Sunday, February 24, 2013

ORTO TRADING CO., SURRY HILLS

BRUNCH @ Orto Trading Co.

Perfect for: A lazy or hungover Saturday morning meal
Hot tip: Reserve a table outside on a nice summer's day if you can
Must try: Try the juices - they're delicious. Watch out for the paper straws - while they might be rad, they're likely to disintegrate so don't be too shy to ask for a new one. 
Price range: $$ Not bad
My rating: 8/10
Food: 8/10 Service: 5/10 Ambience: 10/10

I've told you all about what I think of dinner @ Orto Trading Co. the first time I came here, but brunch here actually feels very different (apart from the fact that it's during the day, of course).

I think the DNA of this place feels more like a cafe, rather than a bar / restaurant, so naturally I felt more at home when I came here the second time for brunch. The outside courtyard is more than perfect when you just want a nice dose of vitamin D with your coffee and eggs, and the place is usually buzzing on the weekend for brunch which just adds to the fun.


Passionfruit, lime and mint juice. Flat white.

I really like coming to this place for its food and drinks, but the ONLY thing that really lets this place down is the service. I go to brunch on a Saturday morning to be put in a good mood, but  the poor service here often does the complete opposite for me. Here, you really have to call out to the waiters, maybe twice even, before you get any attention from the cool dudes wearing cut-off denims. And even then, you might still need to wait a good ten minutes before you get your replacement straw.

The service aside, I really do think the food and the drinks at Orto are excellent. It probably has some of the best juices I've had in Sydney, and it's up against some giants especially in the Surry Hills area.



Tomato, avocado and basil on toast.

When we were here last (and we're here pretty regularly for both breakfast and dinner since it's only a couple of blocks away from where I live), there was a mixture of things ordered, but the most interesting two were definitely the breakfast platter and the corn fritters with ceviche. I had the corn fritters myself, and I thought the fritters were a little bit doughy, but I really enjoyed the combination with ceviche which was quite a bold move - my tip would be to sprinkle on a fair bit of salt because both ceviche and fritters aren't overpowering ingredients on this dish, so it could be a little bit bland without a bit of salt.


Eggs benedict with Berkshire Gypsy ham.


Breakfast platter with soft-boiled eggs, soldiers, muesli, baked ricotta and poached fruits.


Corn fritters with ceviche.

Meal: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Address: 38/52 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills
Near: The Belvoir St Theatre - why not watch a show while you're close? 
Hours: Tue-Sat 8am-3pm 6-10pm, Sun 8am-3pm, Closed Mondays

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