Cafe Ish: Crab Omelette and Wattleseed Maccacino, Surry Hills (10 Oct 2010)

82 Campbell Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

http://www.cafeish.com.au

Oz food with a Japanese twist

I've never seen a signature dish blogged so much in Sydney since Plan B's Wagyu Beef Burger. It seems the $25 SIFF brunch deal has helped gain much interest for Cafe Ish's Crab omelette ($23) comprising of crispy crab, avocado, shallot, garlic, chilli, soy, ginger dressing and lime. An unusual combination which seems to work. The soft shell crab is particularly well cooked to my liking. The bold taste of the sauce can possibly be a bit overpowering for some but taken in moderation it seems to work OK. Having been ill the night before my taste buds weren't in fine form so it was hard to appreciate the signature coffee of Wattle Maccacino ($4) which combines wattleseed's roasty flavor with macadamia's sweet mellow flavors. The brunch deal also included a Mini triffle 'Lush' yoghurt with native berry compote and toasted house made muesli.

The Bennedict ish ($23) also came with lovely crispy crab along with sautéed spinach, poached egg, toast and sake hollandaise. The chef is a huge fan of quality sake and I was treated to sample of the Kizan Sanban 2010 japanese sake. I'm not a huge fan of sake and still prefer my gin & tonic but it was one of the nicer tasting sakes I've had — but was still a little hard to stomach as a morning drink before noon. I might have to try the Crab omelette again when my taste buds are in better form as well as the chicken schnitzel sandwich which I spotted the chef making in the kitchen — they looked pretty yummy.

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• Gastonomous Anonymous

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• Not Quite Nigella

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• The Ninja Review

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SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting menu with Japanese influence, Crocodile, kangaroo and emu on the menu to try

CONS: Popular so you might have to wait for a table, Be sure to ask permission before taking photos, Restaurant website seems a bit awkward to navigate

MUST TRY: Crab omelette (signature dish) at least once, Hope to try the ribs one day

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Crab omelette: Crispy crab, avocado, shallot, garlic, chilli, soy, ginger dressing and lime ($23)

Bennedict ish: Crispy crab, sautéed spinach, poached egg, toast and sake hollandaise ($23)

Wattle Maccacino: Signature coffee. Wattleseed's roasty flavor and macadamia's sweet mellow flavours are in a cup ($4)

Mini triffle 'Lush' yoghurt, native berry compote, toasted house made muesli

Kizan Sanban 2010 japanese sake — complimentary tasting

Kitchen peep hole

Tap water

Sugar options

Seating

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