Faved Cafe in Darlinghurst combines Thai flavours with brunch and drinks. Think creamy strawberry matcha, tom yum risotto, chashu eggs benedict, katsu sando and matcha Basque-style cheesecake. Located at the Kirketon Hotel, it's also dog friendly and has a happy hour that lasts from 10:30am-3pm with $12 cocktails!
Mr NQN, Teddy, Milo and I arrive at Faved cafe, located at the Kirketon Hotel in Darlinghurst. Faved was a recommendation from Laura who is actually joining us today as she was interested in coming back to try more items. She was lured in first by their matcha and drink menu but then she and her boyfriend Lima Lima Delta stayed for the food which they also enjoyed.
The owner and chef at Faved is Apivit Wattanavibool, a Thai chef who has worked at The Star and other establishments and this is his first cafe. There are some tables at the front that are dog friendly too and we take a seat at the table while Teddy and Milo say hello to the steady stream of pooches that walk past. The lovely staff were nice enough to reserve this table for us when we messaged them on Instagram to ask if they were dog friendly.
Confession: I love picture menus. It's so much easier to choose things that way and having stalked their Instagram page I knew what I wanted to try which aligned with what Laura liked and they recommended. Laura starts with an iced taro matcha latte while my order is a strawberry matcha on oat milk. Mr NQN has a cold brew cloud caramel. Like Goldilocks we each try all of them and settle in one favourites which just happen to be the ones that we order. I really enjoy the strawberry matcha combo which is slightly sweeter than the taro latte. What I love is that while the matcha is strong in these, it is not bitter at all. The cold brew is also nice and strong with a creamy, sweet head on top.
It's not heavily advertised but Laura also tells us that during the day they also have a cocktail happy hour from 10:30-3pm (really a happy day) where all cocktails are $12 which is something you don't often see in Sydney. We like the sound of the Tom Yum cocktail made with vodka, triple sec, herbs and chilli (normally $18) . It's a fantastic balance of sweet, tangy and aromatic with fresh chilli and makrut lime leaves.
I know this is a lot of food for three people but we always take what we don't eat home. And it also helps that Mr NQN is famished so we don't end up taking that much with us. The first item we try is one we almost didn't order but the super lovely staff recommended it to us and I'm glad that they did as it's everyone's favourite dish. It's a tom yum risotto with a creamy tom yum flavoured risotto with succulent prawns, lemongrass, makrut lime and a scattering of grana padano cheese on top. The balance of flavours is wonderful and I'd order this again in a second.
Next we try the Chashu Benny with two thick slices of tender pork belly chashu paired with poached eggs on toasted shokupan bread with gochujang hollandaise. This really comes together when you get a bit of everything and the aromatic chashu is delicious with the lightly spicy hollandaise and eggs.
The chicken katsu sando has a juicy fillet of chicken katsu, similar to a schnitzel with a kewpie mayo coleslaw and tonkatsu sauce on two slices of soft shokupan bread. The sandwich is delicious and moreish especially with the tangy tonkatsu sauce. I would have loved if the fries were a bit hotter though but the seasoning is nice.
Laura really wanted to try the tamago sando croissant last time so who were we to deny her it this time? It's a flakey croissant split down the centre and filled with diced egg salad. On top is a soy simmered egg that really brings it all together with its seasoning although I think this could have used a bit more filling or some salmon roe on top.
We also try the udon carbonara, a riff on a classic carbonara made using thick udon noodles with an egg yolk to dress the sauce further with crispy bacon, chives and grana padano cheese. It's rich, cheesy and coats the udon well which is turn soaks up the sauce nicely.
For dessert, there's a matcha cheesecake that is thick and creamy with a good amount of matcha flavour in it. It's like a Basque cheesecake in that it doesn't have a biscuit or cookie base but it's a bit denser in texture. This is their best selling dessert.
As we are dining there during the Valentines Day weekend they have a special dessert on the menu. It's a chocolate dome with a thin dark chocolate shell filled with raspberry jam and marshmallowey coconut mousse with meringue and fresh raspberries.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like matcha lattes? And do you prefer written or picture menus?
Faved
229 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Phone: 0435 826 949
Monday to Friday 6:30 am–3 pm
Saturday & Sunday 7:30 am–3 pm
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