Haven: Tailoring Coffee Joyously, Surry Hills

Haven: Tailoring Coffee Joyously opened up recently in Surry Hills.  A short walk away from Central Station, it's a must visit for all you coffee lovers.  Not only is the coffee good, but the dishes we tried also hit the spot and even C (who is not a coffee drinker) is keen to come back for both.

The interior is spacious and well-lit.  A nice change from many cramped and uncomfortable inner city cafes.  This is a place you can come to enjoy a morning brunch, sunshine and not feel a rush to leave. 

Haven allows you to tailor your coffee based on 5 criteria: aroma, acidity, sweetness, body and after taste.  K tailored her coffee to have more aroma and less acidity. Although we didn't order another coffee with different options to compare, it was definitely a perfectly made latte.  The coffees come with a serving of sultanas which you are meant to eat with the coffee to accentuate the flavours. We could definitely taste the difference with it!

Being a (fake) coffee drinker, C ordered a mocha.  The chocolate sauce dripped over the edge of the cup made for great presentation.  C tailored his mocha to be less sweet and with more aroma. The chocolate sauce (made with 73% Madagascan dark chocolate) was delicious and K kept sticking her finger over to get some leftover chocolate around the mug.

For our meals, K ordered the drunken chicken kale caesar salad with crystallised bacon, confit garlic and a poached egg on top. For those who don't know, drunken chicken is a traditional Shanghainese dish where the chicken is poached and then marinated in a Chinese rice wine and served cold.  K loves this and was curious to see how it would work in a westernised dish.

To our pleasant surprise, the flavours worked perfectly. The rice wine flavours are strong in the chicken but nicely balanced by the creamy dressing, garlic and bursts of umami with the crystallised bacon bits.  And with all the hype about kale being a superfood - what other reason do you need to try this dish?

Drunken Chicken Kale Caesar Salad

As we first entered the cafe, we saw a giant sign saying that the pork belly kimcheese burger is a "must try". C didn't really need much more (if any) convincing and K admittedly had a bit of food envy when she tried this dish. It is seriously a must-try (even for any Koreans out there who may think this is an insult to their national dish). The spicy and sour flavours of the kimchi balances perfectly with the saltiness of the roasted pork belly and the grated apple gives a refreshing lift to the dish. Believe it or not, kimchi actually works well with Bocconcini Cheese!

Pork Belly Kimcheese Burger

Getting up close and personal with the pork belly

Portions wise, we probably could have stopped at those two dishes, but for the sake of our blog (that's our excuse at least), we had to try their Soy Chai Pannacotta.  The chai flavours are intense but balanced by the sweetness of the candied lemon and pistachio. You should eat every element of this dish together in order to appreciate how delicious it is. 

Soy Chai Pannacotta

Not being experienced filter coffee drinkers, we asked Roy Yu, one of the owners to recommend something for us. There are 3 single origin filter coffee options - fruity, nutty and chocolatey. Ron recommended the "nutty" option for us. Having never tried a filter coffee before, we were surprised by how smooth, light and delicate the flavour is. Our coffee came with a side of crushed cacao to accentuate the nutty flavours of the coffee.

Single Origin Filter Coffee (nutty option)

We got chatting with the owners of Haven and it turns out they are originally from Hong Kong and have been in the coffee industry for a number of years before starting Haven. With K originating from Hong Kong herself, there was certainly a fair share of Honkie pride.

The owners of Haven

We have a soft spot for Asian inspired western food.  We love the idea of modernising and refining familiar Asian flavours and combining them with western dishes.  It reflects the identity of third culture kids, bringing back memories of food from our childhood, but with a twist.  This is why we liked Devon Cafe and Kin by Us and is the reason why we thoroughly enjoyed our visit of Haven.

Tall Lemongrass, Crows Nest

A few weeks ago, we were invited to visit Tall Lemongrass as part of the restaurant's 5 year anniversary celebrations.  The restaurant is situated on the main strip of Willoughby Road on Crows Nest and serves a combination of modern and traditional Thai dishes.  The Tall Lemongrass has a sister restaurant in Haymarket called The Small Lemongrass.

Overall, we found some dishes to be quite clever in its use of traditional Thai flavours in a modern way but other dishes a little disappointing.

Prawn crackers

As we arrived, prawn crackers were waiting for us at our table.  These were quality and had a strong prawn flavour and very addictive.  Definitely not the same as the prawn crackers you'll find garnishing dishes at Chinese restaurants.

Mieng Khumm

First up, we had the Mieng Khumm which consisted of sweet radish, ground peanuts together with prawns, fresh galangal, lime, ginger and red onions wrapped in an egg net.  The dish came with a side of tamarind sauce which helped to tie the flavours together.  It would have been an even better dish if the egg nets came crispy to add a further texture to the dish. 

Larb Pedt on Witlof

Next we had the Larb Pedt on Witlof - roast duck with crushed toasted rice, mint, coriander and chilli on a leaf of witlof.  This dish combined traditional Thai flavours with a modern twist and creative presentation. The chilli gives it a good kick and the witlof and fresh herbs make the dish refreshing.

Yum Aubergine Stack

Onto the first of our mains, this was by far the highlight of the night and also the signature dish of The Tall Lemongrass.  The Yum Aubergine Stack combines chicken mince with prawns, onions, mint, coriander, chilli sandwiched between 2 layers of deep fried eggplant.  The sauce is morish and there is a generous serving of prawns.  Although deep fried, the eggplant is still soft and juicy on the inside.  We cleaned off this plate without any difficulties. 

In order to give us an opportunity to try out more of their dishes, chef Wendy Khouphongsy thoughtfully prepared 2 smaller portions of their pad thai wrapped in egg net. Unfortunately we found this dish to be a little disappointing, a little lacking in flavour compared to other pad thai we have tried in the past.

Penang Beef Ossa Bucco

Onto the last 2 mains - the first was the Penang Beef Osso Bucco (above) and the second was the Crispy Pork with Caramel Dressing. (below)  The Penang Beef curry was very flavoursome and had a good balance of sweet and spicy.  Definitely the sort of curry you would finish up with a side of rice.  The pork belly was also a great hit - the skin was crispy and the meat itself tender and not overcooked although K found it a little on the sweet side.

Crispy Pork with Caramel Dressing

The decor is a combination of modern and traditional Thai elements and the service is warm and attentive.  Throughout the night, we saw many people come for takeaway meals so clearly this place is a hit with the locals.

C + K dined as guests of The Tall Lemongrass and Missy Mischief PR.