorino sausage from LP’s and roasted tomatoes. For a sweeter start, you want one of Wood’s favourites: French toast, which is “almost like a fried bread-and-butter pudding glazed with caramel”.

The charming casual atmosphere carries through to lunch, then dinner. The former is big and bright, with dishes like panzanella salad made sprightly with cucumber, fennel and basil served alongside crusty bread, and a fish curry with brown rice. You can do multiple courses – but more casual than Ursula’s – come dinner.

“When selecting the wines, we wanted to do a really great version of everything popular, and keep it affordable,” says Wood. The list traverses nearly every Australian state – from Rieslingfreak’s Eden Valley drop to Ten Minutes by Tractor’s 10X pinot noir from the Mornington Peninsula.

Beyond providing straightforward, reliably tasty dishes and wines, Wood and Davies hope to create a place for the people. “We wanted to make the space available for the community day and night,” says Wood. “We wanted to make it perfect for bringing the whole family for brunch; or mum and dad, or a date, for dinner.” Just don’t skip a slice of Margie’s orange cake.

Cafe Cressida
118 Queen Street, Woollahra

Hours:
Mon to Wed 7.30am–afternoon
Thu to Sun 7.30am–afternoon, 5.30pm–late

cafecressida.com.au
@cafecressida