Haven, Surry Hills

After a visit when Surry Hills’ Haven first opened, I decided to come back with a few friends and see how they were going. Briefly put, Haven is one of those cafes that puts as much thought behind their food as their specialty coffee. Their menu is predominantly filled with Modern Australian and healthy options. It seems that one of their goals is to educate their diners about coffee. Possibly after they’re lured in by promise of delicious and pretty food.

Haven’s house blend is roasted by Single O and they’ve got a variety of single origins available which are roasted by Jake Hu, a World Barista Championship certified sensory judge. Each month, they have a specially sourced coffee like the Geisha ($9) – delicate on the palate with notes of floral and citrus. If you don’t drink coffee, try the Marilyn ($6) iced tea. It’s a refreshing mix of watermelon, honey, lemon, and cold brewed tea.

I love wordplay so the signature pork belly kimcheese burger ($20) made me giggle. It comes out in two halves and leaves you wondering how once person could manage to take a proper bite out of it once completely assembled. The addition of bocconcini cheese to five spice pork belly and kimchi seems a little odd but hey, whatever works. I have to admit that I generally dislike burgers, no matter how good they taste like this one, that can’t be eaten just using your hands.

Strawberry salsa. It catches your attention doesn’t it? The tartare smoked salmon ($19) is mirin cured and accompanied by breakfast classics such as avocado, poached eggs, and toast. Flower petals grace a few spoonfuls of strawberry salsa that is sweet and sour enough to wake up your senses. It’s a bit DIY to get it on the fork, but I enjoyed it.

The forest of melon ($13.50) is more like a watermelon Stonehenge – blocks of the fruit sitting at funny angles in a ricotta yogurt floor. You’re not sure how it stays standing but you don’t want to test it out lest the whole thing collapses. It’s weird and wonderful. Add pumpkin seeds, currants, and a good drizzle of sweet balsamic and you get a dish that is creamy, ‘fresh’, and sour with a bit of bite (thank you cracked pepper).

One of the most beautiful dishes is the golden dragon ($15.50). Slices of mango are splayed out in a foamy matcha pandan ‘pond’. There’s black sticky rice – which isn’t particularly sweet – and pieces of wobbly coconut sago. Fresh raspberries and dehydrated berry shards give it an extra pop of color and tanginess.

While there’s nothing here that is slap-in-the-face amazing, their food menu is a fun spin on what’s popular in Sydney cafes right now (even though sometimes you think “how does someone even come up with this?”). It’s close to the station so it’s no surprise to constantly see university students in there catching up with friends over specialty coffee and a plate of watermelon Stonehenge.

Haven
30-34 Chalmers St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Website