The team behind Bones Ramen and Farmhouse has opened a European-inspired cafe and deli on a leafy Rushcutters Bay corner. Ken’s Continental serves yellow pea pancakes with avocado, jamon and soft-boiled egg, and plates loaded with deli cuts, house-made pickles, olives and freshly baked baguette at outdoor tables, right next to Farmhouse and across the road from Bones Ramen.
Deciding what to put on the menu was simple for owner Michael Mu Sung and head chef Jake Riwaka. “It’s just what we like – exactly what we want to eat,” Mu Sung tells Broadsheet. “It’s about making sure the dishes are tasty, but not overworked; letting the products speak for themselves.”
While the inspiration is mainly European, Australian influences play a role. Scrambled eggs are served on a baguette (instead of ubiquitous sourdough), then topped with garlic-herb butter. Fried eggs come with black pudding or mortadella (instead of bacon). Avo toast features buffalo mozzarella, red grapes and herbs, while the breakfast muffin is filled with folded egg, cheese and optional sausage. Riwaka’s favourite dish is the continental deli plate. It’s crowded with “whatever’s best in the fridge and on the shelves at the time”. That usually includes cuts such as bresaola and finocchiona (fennel) salami from Marrickville’s Whole Beast Butchery, cheeses from small Australian producers, house-made pickles, fresh olives, and a baguette from Milsons Point’s Loulou.
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SHOP NOWRather than enlisting a designer, Mu Sung and Riwaka developed the interior as they went along, working closely with their builder. It helped that they’d already been running Jeremy & Sons cafe in the space for six years. The feel is warm and welcoming, helped along by plenty of wood counters, shelves and panelling. Overhead shelves are lined with jars and packets of deli goods, from house-made pickles to imported pastas. “We wanted it to feel a little bustling, but not too overwhelming,” says Mu Sung.
Seating is outdoors only, on a paved area surrounded by shady trees and giant leafy pot plants. Vast green umbrellas provide extra shade. The brass-framed solid timber tables were a gift from Arthur, whose owner, Tristan Rosier, used to be head chef at Farmhouse.
“We’ve always wanted to offer something like this,” says Mu Sung. “We just needed to learn what we liked and didn’t like, and the style of food we wanted to do: a European feel but tailored to the Australian market.”
Ken’s Continental
3/40 Bayswater Road, Potts Point
No phone
Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–3pm
Sat & Sun 8am–3pm
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