Cafe Kentaro at Surry Hills combines iconic western food favourites with a japanese influence, whilst paying respects to the traditions of both food cultures.
Dazz and Melle score a table outside on the leafy and quiet bourke st for a lazy Saturday lunch. So who's hungry?
Let's get straight into the food. Above is the 'Not So Mexican Tacos' ($18). The tacos were action-packed and quite filling with kakuni pork belly, lentils, mustard, radish, shallot mint, coriander and a good squeeze of lime. I understand kakuni pork belly is a braised pork dish which is nice however I was craving pork crackling. Overall, I recommend this dish
Cafe Kentaro's Japanese Hot Dog ($14) is a savoury affair with pork sausage, shimeji mushroom, bonito flakes, shiso leaf and nori seaweed with a dash of mustard in a soft brioche bun. This is a creative take on the traditional hot dog. A tad messy to eat with hands thus best eaten with a knife and fork to capture a bit of everything in each bite.
It's been a hot sydney summer thus we add a couple refreshments - cue Lychee, pineapple and mint iced tea ($6) and Minted Lemon Lime Bitters ($6). I love lychee flavours.
Then onto the desserts! Who's ready for a delight?
The Matcha Lamington ($5) is a standout. A light and fluffy aussie lamington with a subtle matcha and coconut coating that successfully matchas/matches the two cultures together. (Sorry couldn't resist the pun!). A definite recommend.
For the matcha fans, try their epic Matcha Cream Puff ($6), a generous mound of thick matcha cream between a choux pastry. The green matcha flavour is a lot stronger in this dessert, though we really enjoyed it, and found the matcha cream complimented the former Matcha Lamington really well.
The Yuzu Tart ($6) has a strong citrus zing that packs a vitamin punch and it's topped with an epic mountain of meringue. So this dessert is definitely for a meringue lovers. I prefer the matcha lamington and that's my fave dessert though.
We later learn that Cafe Kentaro is actually the sister store to the original Cafe Oratnek at Redfern, which is moreso japanese food with a western influence. We also notice that Oratnek is Kentaro spelt backwards - very clever twist!
We later learn that Cafe Kentaro is actually the sister store to the original Cafe Oratnek at Redfern, which is moreso japanese food with a western influence. We also notice that Oratnek is Kentaro spelt backwards - very clever twist!
Summary: A creative menu of classic western dishes fused with japanese influence. Highlights for us were the Not So Mexican Tacos and Matcha Lamington dessert.
Price: $25-$30pp
Location: 616 Bourke St, Surry Hills
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 7am to 3:30pm, Sun 8am to 3:30pm.
Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of Cafe Kentaro. All photos, words and opinions are our own.
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