It’s hard for the cosy, coastal interior design (featuring exposed brick; restored stairs; a crisp white moulded ceiling; and all original sash and double-hung windows) to compete with the view of the rotunda and Balmoral Bay. But the corner-set Pasture of Balmoral Sydney gives it a very good crack.

Owners Lizelle and TJ Viljoen, neither of whom come from a hospitality background, are striving to make a conscious and positive environmental impact with Pasture, using vetted producers and Earth-friendly measures (no plastic straws; an I-Milk bench-top milk bladder in place of hundreds of plastic jugs) to cap off the culinary experience.

Brunch is a calling card, given dinner is currently only three days a week. Fat spelt crumpets marry well with honey and a lemony cream and, while its lemon-myrtle powder could certain feature more heavily, celebrates the hand-made ethos. Salmon rillettes sit on poppy-seeded Brasserie Bread, with beetroot three ways (thin coins, fried, and matchsticked) and plump, bright caperberries. Coffee is by Will&Co — a partnership from the cafe’s inception — and is served in pottery sourced by Lizelle from around the world, providing a comfort that comes from the most considered of coffees. Even the butter is thought out; here, it’s flown in from France.
Seafoam features in many incarnations, from musty blue tones to deep, oceanic greens — and then some. The space — which features bifolds along the...