Solitary Kiosk, Leura NSW
It certainly is a demonstration of a chef’s humility when they open a lower priced offshoot and make their top cuisine affordable for all. Think Becasse and Plan B (with its $10 Wagyu burger and $2 lemon tarts); Fifteen Restaurant and Canteen, and in Leura: Solitary Restaurant and Kiosk. Whilst the restaurant offers 5 courses for $95, a mere $10 will get you a hearty gourment brunch or lunch in its kiosk located on the same premises, same sweeping views over the blue mountains. A charming weatherboard hut perched atop a ledge midway between Katoomba and Leura, set in a garden filled with blooms. I started off with a tangy, tart and perfectly sweet home made lemonade ($3.50).
The lemon zest added even greater depth of flavour; and the sourness of the lemon was balanced with the sweetness of the sugar syrup. Equally delicious was the coke spider (my first taste can you believe it!). Our group was pretty evenly split between the steak sandwich, caponata salad and chicken sandwich. So you would have thought that the kitch would find it easy to fill the order for 8. Sadly I think they weren’t accustomed to the influx of Sydney siders for APEC long weekend holiday, so the food took forever to come – I felt sorry for the couple that came after us! But lucky there is the view, and well when you go to the country you’re not in much of a rush anyway! The open steak sandwich ($15.50) was a good sized minute steak cooked medium well, served between two delicious thick slices of wood fired bread – the crumb dense enough to hold in the home made tomato relish, sweet delicious caramelised onion, lettuce, and grilled tomato. The caponata salad ($15.50) captivated us when we saw another patron (we assumed regular) order it. A warm salad piled on top of the same bread (which I am so glad is not sourdough) – comprising diced zucchini, eggplant, tomato, onion, celery, pinenuts and olive oil – hearty vegetarian feast that created added interest through the listing of dark chocolate on the menu!
The humble chicken sandwich was given a gourmet style makeover and still priced only marginally above a Sydney CBD cousin at $9.90! Thick slicse of poached chicken breast mixed with home made mayonnaise and herbs. I was told that the bread had a lemony twist – not sourdough I was told by two sources. The cress was on the side rather than in the sandwich – meaty enough to last well into your hike! As we left filled with full stomachs and even better, full wallets, we passed the sweet offerings of the day – basket of fresh baked scones, dense sinful looking brownies and huge florentines. 
Does bushwalking get any better than this? haha.
90 Cliff Drive, Leura Falls www.solitary.com.au