Our New Menu Has Landed: Why We Chose Quality Over Quantity

There's a moment every café owner knows well. It's mid-morning, the room is full, the coffee machine hasn't stopped, and a beautiful plate is sitting in the pass a few seconds too long because the kitchen is juggling too many things at once. I've watched that moment more times than I'd like to admit and it's the reason our menu looks a little different today.

Welcome to the new Dad and the Frog menu. We've trimmed it back, sharpened it up, and pointed our whole kitchen at one goal: making fewer dishes, brilliantly.

Why we changed the menu

I want to be honest with you, because that's how we like to do things around here. This wasn't a decision we made on a whim or because a trend told us to. It came from listening.

We went back through your feedback and reviews. We sat down with our regulars the faces we see most mornings, the ones who order "the usual" before they've even sat down. We talked it through with our team, the people plating your food and pulling your coffee every single day. And after a fair bit of deliberation (and more than a few flat whites), the same thing kept surfacing.

A long menu looks generous on paper. In a busy kitchen, it quietly works against you. It splits attention, slows service, and makes consistency harder than it needs to be. We spotted the inefficiencies, and rather than push our team to simply do more, we decided to do better.

So we tightened the menu. Every dish that stayed earned its place. Everything our kitchen makes now, it can make beautifully, every time whether you walk in at 7am on a quiet Tuesday or right in the middle of a packed Saturday.

Quality over quantity, the Dad and the Frog way

If you've spent any time with us, you'll know our philosophy is simple: cooked with care, like family. We've always made our sauces, jams, relishes and pickles in-house, sourced local produce, and brewed coffee we're genuinely proud to put in front of you. A tighter menu doesn't change that, it protects it.

Fewer dishes means our kitchen can give each one the attention it deserves. It means faster, friendlier service, because the team isn't stretched thin. And it means the plate that lands in front of you is the best version of itself, not a compromise made under pressure. That's not us cutting corners. That's us cutting the noise so the good stuff shines.

Say hello to the Truffled Ocean Trout

Now for the part I'm most excited about. New to the menu is our Truffled Ocean Trout and it's a bit of a stunner.

Delicately cooked ocean trout, lifted with an earthy whisper of truffle, plated with the same in-house care we put into everything. It's the kind of dish that feels a little special without trying too hard, perfect for a leisurely weekend brunch, a catch-up that runs long, or simply treating yourself on a grey Surry Hills morning. It's a quiet statement of where the kitchen is heading: refined, seasonal, and made with intent.

The classics aren't going anywhere

Don't worry, we'd never tear up the recipe book. The Dad and the Frog classics you've come back for are still right where you left them.

The Frog Mac is still holding court for the burger lovers. The French toast is still the order you sheepishly justify as "brunch." The hash browns still disappear off plates faster than we can explain why they're so good. And our coffee is still the heart of the room. Tightening the menu was never about taking away your favourites, it was about giving them, and everything around them, more room to be great.

Come taste the difference

A great café isn't measured by how many things it can make. It's measured by how it makes you feel when you're sitting in it, fed, looked after, and glad you came. That's what this new menu is built around.

So come and see for yourself. Settle into our little spot at 96 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills, grab a coffee, and let us look after you. Whether you're chasing the new Truffled Ocean Trout or reaching straight for a classic, we've made sure every plate is one we'd happily serve our own family.

We're open weekdays from 6:30am and weekends from 7:30am, with the kitchen running until 2pm.

Book a table or just wander in, the kettle's on.