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Chez Sun

Jacqui Taffel

Cakes at Chez Sun.
Cakes at Chez Sun.Lisa Maree Williams

Cafe$$

I have Christmas tree envy. Upstairs at Chez Sun, I'm looking at an understated but magnificent specimen, its lush greenery tastefully decorated. I am particularly taken with the "tinsel" wrapped around it, made of artfully crumpled book pages with pine cones and red berries.

Finally I concede my husband might be right about our trusty tree with inbuilt fibre optics, bought years ago at the hardware store. Time to upgrade.

Chez Sun is not a shop selling festive accessories, but a light and lovely cafe on not-so-lovely Crown Street.

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Stuffed calamari with brioche.
Stuffed calamari with brioche.Lisa Maree Williams

I immediately take to it for many reasons – the sleekly stylish wooden chairs, the gleaming wine-red espresso machine, the display case with Japanese-themed jewellery and the friendly welcome. Oh, and the long, narrow marble cake counter displaying elegant edible sculptures. More of this later.

Chez Sun is Nelson Sun's first venture into cafe life. A retail manager by trade, he spent three years studying in London and travelled through Europe where he found his favourite cafes combined classy and cosy. That was his aim when designing his own place.

My friend is adamant it's like her favourite cafes in Tokyo. Whatever the influences, it stands out on this strip just south of Oxford Street.

Midsummer Berrys' Dream cake and rosehip tea at Chez Sun, a bright addition to Darlinghurst.
Midsummer Berrys' Dream cake and rosehip tea at Chez Sun, a bright addition to Darlinghurst.Lisa Maree Williams
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Like the Christmas tree, the menu is charming and sophisticated. It makes us want to try everything, and technically we can because breakfast is all day and lunch starts at 11, when we arrive.

I go for poached eggs with pulled spicy pork, intrigued by the accompanying pressed eclairs. My friend does lunch – stuffed calamari in tomato broth with toasted brioche. Coffee arrives, with a strong, bright flat white; the short black is a little too citrusy for my famously fussy friend, but she agrees it's well made.

The eggs are perfectly done, with colour from cherry tomatoes and sprigs of watercress sitting on cauliflower puree. I'm not sold on the eclairs, squished flat into thin pastry wafers, and steal some of my friend's brioche to mop up the eggs.

Calamari is tricky – overcook it slightly and it's white rubber. Here it's fantastic, tender with a little bite, stuffed with a mix of black rice, chorizo and capsicum, with decorative tentacles and red veined sorrel leaves. Fussy friend is happy as.

After a few moments digestion, we approach the cake counter. Again, it's difficult to choose but we point to the Jasmine Lychee Mousse Cake and, impressed by the gorgeous colour and precise punctuation, the Midsummer Berries' Dream. Both are delightful, especially with a glowing pot of Ruby Red Rosehip tea. After careful consideration, eating half each, we decide the dreamy berries win for their incredibly light, tart, pretty-pink mousse and pistachio base. A very close second, the lychee cake is creamy with fresh fruit in the centre, coated in the thinnest layer of beautifully textured white chocolate.

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They are the work of the inhouse pastry chef, Ricky Wong, previously at Crown in Melbourne, and here's the best bit – you can order larger versions to take away and, with a week's notice, even request the custom-made dessert of your desires. They do Christmas cake, too.

Occupying two floors of a narrow terrace, Chez Sun has different spaces to choose from – downstairs at bustling street level, upstairs with a quietly homey tearoom feel, and outside on the balcony perched above the traffic. This, and the long line of cakes we haven't tried, are compelling reasons to return. If you sit downstairs, don't forget to climb the staircase to admire that tree.

THE PICKS

Stuffed calamari; Midsummer Berries' Dream; Ruby Red Rosehip tea

THE COFFEE

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Single O Paradox blend for white; Industrie Fitzroy blend for black

THE LOOK

Classy and cosy, just like the man said

THE SERVICE

Warm, friendly and precise

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