Local Mbassy, Ultimo

Local Mbassy is a cafe in Ultimo which has modern and tasty treats in store. MW and I check it out one Sunday morning to see what all the fuss is about. You should check out their amazing photos on instagram. 

Highlights

All the food is amazing so you can't go wrong but why not try something different and get the staff recommendations. I highly recommend the lamb melt. It's the owner's favourite and mine too. Make sure you order one of their unique lattes - Red velvet or Taro latte anyone? 

My experience

MW and I sit by the window on one of their stools. I'm short but eventually get up on the stool. I look around and notice all the eccentricities of Local Mbassy including old skool decorations on the wall, the light bulbs in a warehouse ceiling and cement coffee bar. There's also a huge image on the wall that you can't ignore - charming old gentlemen looking at me.

I order a taro latte ($4.50, below) and MW goes for the chocolate smoothie ($7, above). MW beams as he tastes the chocolate smoothie and motions me to try it. "It's proper ice cream", he says. I taste the smoothie and taste an intense chocolate hit. I sip my taro latte and I love the taro flavours. It's perfectly balanced and not too sweet. Highly recommend trying the taro latte if you've never had one before.

I try the owner's favourite dish which is the open lamb melt ($17, above and below photo). It's a slow roast cooked lamb for 8 hours (yum), mozzarella cheese, fried egg, salad, mbassy sauce served on artisan bread. From the outside it looks like such a simple dish but as I cut into the melt - I am discovering loads of cheese and lamb and a pickled onion which makes for an amazing flavour combination. That lamb is so delicious and is very satisfying. I can see why this is the owner's favourite. I highly recommend! The fried egg on top is also perfectly cooked. A great brunch dish.

MW goes for the Butter Milk Crispy Chicken ($19) which is a spicy fried chicken, lettuce, tomato, lime pesto mayo and is served up battered potato chips. The burger comes out green so your inner child suddenly lights up. I bite into the butter milk chicken and there's a really nice spicy kick to it. It's subtle to begin with but hits you afterwards. The chips are thick cut and always a pleasure to eat. Yum

For dessert, MW and I share the Red Velvet Pancakes ($19). They are served up with your choice of strawberries, mascarpone, white chocolate sauce OR oreo mousse, fresh cherries, roasted pistachio and a cherry glaze. As you can imagine, it would be difficult to make a stack with soft pancakes so I would describe the red velvet elements more like a flat cake. The cake-like texture with the cream and strawberries are very nice to eat. Just don't expect that soft pancake texture. It was a bit too sweet for me but MW has a sweet tooth and enjoys this dish.

Summary: Local Mbassy is a nice little cafe. I wish I lived in the Ultimo area as I would love a local cafe like this. My favourite was the lamb melt! Make sure you order the taro latte.

Price: $20ish mains

Location: 310 Wattle St, Ultimo

Opening Hours: 7am to 3:30pm Weekdays, 8am to 4pm Weekends

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of Ompty. All photos, opinions and words are my own.