Milk Bar by Cafe Ish is near Redfern train station and serves a famous soft shell crab omelet.
2013
I wasn’t there for that, though. It was a very hot Thursday and I wanted something small. So I had the bacon cheeseburger.
The bacon cheeseburger consisted of (from top to bottom): a toasted bun, a slice of bacon, a slice of tasty cheese, a meat patty, a bit of onion, and of course, a toasted bun. Its very different from your standard cheeseburger from McDonald’s, but very tasty! The bun was toasted just enough so that the bread innards were still soft, the bacon and meat patty were juicy, and the small amount of onion was passable even for someone who’s not a fan of onion.
2015
The oppressive heat of our Australian summer finally cooled down to make a lengthy walk to Milk Bar by Cafe Ish comfortable. This time, I was keen to try their more signature dishes.
The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish is known for its vast selection of milkshakes. I have a weakness for all things lime, so the Coola Hoola with vanilla ice cream and housemade lime syrup was the obvious choice. The milkshake came out the most beautiful pastel green. It was rather milky, which was to be expected. The lime flavour that shone through was more of a lime cordial flavour without any of the zesty flavour of fresh limes. That was a tad disappointing.
But the Crab with Chips ($15.50) is what I made the trek for! This is a half size portion of their karaage soft shell crab omelette with avocado and shallots, drizzled with a sauce of chilli, garlic, soy and ginger, and served with a side of chips and half a lime.
The flavours of this omelette are quintessentially Japanese – it’s like eating in a Tōkyō cafe … except you’re in Redfern, a suburb where an association with anything Asian is the last thing you’d expect. But it works – the soft shell crab is crispy and the generous avocado held it together nicely inside the omelette. The avocado also cut through the otherwise rather salty, though tasty, sauce. The chips were nothing special, though they did satisfy a fluffy thick cut chip craving I’d had all week.
Milk Bar by Cafe Ish is located at 105 Regent St, Redfern NSW 2016.