Sri Lankan Bites is a casual eatery in Oxford Village Surry Hills serving Sri Lankan street food. It’s a great place to head if you’re looking for something cheap and cheerful.

For some reason, it doesn’t seem to have generated the same level of press as Hopper Kade down the road on Crown Street. I can’t really understand this as the food is just as good if not better.

Having been there a few times, my go to dish is now the chicken biriyani. It comes with 1/4 chicken (usually a maryland), seasoned rice, a boiled egg, mint sambol and raita. It’s a good sized meal for one and at $20 really good value the amount of food you get.

The service is great, the staff are always smiling and incredibly welcoming.

They are open for lunch and dinner and usually have specials at lunchtime. They also do takeaway and delivery via Uber eats.

https://www.srilankanbites.com.au/

Shop 10, 55-73 Oxford Street

Monday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Tucked away in Oxford Village shopping centre in Surry Hills, Ovo Cafe was once a well kept secret amongst local Brazilians. Word has definitely now got out and it’s hugely popular.

Pre-virus, it served an all you can eat Brazilian breakfast on Sundays and lines of people waiting to get in would snake along the wall opposite the cafe. The lines aren’t quite as long now the buffet is on hold, but still expect a wait if you don’t arrive pretty close to their opening time (9am on the weekends) so it pays to get in early.

It’s pretty casual, if dining in you order at the counter, although they bring the food to you.

As you’d expect from a Brazilian restaurant, the coffee is seriously good. At the moment they are operating on a reduced menu. At breakfast the best choices is definitely the breakfast burger – scrambled egg, bacon, avocado and haloumi served on a brioche bun.

The eggs are creamy and perfectly cooked. The serving is huge and at around $12 seriously good value. After eating one of these at 9.30 I wasn’t hungry again until dinner.

Service can be a bit slow, but it’s always with a huge smile and the food is worth waiting for.

https://www.ovotribe.com.au/

OPENING HOURS
Mon-Fri: 7am-4pm
Sat-Sun: 9am-4pm
*Kitchen closes at 3pm every day

CONTACT
Oxford Village Shopping Centre
63 Oxford Street Surry Hills 2010
02 9262 9755
contactus@ovocafe.com.au

The fact that the name of Cuckoo Callay is inspired by a poem from Alice Through the Looking Glass is illustrative of the playful nature of the place. The decor is reflective of the theme, with a pink flamingo on the menu and a phrase from the book spelled out in neon on the staircase.

On a Saturday early afternoon it’s full of hipsters, but where in the eastern suburbs isn’t?

The staff were very cheerful and friendly. I was given water along with the menu as soon as I sat down. There was only a short wait for my food and as soon as I’d finished I was asked whether there was anything else they could bring me.

Although it’s an all day menu, most of the meals are more breakfast orientated. The Gorgeous Jorge – sourdough toast topped with avocado, tomato, goat’s fetta, dukkah and a poached egg sounded great, but a little too much like the breakfast I’d had earlier in the day, so instead went for the Sideways Shuffle – Blue swimmer crab cake with corn & avocado salsa, watermelon, cucumber & lemon jelly and poached egg.

When it arrived the presentation was so amazing, I was almost hesitant to ruin it by eating it. But glad I did as I really enjoyed the dish. There was plenty of crab in the cake and the watermelon added a fresh light touch to balance out the dish. I wasn’t quite sure how well watermelon and egg would go together, but it just seemed to work. The egg could probably have been cooked a little bit more as the white was a little runny in places but this was a minor point.

The takeaway coffee I had was also great and served with a big smile and a joke.

I’ll definitely be back earlier in the day to try the Gorgeous Jorge.

Cuckoo Callay
413-415 Crown Street Surry Hills
Mon-Fri: 7am – 4pm  Sat: 8am – 4pm  Sun: 8am – 3pm

https://www.cuckoo-callay.com.au/