Brainwave Cafe, Ultimo

Brainwave Cafe is a split-level space tucked away in an unassuming Ultimo building. Bar and outdoor seating is available and in a light-filled space. The upstairs seating involves a communal table, some benches around the edge of the room, and a set of couches. Small glass bottles filled with dried flowers decorate the room along with a bookshelf containing an eclectic selection of things like the specialty coffee book, piano for dummies, and a box of legos.

The cafe supposedly serves Thai-style food but some of their choices leave me puzzled: green curry hot dog ($10) – green curry chicken on beef sausage – for instance. Standard drinks like Thai milk tea ($4) and a young coconut smoothie ($4) make an appearance. There’s also a virgin blueberry mojito ($4) which seems an odd choice on a predominantly Asian menu.

Brainwave is the only cafe in Sydney that I’ve seen use ONA coffee (a roaster in Fyshwick, ACT). For those of you who aren’t immersed in the coffee world, ONA is the home of Sasa Sestic, 2015 World Barista Champion. The man is clearly passionate about coffee and that reflects on the beans. Different single origins are available for different brewing methods and a bottle of the delicate Ethiopian Sidamo cold brew ($4.50) is perfect for a hot day.

To start, there’s the granddaddy of all classics: chips ($5). Here, it’s a bucket of crispy thick-cut chips and chili mayo dip. Simple. The sauce looks like it could deliver a kick but falls short. There’s a complete lack of any type of spice and nothing to justify this dip as “chili”.

Whatever heat that was lacking in the chips was definitely made up in the drunken pipi spaghetti ($12) thanks to the fresh peppercorns, ginger sticks, and thick garlic slices. There was also a distinct lack of ‘drunken’. If the spaghetti was cooked just a tad more, it would’ve reached al dente.

On to the very Asian ceviche ($15) – thick slices of salmon atop what I can only describe as Asian tabouleh (think lots of Vietnamese perilla and coarsely chopped garlic), all placed in a lettuce cup. There’s a liberal splash of fish sauce and a ball of fried vermicelli which serves as nothing more than a garnish. It was forgettable but I’d rather that than a disappointing spaghetti.

Brainwave’s Thai milk tea soft serve ($3) was the highlight – it’s sweet and exactly what it should taste like. On the other hand, I just wasn’t feeling the latte soft serve ($3). The dash of acidity I’ve come to expect from all things coffee flavoured wasn’t there. It tasted flat, almost. Double serving of tea soft serve, please!

I walked in expecting, if anything, a nice meal. I feel a little sad saying it, but I’d skip Brainwave for food and only go back for soft serve and coffee as I think it’s the only place in Sydney serving ONA.

Brainwave Cafe
732 Harris St
Ultimo NSW 2007
Website