Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen, Macquarie

Date Visited: Saturday 27 November, 2021

Japanese is one of my favourite cuisines, so it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this spread at Motto Motto. It seems many others had the same idea of dining here – the restaurant was very popular during our Saturday lunch, though not unexpected given Black Friday weekend sales. Motto Motto launched their brand new menu late November 2021, so I was definitely excited to try some of the new additions.

One of the highlights on the new menu is the kaisen donburi, featuring sashimi grade salmon from southern Tasmania, seared scallops, prawns, fish roe, avocado, edamame, and more! It was so incredibly fresh and you could really tell the ingredients were of high quality. If you love sashimi seafood you will definitely enjoy this bowl, and eating this made me feel super clean and wholesome. The side of ginger along with the miso soup also helped make this such a nice cohesive set meal.

Kaisen donburi – $19.9

I also tried the karaage chicken donburi and look how impressive it is! I love good karaage chicken and the serving portion was spot on – there’s enough pieces to make this bowl incredibly filling for the vast majority of diners. The runny egg here was absolute perfection too. Egg yolk and rice is always a heavenly combo – if you agree then this is probably the don for you.

Chicken karaage donburi – $15.9

Japanese inspired burgers are another exciting addition to the menu and this lobster and prawn number was definitely tasty. The lobster and prawn croquette went really with the yuzu Japanese mayo. The amount of mayo was super generous – almost too generous – so make sure you like mayo if you decide to order this one.

Lobster and prawn burger – $16

If you prefer something with a bit of a kick, the spicy chicken karaage burger would be a great option. Featuring hot and spicy Japanese fried chicken with spicy Japanese mayo, it had a nice amount of crunchiness and different textures to keep it interesting. It was indeed a bit spicy for me, but my spice tolerance level is extremely low – so it is probably not too spicy for most people.

Spicy chicken karaage – $14

I always love pork gyoza and these were absolutely delicious. The filling was so juicy and bursting with flavour. One of the recommended sides to order here for sure!

Pork gyoza – $8.9

We also had some good old edamame as a really nice fun snack on the side. Very good portion size and something that’s easy to keep going back to throughout the meal.

Edamame – $5

You can never have enough karaage chicken so I like that you can also get this as a side dish. I find that juicy crispy chicken always tastes so good with a little dip in the mayo. Always so satisfying.

Chicken karaage – $6

Lastly, you must order the soft serves here! They had black sesame and matcha during my visit and I loved both. The flavours were perfectly prominent and balanced well, and the amount that you get for the price is such good value. These soft serves are the best way to finish off your meal here.

Black sesame soft serve – $3.5 (left), matcha soft serve – $3.5 (right)

Also enjoyed these lychee drinks. Both the lychee soda and lychee ice tea were super refreshing, and I was told these are two of the most popular drinks here. Playing with the glass marble in the lychee soda bottle is also extra fun.

Japanese glass marble – original lychee – $4 (left), Pokka lychee ice tea – $5 (right)

Overall, I absolutely love Motto Motto – their menu has an excellent variety of classic Japanese favourites and exciting creative dishes, the ambience is super cosy and the service was prompt and friendly. On a previous visit I’ve also tried the ramen, other donburi and Japanese fries, and can vouch for these being delicious too. Would happily recommend dining at this Japanese eatery whenever you’re in Macquarie Centre or around the area, and they also have locations at Castle Towers and Marrickville Metro.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you to The Atticism for arranging the invite!

Motto Motto | Shop 3444, Macquarie Centre, Corner Herring and Waterloo Roads, Macquarie Park NSW 2113 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Valet, Cabramatta

Date Visited: Monday 7 October, 2019

This has long been on my brunch list, not only for the aesthetics of the food but for the interesting ideas on the menu. I couldn’t wait to try the Singapore chilli soft shell crab fries and find out what the beach balls actually tasted like. Cabramatta is a bit of a trek for most people and finding parking around the area is a task in itself, but it is well worth the effort. My first impression of the cafe was that I loved how plush all the chairs and sofas were. Very spacious and makes you feel like royalty.

Being quite a warm day we opted for some cold drinks, including the tropicana smoothie. The smoothie was a lovely creamy mix of house-made mango jam and mango blended with honey, yoghurt and ice. I had the watermelon and lychee cold brewed tea, which was super refreshing. There was quite a generous amount of lychees in the drink itself as well which was a pleasant surprise.

Tropicana – $8 (back left), watermelon and lychee fruit tea – $7 (back right), butterfly pea flower lemonade – $7 (front)

My friend ordered the homemade lemonade with butterfly pea flower syrup. You know it’s a gimmick but it’s still fun to watch the pouring of the butterfly pea syrup change the colour of the otherwise ordinary lemonade.

Butterfly pea flower lemonade – $7

Croissant for breakfast is a pretty standard choice, but Valet really elevates the humble croissant with two wonderfully runny poached eggs, a unique salted egg yolk hollandaise, smoked salmon and golden flakes for decoration. Even though I adore salted egg yolk, the dish didn’t leave much of an impression on me. There’s also a lot of greens on the plate which you may or may not love. It was still a nice dish, but everything together wasn’t fully cohesive so it didn’t wow me.

Golden moon – $18

Another classic with a twist were the Asian baked eggs with Vietnamese meatloaf, Chinese sausage and Thai pork mince, served with toasted sourdough. I loved the Asian flavours added to this dish and it was certainly very heartwarming comfort food. I feel like I would’ve loved even more of the baked eggs to go with the amount of sourdough given.

Aunty’s baked egg – $15 – df

One of my favourite dishes of the brunch were the beach balls and I really enjoyed these deep fried sweet potato mochi balls. The edible ‘sand’ and butterfly pea flower custard went so well with the mochi balls and this was such a delight for the eyes and mouth. Such a genius idea and so well executed as well. I have such a big sweet tooth I definitely ate more than my fair share of this dish.

Beach balls – $16 – v

For something more filling we tried the katsu sando as well. The chicken katsu was a bit dry and the flavour was a bit lacking, so it was a bit disappointing. Knowing that there are other places that can do a better katsu sandwich, I wouldn’t order this one again at Valet. We did love the fries though, which had awesome seasoning and were a very generous portion size.

Katsu sando box – $17

Another highlight of the brunch was the deep fried soft shell crab with Singapore chilli sauce, bread and fries. For something you just want to stuff your face with, this is the kind of dish you need. Though the chilli was relatively subdued, I was happy about that as I can’t really handle super strong chilli. Loved the soft shell crab in the delicious sauce on its own and didn’t really find myself needing or wanting any of the bread. Considering how filling this dish is and how there are several decent crab pieces, it is definitely one of the best value for money dishes on the menu.

Singapore chilli soft shell crab fries – $18 – df

For dessert, this matcha plate is so stunning. With a matcha brownie, matcha crumble, matcha sauce and matcha ice cream it is definitely matcha happiness. All the elements definitely tasted better together than on its own. The brownie needed the ice cream to cut through the denseness of the brownie, while the matcha crumb added lovely texture to every bite.

Sundae in Tokyo – $15 – v

Valet was such a fun brunch experience and there was something about almost every dish that made me really excited to try it. I love the Asian inspired flavours they’ve added into classic dishes, as well as the creativity in reinventing Asian food for brunch. Though not all the dishes were better than my expectations, it was still an enjoyable meal and my favourites were the beach balls and the Singapore chilli soft shell crab fries. Such a clever menu, I’d be happy to visit Valet again!

Valet | 38 Arthur Street, Cabramatta NSW 2166 | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

LUHO, Crows Nest

Date Visited: Sunday 19 January, 2020

I love some good modern Asian food, so I was pretty excited to give LUHO a try. I don’t recall when the last time, if ever, I have been to Crows Nest, so this was a fantastic reason to visit and check out the area. Walking into LUHO, I really loved the relaxed stylish vibe of the decor inside, but there’s also outdoor seating as an option.

We visited today to try the bottomless rosé lunch, which is $55 per person. The lunch features five dishes and is available Friday to Sunday. Something to note is that the dishes really involve various Asian flavours – I usually associate edamame with Japanese, spring rolls and san choi bao with Chinese and mee goreng with Indonesian. Places that sometimes do multiple cuisines end up not doing any of them well, so I was definitely interested to see how LUHO would do. Also, I really love how pretty and well designed the bottomless rosé lunch menu was!

We kicked things off straightway with some La La Land rosé. I’m not one for drinking on an empty stomach so I only had a sip or two before eagerly waiting for the food to arrive.

La La Land rosé

Starting us off was the edamame. I’m not the biggest fan of these beans, but I know some people love them. Probably the dish I was least excited for but I can admit that they can sometimes be fun to pop into your mouth. We ended up eating our food out of order, so the edamame worked quite well as a refresher in between the dishes.

Edamame

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the prawn wonton tacos, given that tacos are not really in Asian cuisine. However, I was absolutely blown away from the first bite. I fell in love with these tacos and was so impressed by the incredible prawn and sauce fillings. I also thought it would fall apart as soon as I ate it, but it actually kept its structural integrity pretty well. If you visit LUHO, these tacos are a must order. They were so good that I would have loved to have more than one!

Prawn wonton tacos

I had pretty average expectations of the spring rolls, having had so many in my life, but these spring rolls were definitely elevated up a notch. They were surprisingly brilliant with a super flavourful filling and might possibly be one of the best spring rolls I’ve had. This was another dish that really impressed me and far exceeded my expectations.

Spring rolls

Next was time for the chicken san choi bao, where I ended up getting my hands very dirty from how saucy the chicken was. However, getting your hands dirty is how it’s best eaten, by wrapping the chicken into the lettuce and trying to shove it into your mouth in an acceptable public manner. I also really enjoyed this, though my partner found the chicken quite salty. The flavours were definitely very strong, but for me it was balanced out okay with the lettuce and I liked the kick in the chicken.

Chicken san choi bao

The dishes started off quite small, but rest assured you would definitely be full, especially after the mee goreng. I believe my partner and I are both big eaters but we were struggling by the end to finish everything. These mee goreng noodles definitely tasted very authentic to me, though there was quite a lot of excessive sauce. I loved the big prawns and the fresh lettuce on the side, so it was only the sauce that I wanted less of.

Mee goreng

I can easily say that I was impressed by LUHO’s bottomless rosé lunch. The prawn wonton tacos and spring rolls were especially my favourites. Though LUHO managed to nail the flavours of every dish, the tacos and spring rolls were on another level. We were also so full after the five dishes, so I really feel that the lunch offers fantastic value. The ultimate verdict: Asian fusion done right!

The service was also so lovely, being very promptly attended to and having our glasses getting filled up when near empty, so a big thanks to the staff for contributing to the positive experience. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and have a nice long lunch with multiple dishes to share, and I would highly recommend LUHO’s bottomless rosé lunch. Would be especially great for a date or for a quality catch up session with a friend.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of LUHO, but all opinions and photos are my own.

LUHO| 77 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest NSW 2065 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Ramen Toriichi, Neutral Bay

Date Visited: Sunday 12 January, 2020

I really love ramen, and I really love Japanese food, so I could not wait to try Ramen Toriichi. Ramen Toriichi is not your regular ramen joint. They pride themselves as the only chicken based ramen specialist in Sydney. I was a tiny bit sceptical as I’m a huge fan of tonkotsu pork based ramen, but consider me converted! Their chicken ramen soup was just as thick, creamy and deliciously addictive as the best pork-based ramen.

I’ll start with one of their signature ramens, the Niniku Red. This was a red garlic flavour ramen and was absolutely amazing! I was so pleasantly surprised by how much flavour was packed in the soup – it was wonderfully rich but not excessively so. I did not want to stop and devoured this so quickly. The only thing that wasn’t perfect about this bowl was the egg. I love ramen soft boiled eggs but this was more hard boiled. It would be the only thing I would want to change. This ramen was also marked as chilli on the menu but was not at all, which is good for me because I can’t really handle too much chilli.

The picture below features the half size serving ($8) while there’s also a full serving for $15. I love how you have the size option so you can adjust based on personal preference or order half to try more of the other dishes!

Niniku red – $8 (half size)

One of the other Toriichi signature specials is their creamy handmade cheese chicken katsu. Featuring four generous pieces and accompanied by some cabbage, this was definitely a very tasty cheesy delight! The lovely crunch of the outside went so well with the creamy cheese inside. If you like melted cheese and chicken you will love this. These cheese chicken katsu pieces were also surprisingly filling. I’ve never seen such a dish before, so would definitely recommend trying this unique concept. An excellent idea and well executed.

Cheese chicken katsu – $15

You can also never go wrong with some gyoza or Japanese dumplings. This was Toriichi Ramen’s homemade spicy chicken dumplings with red garlic. The dumplings were not spicy at all, but they still packed a punch! Cooked to perfection, these dumplings were so juicy inside but with a wonderful crispy outside. I liked the addition of the red garlic, which made this a little different from other dumplings I’ve had. These dumplings also disappeared into our tummies super quickly.

Spicy dumplings – $8.5

I’ve never heard of cucumber miso before but this was the perfect side to have alongside the ramen. It was so refreshing and I really loved the sauce drizzled all over it! I would have never thought of such a dish but it’s so simple and brilliant. I would also recommend trying this, especially as it’s something you have probably never had before.

Cucumber shio – $4

Possibly leaving the best for last, we also tried the deluxe ramen teishoku, with the half size shoyu ramen. I also absolutely loved this ramen. Just as incredibly thick and glorious as the Niniku Red, but with a slightly different flavour profile. I love how this really changed my misconceptions of shoyu ramen not having as much taste. This Toriichi charred soy flavoured soup had such strong flavour to it, in the absolute best way possible.

The teishoku set also comes with a mini chashu don that I really enjoyed. There was the perfect amount of sauce to complement the rice and meat, and rest assured that the meat is not dry at all. I’m also a big fan of agedashi tofu and fresh salmon sashimi, so this was such great value. There’s also a mini salad to finish off this amazing set, which really lets you have quite a fantastic variety.

Deluxe ramen teishoku (shoyu) – $17

Ramen Toriichi is such a hidden gem! The restaurant is extremely cosy and really feels like an authentic Japanese restaurant. I was extremely impressed with the chicken based ramens, and I honestly think is one of my favourite ramen places of all time. Not only do they serve up incredible ramen with diverse flavours, but all the side dishes were also delicious. I would highly recommend trying out Toriichi’s chicken based ramen for yourself and getting converted into a chicken based ramen lover.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Ramen Toriichi, but all opinions and photos are my own.

Ramen Toriichi| 5&6/2A Waters Rd, Neutral Bay NSW 2089 | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

The Rotisserie House, North Ryde

Date Visited: Saturday 30 November, 2019

I was really excited to check out The Rotisserie House because there’s nothing more satisfying than some delicious fresh meats. Walking in, I loved how modern and nice the place was. Though it seemed like there was a lot of takeaway orders, probably from locals, the space is seriously so lovely to dine in with family or friends. There’s an amazing selection of tasty meats from the rotisserie and I could not wait to get started!

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had a whole fresh chicken, and now I know exactly where to go when I’m craving one. The Rotisserie House’s full chicken was absolutely amazing and so juicy, not dry at all. The meat was cooked to perfection and full of so much flavour on its own already, though it also comes with complimentary sauce. Honestly, this chicken was so satisfying and something I’d return back for.

Full chicken – $16.90

The dish that really pleasantly surprised me was the lamb souvla, with 250g of lamb served with pita bread. I’m always worried about meat being too dry, especially when it’s cut into pieces, but the lamb souvla here is truly divine. Cooked to perfection, this was basically everyone’s favourite dish of the day as the lamb is deliciously flavoured and really might be the best lamb you’ve ever had.

Souvla portion (lamb) – $14.90

I also really enjoyed these chicken pieces, but it was the chips that really impressed me. I have not had such delicious chips in ages and I know that I will be craving these again soon. They were so crispy and if you’re someone like me that adores chicken salt, this is the place to get it! I have to say I found the chips more addictive than the chicken pieces, so if I could only pick one chicken dish I’d definitely go for the full chicken, which was more juicy and flavourful.

Chicken pieces and chips

I also had the chance to try the pork belly and it was so, so satisfying. The pork was incredibly succulent with the natural pork juices filling my mouth with happiness. Definitely the perfect indulgence every now and again. If you’re a fan of super crunchy crackling, you’ll love this one. The crackling was so crunchy that it was a bit hard to cut with a knife and don’t be surprised if everyone at your table can hear the crack!

Pork souvla

The Rotisserie House also does such a wide variety of burgers! The Rotisserie House burger featured 100% aussie beef with classic burger ingredients of lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, cheese, aioli and tomato sauce. It was a great burger, one that would be great to get with a side of fries, but it was kind of a standard burger and not as impressive as the chicken or lamb souvla.

Rotisserie house burger – $9.40

If you’re craving a chicken burger, the chicken schnitzel with lettuce, tomato and a very generous serving of mayo is a good choice. Though the chicken is cooked well, it’s missing the wow factor, and most of the flavour feels like it’s the mayo sauce.

Chicken schnitzel burger – $8.50

Aside from chips, I really enjoyed the huge spread of fresh salad options that were so tasty on their own. I really enjoyed the pesto pasta and the mixed vegetables, and there are so many great options to choose from there’s something for everyone! There were also a few potato salads for the potato lovers out there, from herb and chilli potatoes to cream potatoes and lemon potatoes. The salads are the perfect healthy sides to complement the meats and can be ordered as small ($7.20), medium ($9.20) or large ($11.20).

Assorted salad dishes – $7.20 (small), $9.20 (medium), $11.20 (large)

It’s safe to say I really enjoyed my meal at The Rotisserie House and will be back for sure! It felt like an absolute local gem and I’m so glad I now know about this place. I would highly recommend all the rotisserie meats – as the name suggests, it’s what they do best, and the full chicken and lamb souvla were definitely the highlights. Please do yourself a favour and try this place out for some delicious, high quality, fresh food!

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of The Rotisserie House, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you for the invite!

The Rotisserie House | 16 Blenheim Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

X23 Cafe, Chippendale

Date Visited: Sunday 6 October, 2019

I’ve been meaning to visit this cafe for awhile, as I love the idea of an Asian fusion inspired brunch. With elements such as pandan, sambal, chilli crab and rendang on their signature menu, it’s enough to get anyone’s mouth watering! I went with a friend on a Sunday morning around 11am and was surprised that the cafe was empty aside from one solo diner. Though it’s a fair walk from Central station and at a fairly obscure location, it’s a beautifully designed modern cafe that deserves more visitors. It got more busy closer towards lunchtime though, with the place almost full by the time we finished up.

Starting off with drinks, I chose one of the X23 specialty drinks, a taro latte with soy. This taro latte was extremely flavourful and definitely one of the better ones I have had. I was also pleasantly surprised with the super cute paw that was on the top! It was similar to a marshmallow lolly and was a really sweet addition.

My friend opted to try the winter special Mandarin orange oolong tea. Unfortunately, this was far below expectations as it did not have much flavour. It was very watery and we both struggled to taste the oolong or the orange. There were lots of sago balls at the bottom but those were also very plain. Even though it looks really pretty, we did not feel that it was worth the $7.

Mandarin orange oolong tea – $7 (left), taro latte – $4 (right), with soy – $0.5

X23 have a specialty menu and a more standard menu of brunch classics. I always feel that it is better to try the specialty dishes at any restaurant, so one of our first picks was the X23 red eggs. This was probably the most generous scrambled egg dishes I have ever had. Flavoured with homemade spicy sambal sauce, the eggs were certainly the star of the dish. I am super weak with chilli but it barely tasted spicy at all to me. Adding sambal into the classic scrambled eggs was such a clever and unique flavour combination that worked so well.

The portion size was so generous. I wonder how many eggs went into this dish because it certainly felt like a lot. The egg was so filling that I didn’t even really eat that much of the croissant. The few crab pieces were also good but I did not pay too much attention to it compared to the egg. As this is such a heavy dish, I would definitely struggle to finish it myself, but it’s a great one to share.

X23 red eggs – $19.5

Having recently returned from a Singapore trip, I have fallen in love with salted egg yolk, so the salted egg yolk prawn pasta was a must order. The black squid ink linguine with butter glazed prawns and mushrooms was presented strikingly against the yellow salted egg yolk. I really loved this dish. The linguine was deliciously immersed with the glorious salted egg yolk – you could really taste it. I can certainly see why this was marked as one of the suggested dishes to get and I can see why you would pay $29 for this. This was one of the dishes that we pretty much universally saw every table order.

The dish was also marked as being chilli, but it was not chilli at all. The prawns were also quite big and lovely, even though there were only four pieces. It looks like quite a small dish but there is quite a good amount of noodles once it is all unravelled. However, my friend claimed that our dish had less noodles than two of our neighbouring tables. I can’t confirm if this was actually true or if we loved it so much we just wanted more. This was the favourite dish for both my friend and I, and we both wholeheartedly agreed that we would return just for this dish.

Salted egg yolk prawn pasta – $29

We ordered a third dish because I really wanted to try the pandan waffles as well and I didn’t want to not order the eggs or the pasta. These pandan waffles with homemade kaya jam and vanilla ice cream were delicious. Sometimes cafes put ice cream with waffles just to have something hot and cold, but the pandan and vanilla actually complimented each other really well. Admittedly, the kaya was very subtle and not really noticeable, but the consistency of the waffles were perfect and this was another winning dish for me. The lychee and seasonal fruits were lovely as well.

Pandan-lah – $19.9

Having not brunched in over two months, this was definitely the way to get inspired again from Sydney’s brunch scene. The specialty menu is truly original and I love how X23 have rejuvenated the standard brunch dishes with some classic Asian flavours. With such a diverse menu, it is a strong way to stand out from other cafes. There were so many delicious sounding dishes that I would love to have also been able to try. The three dishes we ordered between two was definitely more than enough and we were both struggling at the end with no regrets. I greatly enjoyed my brunch at X23 and am a huge supporter of the Asian fusion concept.

X23 Cafe | 102/18 Park Lane, Chippendale NSW 2008 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Celsius Coffee Co, Kirribilli

Date Visited: Sunday 18 March, 2018

I feel like Celsius Coffee Co is one brunch place that almost everyone has heard of. Known for its beautiful location on Kirribilli wharf, where you can eat with a view of the sea, as well as for its stunning waffle, it’s taken me far too long to get here. When we arrived on Sunday morning, there was already a lot of people milling about outside waiting for a table. We put our names down and waited about 15-20 minutes before getting seated. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a table next to the sea, but rather one of the inside tables, but we could still appreciate the view, just from a little further away.

Obviously, we had to order the Celsius waffle, as it is any food blogger’s dream. Also, have you really been to Celsius Coffee Co if you don’t try the waffle? One of the most beautiful cafe dishes out there, it also tasted amazing. Definitely one of my new favourite waffles, and it was pretty perfect, even though I stayed clear of the peanut butter cream. Upon first glance I was worried it would be a bit dry, but the waffle had the right amount of maple syrup soaked into it, and combined with all the lovely fresh fruit, every bite was a delight. I can see why this dish is so popular, and if I return to this cafe again, it’s an absolute must order.

Celsius waffle with berries, maple syrup, toasted nuts and peanut butter cream – $19 – v

Lately, I have also been quite into healthy vegetarian or vegan inspired dishes, so the super greens breakfast caught my eye. This dish included sautéed kale, asparagus, lime avocado puree, poached eggs, seeds and nuts on sourdough. This was also such a stunning dish, and I loved the presentation of it – it was definitely super green indeed! The mix of all the flavours wasn’t quite right for me, but it definitely ticked the box for making me feel healthy. The avocado puree was a bit strange and didn’t seem to complement the vegetables that well. I love that there was a poached egg in this though, as any dish with one instantly gets extra kudos.

Super Greens Breakfast – $18 – v

For drinks, I had one of their botanica cold press juices, and ended up picking the watermelon, apple and lemon one. $7.50 for juice isn’t the cheapest but it was really refreshing on the hot day. You can see a photo of my juice in the first flatlay photo above. My friend opted to try their cold brew coffee, which was a nice drink with a light caffeine boost that went well with the meal.

Cold brew coffee – $6

There are often really high expectations for insta-famous cafes like Celsius Coffee Co, but I felt like this was one cafe that really lived up to its reputation. I absolutely loved the waffle, and both that and the super greens breakfast was quite filling. Despite how busy it was, the service was also really good, and we did not have to wait that long to order or to catch the attention of a waiter/waitress.

Though Celsius Coffee Co is not the most conveniently located, it’s worth it for its unique ambience. The view below emphasises how it’s the perfect catch up place for any sunny day, and I feel like it won’t be long till I am back.

Celsius Coffee Co | Kirribilli Commuter Wharf, 1/2 Holbrook Ave, Kirribilli | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.