ellu cafe

Cute little brunch spot in Surry Hills that’s been hyped everywhere, so I went to check it out during my Sydney trip. The menu leans Japanese-style brunch - salads, toast, pasta, desserts - all plated beautifully. There’s a balcony seat facing the street, super chill if you go at the right time, but it gets direct sun around noon. Inside, there are about 4 small tables plus a window seat, though the indoor space picks up food smell pretty quickly. I came around midday on a weekday and most seats were taken. I ordered a hot matcha latte, einspänner, and the Earl Grey panna cotta with matcha. - Matcha Latte: I whisk matcha at home, so I can say the powder here is good quality. Ratio isn’t perfect though — milk overtakes the matcha, so the flavor ends up very mild. Cute latte art, little bear on top. - Einspänner: Super strong coffee base with a bright acidic kick. Cream on top is smooth and lightly sweet. - Earl Grey Panna Cotta with Matcha: Easily one of the best desserts I’ve had in Australia. Strong tea aroma, perfect wobbly texture, matcha sauce with a touch of saltiness, and some crunchy crumbs that tie everything together. Nothing to complain about. If I’m back in Sydney, I’ll return to ellu to try the balcony seat, some savory dishes, and definitely order that Earl Grey panna cotta again.

It has been a while since we been to Ellu. The first time was about 7 months ago, and it is obvious during said period, so much has changed, and not necessarily for the better. It is as if as Ellu changed in atmosphere and the aesthetic, so did the food and quality. We were lucky to be seated quite quickly and immediately noticed the aesthetic and menu change. Gone was the old menu with the mushroom pasta and okonomiyaki, the place now has a new menu, which we were more excited than sad. One thing they haven't changed with the menu : the pricing. Almost thirty dollars per plate, but given how good the food was last time, we expected quality to come with it. We ordered two dishes and one cherry matcha and it totaled to 72 dollars, which is insane. One thing we'll give props to them : the Cherry matcha was amazing, not too sweet, not too overwhelming and the matcha flavor still shines. If you are going to order drink, Ellu has price for quality. The same however, can't be said about the food. The soba was fine, not bad at all, i might even say it was better than expected, it is almost Ellu hasn't changed. It all changed however, when we tasted the crab pasta. Now, my friend and I are quite tolerant in terms of spice, we don't mind food that are spicy or salty, and we have cooked enough spaghetti to know salt in spaghetti to know the rule of salt pasta like the ocean, but this is too salty. Imagine someone dunking the entire red sea into the pasta, it was so salty for the first time we had to ask them to remake it. And the worst part: it barely had any crabs, you can barely make out that it was a crab pasta. The staff we talked to was kind in that he offered a remake, so we waited. And waited. And waited for almost twenty minutes, keep in mind, they have a time limit of an hour for the sit down time. By the time it was ready, we lost patient as we have places to go so we had it takeaway, and on tasting it while was still hot, it is better, but by this point we already are disappointed. 72 dollars and only the matcha felt like worthwhile. In short, Ellu is still good for the atmosphere and drinks, I unfortunately can't say the same about the speed and food quality. Perhaps in the future they may bring back the old menu that we love, and they will improve in terms of the food quality, but for now it is evident that Ellu isn't worth the price, and it is sad for me to admit. Worst part is, 72 dollars spent, and we were still hungry

A cute little spot with a cosy vibe. The food was good and nicely presented — simple but satisfying. I really enjoyed the mango matcha, it was refreshing and well balanced. The place is a little bit cramped, but the staff were friendly and overall it was still a pleasant experience.

We were exhausted of walking too much and just found this lovely place by chance. That creme brulee french toast is the MUST and matcha is a lot better than I expected. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who visit this area :) + very clean restroom🤣

Such a beautiful cafe. As many people, I came for the crème brûlée French toast which was undoubtedly delicious with a great tartness to the berry sauce to cut through the sweetness of the brûlée. I would also give a shout out to the burrata which was accompanied by kiwi fruit and a great addition. However what would make me come back to this lovely cafe is the service which is beyond. There’s not many insta famous places which also have good service and this is one of them. A family owned business and a great team, worth a stop in if you’re in the area.