Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Sly, Surry Hills


One of my favourite areas in Surry Hills is the long-stretched Devonshire Street. Both ends of this street and its surroundings are full of places that will excite any food enthusiast. A few weeks ago, Sly opened up in the heart of Devonshire Street.


Sly has an industrial meets hipster kind of vibe. Chef Dean Wilkinson is the owner and head chef behind this rad cafe. Just like most cafes in this part of town, they offer coffees and pastries.  What sets them apart from the rest is their specialty on jaffles and toasties. My cafe-hopping buddy Chocolatesuze and I went to check out Chef Dean's work.


Piccolo latte

Flat white
They source their beans from Roastworks in Artarmon. The blend used in their espresso drinks ($3.50) like piccolo lattes and flat white is called the Snowqueen. It is a full-bodied blend that is also buttery with notes of chocolate.
Manchego

The jamon and manchego toastie ($10) called out to me as soon as I glanced at the menu. After my first bite onto the crunchy toast, my palate was embraced by the toastie innards, which consisted of jamon, manchego cheese and a spread that's like spiced tomato relish. It tasted like pizza! The melted manchego was creamy and buttery that it made that moment absolute bliss for me. Something so simple tasted so awesome!
Mushroom stack

The mushroom stack ($14) was another outstanding dish. The silky and sexy baked mushrooms went perfectly with the sorrell, labna, tomato chutney and PX reduction. The creamy and milky labna with the sweet tomato relish works a treat like sweet chilli sauce and sour cream.
Notorious P.I.G.


If you love all things pork, then the Notorious P.I.G. ($16) is just for you! I was left "hypnotize" (also my favourite Notorious B.I.G. track) by the perfectly cooked braised pork shoulder, smoked speck, and chorizo on toast. The poached eggs with runny yolk complete the porky experience.
Duck and chestnut jaffle

On another visit, I had the duck and chestnut jaffle ($8.50). It was simple but amazing! The pulled duck meat was so tender. Along with the earthy chestnut and sweet prune sauce, this jaffle was absolutely delicious.
Chocolate tart with vanilla bean creme anglaise

Last but not least was their chocolate tart, which is made in the premises. The chocolate biscuit pastry and dark chocolate ganache filling was glorious! It was rich and luscious. The ganache had a mild bitter taste but once the vanilla bean crème anglaise was poured, the bitterness disappears. The anglaise gives the tart well-balanced flavours and slightly sweetens it. I highly recommend this!

If you want your jaffles and toasties with a twist and great coffee, then Sly is where you need to drop by!

Sly
212 Devonshire Street
Surry Hills NSW
Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 7am - 4pm

Sly on Urbanspoon

Friday, April 4, 2014

Kwila, Surry Hills


I'm so down with all that Melbourne laneway dopeness. As a matter of fact, I love the concept of laneway cafes. It could be the street cred vibe brought by laneway setting that draws me into this hipster joints. Thanks to Rui and CorridorKitchen's tip, I found another happy place in the form of Kwila.



Vic - Owner and barista

Kwila is a hidden gem tucked away in Foster St, Surry Hills. It's a laid-back type cafe with a hipster and industrial look. A dude named Mark is the artist behind the vibrant eccentric artwork on the walls. Vic (owner and barista) serves honest and brilliant coffee. Some of the best to hit Surry Hills! As a roaster himself, Vic takes full pride in his work and pours out so much passion into his coffee making.
Flat white
Piccolo latte
For their espresso drinks like flat white ($3.50) and piccolo latte ($3.50), he uses The Mayor blend, which is a house blend roasted by Blind Man Coffee. The coffees were medium to full body with nutty, buttery, chocolate and faint fruity notes. The textured milk temperature was perfect and optimised to bring the best out of the blend.

He also does cold drips ($3.50) and I was able to sample a single origin from Ethiopia Sidamo. It was earthy and fruity. But with a drop of lime wedge on the cold drip coffee, it was like a whole new wonderful world opened up. The citrus element of the lime made the coffee sweeter.


Smashed eggs and tomato on sourdough toast with chimichurri
They also have muesli, pastries and other sweet treats available. The hot food we available on a regular basis soon. I was lucky enough to sample their smashed egg and tomato on sourdough toast with chimichurri (around $6.50-$7.00). It's one of those perfect in it's simplicity type dishes. But it's smudging some of their amazing garlicy housemade chimichurri on the eggs, tomato and toast that makes the dish extra delicious.


If you're after rad coffee in a chilled environment and surrounded by friendly coffee loving individuals, then Kwila is a place you must visit. Follow them on Instagram and like them on Facebook for more updates on their upcoming hot plates.

Kwila
Shop 7, 46 Foster St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Trading hours:
Monday to Friday 7:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday 8:30am - 1:00pm
Sunday 9:00am - 12:00pm