orto trading company - surry hills

just around the corner from waterloo street, where orto trading company resides, a house has just sold on cooper street. i know this because a friend tried and failed to buy it. i’m told the house had a marvellous kitchen. but be warned, new owner of the cooper st house, your kitchen is doomed to be rendered useless because you have orto trading company as your neighbour, and boy, do they do good grub!

orto’s dining room is like the cover photo of a design picture book. floor-to-ceiling glass walls extend across two sides of the restaurant, which is no mean feat given that the ceilings are at least 5 metres above my head. the room is flooded with natural light, flowing through to the open-ish kitchen at the back. there’s a soft hum of crockery colliding, stoves sizzling and barristers buzzing. quaint jars of fresh flowers on each table encapsulates the vibrant atmosphere effortlessly at home in the relaxed, wholesome dining arena. 

today we are breaking fast bright and (very) early. my company orders a couple of coffees for a good-morning jolt, which come out quickly and are, by all reports, delicious. i mention to the table that there are breakfast cocktails on the menu, but the mere comment is met with disapproving looks. my friends are more opposed than i to feeding their fledging addictions pre-noon. I instead decide to take a fresh orange, apple and strawberry juice, hoping in vane that the moral ‘rightness’ of my choice will make up for the lack of booze. luckily, my credibility is restored when the table collectively 'ooooo’s at my juice, whose brilliant pastel hues illuminate the morning.  

orange, apple and strawberry juice

 as we wait for our food, orto begins to fill with an eclectic mix of fellow feasters. eye-gazing couples and large gatherings of old friends alike populate the room and the surrounding courtyard, despite the autumn chill. otro is perfect for big groups - especially its everything-in-the-middle-style dinner menu. and you can book! 

for brekky, our hipster-chic waitress delivers the ravishing goods with the requisite cool-kid apathy. for the indecisive types or those wanting a bit of everything, the breakfast platter is ideal (and apparently finding its way onto a number of breakfast menus across town). touched up with pretty purple flowers, the platter includes a soft boiled egg, sourdough soldiers, poached fruit with museli and, my favourite, baked ricotta with honey (the housemade pork and sage sausage in the photo was an optional addition). the platter is gorgeously arranged and i spend long enough photographing to earn no small amount of ire from my partner.

breakfast platter (w a side of snags)

two members of our table choose baked eggs w sobrassada, capsicum, fior de latte and cherry tomatoes, and it’s an easy win. and why not when the sobrassada is rich and gooey with just a touch of heat? i slather the egg mixture onto the warm sourdough rolls, trying to avoid (but secretly enjoying) making a serious mess of the table and my top. i think I would have preferred less fior de latte - the texture and taste overpowered the other elements of the dish – but in retrospect, it seems a fairly meek gripe when both pots of baked eggs are wiped clean!

baked eggs w sobrassada, capsicum, fior de latte and cherry tomatoes

i cleverly (and generously) suggest to share breakfast with my friend who indulges in orto's house made waffles which are as pretty as orto itself.  the two plate-sized waffles are pressed with a floral pattern, topped with figs and walnuts and served with a cutsey mug of maple syrup. they’re nicely crisp and airy and we devour them without delay. jealousy abounds as bite-for-bite bartering power is heavily in my favour.

orto's house made waffles

my friends have been here for dinner and they raved and raved about the rich, comforting fare, much of which consists of new takes on english classics [rarebit, scotch eggs, bangers and mash]. and the lunch menu, torturingly on the same page as the breakfast, has enough tummy-rumblers to ensure that i’ll be back again this season.

for the new residents of cooper street, don't bother buying kitchen appliances. without doubt, orto will become your new local, and i’m deeply envious of the fact.


orto trading co.
38 waterloo street, surry hills
p: 0431 212 453
http://www.ortotradingco.com.au/