Darling Square: A Foodie Review
Mia Castagnone reviews the tastiest and most insta-grammable spots in Darling Square.
The once empty suburb that hides behind Darling Harbour is now a foodie’s paradise. Here are the top eats and most insta-grammable spots at Darling Square.
Auver’s Dining sits in the heart of Darling Square and is one of Sydney’s most aesthetic cafes. As you walk in you’ll see colourful floor to ceiling murals and dark exposed brick with plenty of tables for large group gatherings. While being a large cafe it still manages to feel warm and comfortable and on a sunny day light streams in from wide front windows, creating a cozy ambience.
Coffee is 10/10 but also try out some of their specialty drinks like the Aurora Mocktail ($7- butterfly pea flower tea with lemonade and grapefruit cordial) or the black sesame latte ($3.80).
Aurora Mocktail, Cappuccino, Ice long black. Source: author
My favourite items are the Auver’s Pancake ($22) - fluffy delicious matcha pancakes with red bean paste, matcha glaze and raspberry sorbet. Or the Auver’s Egg Benedict ($20) - pulled pork, poached eggs, smoky ponzu hollandaise, spinach, corn salsa on a toasted croissant. Just thinking about the brunch I had at Auver’s makes my mouth water!
The food is without a doubt absolutely delicious but it isn’t the cheapest brunch I have been to by any means，with food and a beverage costing you a cool $30. But it is definitely worth a try at least once and a particularly brilliant place to go if you have a large group.
Auver’s Eggs Benedict. Source: author
The viral Vietnamese bánh mì shop that began selling on the quiet streets of Marrickville has branched out and now has a second home in Darling Square!
Perfect for when you are in the city and you want an easy on the go meal. Definitely try the iconic, delicious bbq pork or fresh and crunchy salad roll. A meal will only knock you back $5-$6- absolute bargain!
Li Long brings authentic Shanghainese food in a traditional Chinese courtyard setting.
The best items to try include the Xiao Long Bao ($12.00) steam pork soup dumplings), pork and chive boiled dumplings ($12.00) - which I recommended ordering pan fried - the wontons in red chilli sauce ($12.00) and the pan fried pork buns ($12.80).
Don’t be overwhelmed by the menu - simply order what you think sounds appealing because honestly everything tastes great. Other iconic dishes include the scallion oil noodles ($13.80) and the stir fried noodles with shredded pork and vegetables ($12.80).
Two more dishes I would recommend if you are new to this cuisine is the special sweet and sour sticky pork ribs ($21.80) and the braised pork belly with quail eggs and king oyster mushroom ($26.80).
Kurtosh House is the iconic chain that allows you to buy cake by the gram. It is a sweet tooth and coffee enthusiast delight. From their rich chocolate slices to their featherlight strawberry sponge, Kurtosh has something for everyone.
After hitting Li Long for dumplings, end your night with a warm drink and cake at Kurtosh.
Kurtosh cookies and dream slice Source: author
For the richest matcha tea, check out match-ya! As a matcha lover, this cafe was my favourite discovery of 2020.
Matcha-Ya uses an original blend of 100% pure Japanese matcha that comes directly from the fields of Shizuoka, Japan. If you want something a little more adventurous than their hot matcha, try their Matcha-Ya Parfait, which comes with matcha flavoured ice-cream and a mini taiyaki.
As well as offering 4 pages of drink options, matcha-ya also offers Japanese waffles, and signature Japanese street snacks like popcorn chicken, takoyaki skewers, and soy butter chips.
Match-Ya - Ice Matcha latte and hoji late. Source: author