Surf Spot Cafe, The Entrance

Jackie's Bowls Shop

A week without internet? It's enough to make any twitterer clutch their chest with panic.

But you know what? It is possible. Truly.

I spent my Easter break up at The Entrance with family and it's amazing how much free time you have if you're forcibly disconnected from online distractions. I made good use of the pool and the sauna after dinner, or found myself curled up on the lounge re-watching episodes of This Life.

An ideal destination for young families, Master Four and Miss Two had a ball too, having fun at the beach, splashing in the water garden and bouncing with endless energy on the jumping castle.

For a city-slicker like myself, I found myself enamoured with the dated shop fronts and fittings, so retro they're surely trendy again. Jackie's Bowls Shops? Gold. And I can't remember the last time I saw a clothing store with the word "frocks" in its signage. Even the Chinese restaurant next door has those delightful octagonal window cut-outs.


Riviera Frocks and Sportswear


Di's Scrapbooks

In the dim light of dusk, there was a slight doubletake at Di's Scrapbooks, when the blockout letters faded into the night.


Lakeside Shopping Centre

An embarrassing number of hours were spent in the grocery aisles at the local shopping centre, although it did result in quite a few good nosh-ups for dinner.


Steak sandwich $7.50

When we first arrived however, it was all about finding lunch. And fast.

A follower of the "when in Rome" adage, I skipped the offers of Thai and Chinese and headed straight to the local burger bar, the Surf Spot Cafe. Staffed by two women in aprons, it's the kind of old-fashioned milk bar that's rapidly disappearing from suburban Sydney.



The steak sandwich is a hark back to the days of yore, two slices of white sandwich bread toasted slapped around a minute steak and caramelised onions. The generous slather of margarine is balanced by slices of tomato and beetroot and a thick bed of shredded lettuce.

The steak is more on the chewy side of well-done, and there are no fancy relishes or mayonnaise swirls, but that's half the appeal - it's a simple and honest sandwich.


Hamburger with the lot $7.50

In my book, honesty always tastes better with bacon, so my hamburger with the lot has me grinning with happiness.



There isn't a thing more you could stuff into this burger bun. A beef patty nestles on a bed of shredded lettuce, tomato and beetroot, topped with a rasher of crispy bacon, a fried egg and a ring of pineapple all doused with barbecue sauce.

Oh yeah baby. It really is that good.


Potato scallops $0.70 each

Potato scallops remind me of school days, but alas these aren't so good. Suprisingly mealy in texture, they're definitely not the best I've had.




Pineapple fritters $0.70 each

And because a girl likes to finish her meal with dessert, pineapple fritters are a burger's best friend.



These are also a tad disappointing, the batter thick and greasy.

But the memory of the burger lives on, alongside the knowledge that one can survive without internet - nay, be happy. Especially once the twitching stops.




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Surf Spot Cafe
2/149 The Entrance Rd, The Entrance, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 4332 4428

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