To expedite proceedings we sat at the marble bar. It's enormous so there is plenty of space for diners on one side and service on the other without any disturbance. The large room is nicely finished, has pale timber and ceiling-high windows so its light and open - one of my favourite features of any antipodean cafe in town. Fresh flower arrangements bring some colour to the room - I liked the touch of eucalyptus. I might add that the downstairs bathrooms weren't ignored with flowers to greet you at the foot of the stairs and the smell of fresh paint!
Deciding what to order took all of two minutes. The classic Bill's menu is on offer and while I did momentarily consider the scrambled eggs and the sweet corn fritters, I had to have the ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. And a flat white, and fresh orange juice from the Zummo juicer.
The two delicious hotcakes were piping hot, thick and fluffy (is that why they aren't called pancakes I wonder?) with the maple syrup served on the side. Chewing on the real honeycomb was fun - no flavourings here!
Despite the queue still at the door 2 and a half hours later, we weren't rushed out. The service was friendly and attentive. The prices are reasonable - £20 each. Coffees are only £2.50 which is just as well because when they're this good I can't have just one.
I'm hoping to go back the next weekend I'm in town but I very much doubt the crowd will have died down.
