Along Waterloo St in Surry Hills is a burst of fabulous new finds. Orto Trading Co is a cute retro bar on the corner; perfect for a girls’ night out. With Sydney’s sudden and torrential downpour, we all hustled in and cuddled inside to flickering candles, fresh flowers in our little corner.
There’s bountifuls of beer, wines and cocktails on the drinks menu, but our choice of poison to wind down were jugs of fruity sangria; all served in little jars and retro straws.
There’s a mix for dishes for the nibblish or the starving. First up are for the nibblish is the scotch egg is an oldie but a goodie. Made from house made pork sausage encasing a soft boiled egg. It’s dished up with a pear piccalilli; a British pickle with a mix of mustard and turmeric and perfect when the meat is a little least moist.
A fabulous alternative to potato chips are cauliflower fritters; fried and lightly coated in herbs and spices with the right amount of crunch. The chef must be a fan of pear as this dish was paired with a curried pear sauce; not necessary but adds just a little punch.
One of the fuller mains is the chunky roast pork hock for two. Still on the bone, it’s served on a gorgeous wooden board overflowing with roast parsnips, caramelised apples and mountain of cabbage slaw. Diggin’ the whole caramelised apple as it goes wonderfully with pork. Things are also always better when they are not doused in sauce, so I loved the milk bottle of pour-at-your-own-pace gravy. And although for two, this little baby filled up four bellies…
Birthday Cake from Raspberry Charlotte Mousse Cake, Le Renaissance Patisserie
Perfect enough for my birthday girls’ night out, so enjoy the candlelight and explore this new part of town.
Orto Trading Co
38/55 Waterloo St
Surry Hills, Sydney
www.ortotradingco.com.au