Cafe Oratnek, Redfern
Wednesday, August 05, 2015
Japanese food is one of my favourite cuisines. It’s fresh, tasty
and healthy; full of pure, delicate but sophisticated flavours. When you integrate
it into Sydney’s booming café culture, you get what I would consider to be the
holy grail of culinary creation.
Tucked away in the suburbia of Redfern, not too far away
from Cleveland Street and Prince Alfred Park, Cafe Oratnek has already gained a
cult following despite only opening two short weeks ago. The man behind this
homely space is Kenny Takayama, whom the café is named after (Oratnek is
Kentaro in reverse! Ha!).
Part of the draw is the Asian-influenced menu, with
drool-worthy an already iconic items such as pork katsu sandwich, served on
thick white bread as the Japanese do, and miso beef short ribs, among other
dishes.
Nestled in a converted terrace house and marked by a cute chalkboard
on the footpath, the front courtyard of Café Oratnek blooms cheerful flowers
and a fresh herb bed. The interior is clean and minimalist, with white tiled
walls, polished wooden tables and powder blue accents.
Judging from Helen and Raff's posts, the café seems set
to become the hottest new culinary venture that will have all flocking to
sample their delicious fusion fare. Although weekends seem to be popular, we
come on a quiet weekday morning to try the breakfast menu, which has
traditional dishes such as a bacon and egg roll, as well as more quirky options
like chilli jam, cucumber and goats cheese on toast and a chia and quinoa
porridge pot. Japanese-infused sides include a tempting kombu cured salmon and
grilled ham steak.
Berry, pomegranate and mint iced tea ($6) and orange juice ($6)
Iced tea is fragrant and strong, an alluring deep violet
colour with fresh berries bobbing around among sprigs of mint. It arrives in an
artful sugar-rimmed glass. Freshly squeezed orange juice is cloudy and refreshing,
full of the sweet goodness of nourishing Vitamin C. My dining companion says
‘it tastes just like my Grandma’s’.
Sautéed mix of wild mushrooms, miso, butter, goats cheese, herbs ($13)
I’ve heard amazing things about this wild mushroom toast,
and they were justified the moment we got a taste of those pungent, earthy
mushrooms. Although there’s a sprinkle of chilli garnishing the top, it’s not
hot in a spicy way– rather, the tangy goats cheese melds with the slippery,
chewy mushrooms to create an umami, knee-weakening mouthful of flavours. Each
mushroom variety – oyster, field, button – has its own unique texture, making every
mouthful different to the previous. Thick, charred Brickfields sourdough is
the perfect vehicle for the topping. It’s a Japanese twist on conventional mushrooms
on toast, executed in a way that pleases both the eyes and the palette, with
delicate hints of miso and the rounded flavour of butter.
Mashed green peas, jamon serrano, broad beans, spinach, kale, pecorino
($13)
Another toast option on the same wonderful sourdough, a
tumble of wholesome raw kale, baby spinach, blanched broad beans and peas are
paired with smoky Serrano Jamon and a light oil dressing. It has a bright,
lively look and taste about it - an almost salad-like topping. A shaving
of pecorino provides a soft, tangy contrast to the flavoursome Jamon ribbons. This
is more of a bruschetta-style topping, not as comforting nor full-flavoured as
the mushrooms but delicious in a fresh, healthy way.
Turmeric edamame and cauliflower ($6)
Fluorescent, yellow-stained
cauliflower florets, cucumber and daikon batons carry a burst of umami. Laced with chilli and hot mustard seeds, the vegetables are interspersed
with pods of fresh edamame, and we love the textures of the vegetables which
retain a pickle-like crunch. The flavours get quite strong near the bottom where
the sauce puddles, but it’s a interesting, fulfilling, palette-cleansing side, although quite a small size.
Website:
http://www.oratnek.com.au/
4 comments
love the look of the jumble of mushrooms on your toast!
ReplyDeleteThis place has been appearing all over y feed recently. Definitely need to check it out
ReplyDeleteI love the Japanese fusion flavors! The mushroom toast looks great. There lunch menu also has a few things I would really like to try out.
ReplyDeleteI think it's their fusion menu that makes it so popular! Need to try the pork katsu sandwich from the lunch menu next time :)
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