the milk bar by cafe ish - redfern

Nothing brings back memories of childhood like slurping an after school milk shake. When else in our lives are we able to stomach so much milk, sugar and artificial strawberry flavouring without paying for it all the next day? Well, The Milk Bar by Café Ish has cried out a defiant “nah-ni-nah!” in the face of indigestion and brought the big kids of Sydney a reason to salivate when the afternoon bell rings.

The Café Ish team have grown up and moved out of their old Surry Hills playground and into a new hard-to-find outfit near Redfern Station. The décor is all vintage arcade games and sweets in jars, deliberately evoking the good old days when games were in 2D and red frogs cost five cents.

On my first visit, heeding the song of the eyes-bigger-than-stomach gluttony to which I’m too often a willing victim, I order the breakfast platter ($21). The wooden serving board (no longer an original food vessel but nonetheless pretty) is piled with gratuitous slates of thick-cut ham, glistening segments of salmon, a well-boiled egg, a potato and ham frittata, pikes of grilled asparagus, toast and (breath) home-made tomato chutney. As can often be the case, the condiment is the main contender - it’s deliciously sweet and conveniently spreadable. I want to buy a jar of it and put it on everything. Sadly, the frittata is less impressive chunks of not-too tasty potato stuffed into a baking paper wrapping.

Breakfast Platter ($21)

Poached free-range eggs ($8) on home-made toast with house-made butter is a basic breakfast option executed well, as is the bacon and egg roll ($6), served on crusty Panini bread with an appropriate fountain of BBQ sauce.

Poached eggs ($8) with side of snags

At lunchtime, the Milk Bar's focus turns to custom made burgers. Cheeseburger ($5), double cheeseburger ($9) and triple cheeseburger ($13) are variations on a theme. The noteworthy offering of a triple-decker convinces me that the patties must be on the smaller side. But don't be fooled. These particular patties are well sized, meaty and delicious. The cheeseburgers all come with cheese, pickles, ketchup and grilled onion. From there you’re encouraged to add curiously themed toppings. I go with Japanese style ($3) which includes pickled daikon, carrot, cabbage and wasabi mayo. I have my doubts as to how the distinctly Asian ingredients will marry with the American flavours, but this episode of East meets West is a success! The shredded cabbage and less grease than expected tricks you into thinking this is a relatively healthy meal.. My dining partners go for the Italian toppings ($3) of rocket, tomato, aioli, balsamic and softly melted parmesan. Judging by their guilty grins and empty plates, I’m guessing they’re as satisfied as me.

Double cheeseburger ($9) with Italian topping ($3)

All right, shake time. The long list of wacky shake options (all $7) have Willy Wonka written all over them, making the experience of sucking down a stupefyingly indulgent drink seem all the more fantastic. I take a step towards the absurd with the Miso caramel shake, again exploiting the cafe's asian flare. The sweetness of caramel, combined with the salty miso is a transcendent take on salted caramel making this a successful trip down the rabbit hole. For those looking for a more traditional taste, you can't go past the PBJ shake. It's a glass of nostalgia. Raspberry and blueberry jam are stencilled onto the inside of the glass filled with a rich, milky mixture of salted peanut butter ice-cream and crunchy peanut butter. If only all meals came in shake form.

Miso caramel shake ($7)

The sole set back of The Milk Bar, is the positioning, on a painfully noise-polluted corner of Regent Street. But then, maybe that’s just another excuse to get lost in a tall glass of flavoured milk and schoolyard memories.

The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish
105 Regent Street, Redfern
t: 9699 8828


Photos by Hayley Peterson-Connor