Operating out of a little Victorian terrace house, in the inner city suburb of Redfern, Cafe Oratnek is the solo venture of Kentaro (Kenny) Takayama, the former Head Chef of Bills, Darlinghurst. The cafe is an embodiment of Kenny, with the name of the cafe being “Kentaro” spelt backwards, and the food on the menu being Australian food with an Asian inspiration.
The interior of the cafe has brick exposed walls, with subway tiles and timber furnitures. There is also a courtyard area where customers can sit among the flowers and herbs that are growing.
Fizzy Oratnek lemonade ($6)
The homemade lemonade was full of fizz and had real lemon flavour. A refreshing drink for the summer time.
Sandwich – 200g pork fillet katsu, cabbage, Japanese bbq sauce, mustard ($12)
The pork katsu was done to perfection, with the crumbed skin crispy, while the pork was still soft and juicy on the inside. The softness of the bread was also a good contrast to the crispiness of the outside of the pork fillet. The flavour of this dish was a combination of the pork juices of the fillet, and the kick from the mustard, which made this dish very enjoyable. The only slight disappointment to the dish was the cabbage, which was drenched in sauce, and this covered up its crunchiness and freshness. But despite this, this is a dish that we would come back for again and again.
Miso bbq boneless beef short rib, san choy bow, coriander dip ($21)
The dish was presented nicely, with an abundance of greens on the plate. The meat was very tender and tasty, and it literally melted in our mouths. Even though there were a lot of greens, the flavour of the meat still empowered the whole dish. The addition of the kimchi and the sauce on the side provided a good kick to the dish. The only drawback to this dish was the difficulty to eat this dish as a traditional san choy how, as the beef pieces were too large to wrap with the lettuce. But despite this, the flavour of this dish was fantastic.
Overall, Cafe Oratnek is a unique cafe, with its Asian inspired flavours, set in a trendy suburb. The dishes we have tried were all very tasty. This will do for us!
Cafe Oratnek
Website: http://www.oratnek.com.au
Address: 4 Pitt Street, Redfern
Phone: (02) 8394 9550
Opening hours: Mon to Sat, 7am to 4pm; Sun 8am to 4pm
Accepts all major credit cards
Burn My Mouth Blog 