Cafe Ish, Surry Hills

Where can you find a cheap lunch in Sydney? Frugal is not a dirty word at Cafe Ish, which celebrates Tight Ass Tuesdays with ten eleven dishes for only ten dollars.

This cosy corner cafe bar makes a point of mixing up Japanese flavours with Australian native ingredients. Here you'll find crocodile coated in Panko crumbs and covered in Japanese curry; potato and fetta mochi with Davidson plum sauce; and cups of wattleseed coffee, their signature drink.

Crab Omelette Set $10 on Tuesdays at lunchtime only

Karaage soft shell crab omelette with miso soup and rice

The soft shell crab omelette is one of their biggest sellers on the weekend, an eiderdown of fluffy egg wrapped around a tangle of deep-fried soft shell crab and fat slices of ripe avocado. The full size costs $24 but you can dig into a slightly scaled-down version on Tuesdays for only $10. Side of miso soup and rice are included too.

It's worth every penny and then some, with the sweetness of the crab enhanced by a sticky sauce of garlic, chilli, soy and ginger.

Wagyu Cheese Burger $10 on Tuesdays at lunchtime only

Free range with Coon cheese on house-made bun with tomato relish, grilled onions and fries

It's hard to go past the wagyu cheese burger either, a generous patty of beef draped with melted cheese, grilled onions and tomato relish. The buns are made in-house, along with everything else in the display case, groaning with muffins, cakes and breads, baked fresh each morning.

The burger comes with a deep bowl of french fries and dishes of tomato sauce and mayonnaise for dipping. This is protein and carbs at its purest - salad lovers need not apply.



Owners Josh Nicholls and Ai Mashima aren't known for being meek -- and who wants to be, in the cut-throat restaurant industry -- but the John Lennon and Yoko Ono-inspired portrait on the wall gives a softer (and more intimate!) view of this couple. The photo, featuring some rather famous artichokes, was taken by Masterchef's Billy Law for last year's Sydney Morning Herald Shoot the Chef competition. Now who was talking about tight asses?

Tight Ass Tuesdays - available lunchtime only
11 Dishes for 10 Bucks!

1. Porridge
   Organic porridge, umeshu stewed fruits and Country Valley yoghurt
   
2. Croc in the Rock
   Crocodile sausage, egg, shallot and organic fetta in toast with tomato relish
   
3. Classic Ish
   Two eggs done how you like and toast
   
4. Little Ish
   Quattro Stelle bacon, one egg, roast tomato and toast
   
5. Baked Beans
   House-made baked beans with free range ham hock and bush spices served with toast
   
6. Salad of Boy Coz
   Garlic croutons, Quattro Stelle bacon, boiled egg, bush tomato aioli, shaved parmesan cheese
   
7. Free Range Chic Salad
   Cabbage, carrot, apple, green shallots, fried escahllots, black sauce, wasabi mayonnaise
   
8. Soup of the Day
   Served with house-made bread
   
9. Crab Omelette Set
   Karaage soft shell crab, avocado, shallots with garlic, chilli, soy, ginger dressing, miso soup and rice
   
10. Yaki Udon Noodles Set
    Free range chicken, carrot, cabbage, baby spinach, red onion, Davidson plum sauce and miso soup
    
11. Wagyu Cheese Burger
    Free range with Coon cheese on house-made bun with tomato relish, grilled onions and fries

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Cafe Ish

82 Campbell Street, Surry Hills, Sydney

Tel: +61 (02) 9281 1688

Opening hours:

Monday to Wednesday 7am-4pm

Thursday to Friday 7am-10pm

Saturday 9am-10pm

Sunday 9am-2.30pm

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