The chef is Finnish, the old location is Darlinghurst, the menu is short and sweet, the taste is fusion. Welcome to Cafe Paci 2.0 - this time, located along the bustling main strip of Newtown and conveniently only a couple doors down from Mapo, my favourite gelato place in Sydney.
I had heard s much about its molasses and potato bread that this accompaniment to a meal is what I had looked forward to the most.
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| Potato molasses bread, $4 each |
These are heavy - that's the first thing I noticed about them. Heavy, however, doesn't mean stodgy. It is a style of bread that is different to my favourite, being the sourdough at Kitchen By Mike, yet it is neither dry nor overly chewy. It is comforting, with a slight sweet stickiness that isn't intrusive.
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| Chicken liver paris-brest w’ onion jam, $16 |
This is my favourite item on the menu. Shaped like a desssert - the pastry usually reserved for sweet cream and jam is revolutionised to hold liver pate and onion jam. The slight metallic tanng of liver pairs beautifully with the sweet onion jam, and the whole thing collapses in one's mouth just like a cream puff would. Divine.
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| Prawn and Tomato, $22 |
This was one of the specials of the day - prawn cerviche on a bed of beautiful heirloom tomatos, topped with XO sauce. It is served lukewarm, which actually took away from the dish slightly - I think it would have been better if it were just cold. The prawn bordered cooked and uncooked, it was bouncy and delicious.
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| Potato dumpling w’ XO trout, $26 |
The gnocchi were plump and lovely, but I had expected something more exiciting. The XO sauce gave it a very Chinese bent, and I'm not sure whether that's the best way to showcase these gems. I had my eye on the pear and pecorino pasta - so perhaps I was also experiencing some regret which polluted my view of this dish.
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| Carrot sorbet with yoghurt and licorice, $15 |
Another well-known and beloved remnant from the Darlinghurtst location, this was a delightful end to the meal - carrot sorbet tasted distinctly like carrot, yet made it such a natural dessert that it did not taste strange at all! The licorice flavour is not strong so even those who aren't fans of the dark side could enjoy. A well-balanced, refreshing and creative dessert.
Cafe Paci also has an extensive and impressive menu of natural wines - I saw that may other patrons had ordered beautiful bottles filled with amber liquids. I must return to try those too.
Score: 4/5
Cost: approx $50-$80pp
Address: 131 King St, Newtown NSW
Website: https://www.cafepaci.com.au/
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