Cafe Rumah brings sweet memories of home to Surry Hills

There are many ways to treat homesickness. Some swear by long video calls, others might watch their hometown's weather report. In Surry Hills' Cafe Rumah, the remedy is sweet, colourful and handmade kuih (Malay for "cake") by co-owner Sook Yoon Yang.

Opened in 2016, the South-East Asian-inspired cafe may be an old favourite in the neighbourhood but this year's quiet, flightless months have turned the beloved spot into a site of new comfort food experiments. The most notable of which is Yang's weekly kuih boxes.

You'll notice these delicate, bite-sized desserts on the cafe's Instagram posts. Come Wednesday each week, Yang and her husband Riszal Nawawi would announce the line-up of their "Saturday kuih box".

The kuihs come from Yang's family recipes and are made in her own home kitchen. They are also products of plenty of time and patience. This means days of prepping, steaming, cooling – often sending Yang on eight- to 10-hour cooking missions on her feet.

"People who eat our kuih know we don't cut corners. I do it the way mum would make it for us at home," Yang says.

What started as a Mother's Day special quickly attracted a cult following on social media this year. Each week, regulars would place their orders via direct messages on Instagram or text the cafe and pick up their kuihs on Saturday. Yang attributes the uptake to diners missing comfort foods from home.

"I bond with a lot of customers through our heritage, especially during COVID where people can't travel. We get a lot of people saying, 'I wanted to eat pandan cake. I Googled 'pandan cake' and found you,'" says Yang.

Visit on the right week and you'll get your hands on some kuih lapis. By far the most popular cast member of the regular rotation; the bouncy, rainbow coloured "cake" is made with coconut milk, rice flour, tapioca flour, and pandan-infused simple syrup. Each layer is steamed individually and the strong coconuty fragrance will give your brunch neighbours instant food envy.

You might also come across ang ku kuih – a celebratory, red tortoise-shaped gooey parcel with mung beans or crushed peanut and sugar filling; or pandan kaya cake – a love child of kuih and fluffy pandan sponge.

On the week of my visit, there were "pulti inti", a blue pea sticky rice morsel covered with palm sugar and steamed in banana leaf. At $2 to $3.50 a pop, it's no surprises the cafe sells up to 400 pieces of these homemade sweets a week.

On the savoury side, expect to see weekly updates of South-East Asian comfort foods on the specials menu.

Most are seasonally inspired and can range from Ipoh cheng fun – silky noodle rolls with an unctuous chicken and shiitake mushroom gravy – to eggplant dan dan noodles, which play on the traditional Taiwanese version with spicy braised eggplant, mushrooms, Szechuan pepper and a swirl of Chinese-style tahini sauce.

You can, of course, still get a kopitiam brekkie — a typical Singaporean and Malaysian breakfast featuring toast, butter and homemade kaya spread, plus onsen eggs that come with soy and white pepper just like the real deal.

Or go for the clever twist on avo on toast, which is big on umami thanks to the furikake sprinkles (Japanese rice seasoning) and a lick of seaweed paste on the sourdough that Yang likes to call "Asian Vegemite". For carb lovers, hit up the hearty tom yum chicken congee on the all-day brunch menu.

Since COVID, Yang has been consulting her Singapore-based mother for more homestyle recipes. Their in-house operated delivery service also means the cafe is reaching a wider customer base beyond Surry Hills.

"We have been more innovative during this period," says Yang. "It's nice to be able to get to know more people through the cafe and comfort them in times when they are homesick."

The low-down

Cafe Rumah,

Where 71/73 Campbell Street, Surry Hills, caferumah.com.au

Main attraction The photogenic weekly "kuih boxes" that make an enviable picnic addition (and are just as good eaten at home or in the cafe). Remember to pre-order them.

Must-try dish Check the specials board for a rotating list of South-East Asian comfort foods. From their regular menu, you can't go wrong with the Kopitiam brekkie with housemade kaya spread.

Insta-worthy dish The rainbow-coloured kuih lapis. It's the uplifting food photo everyone needs right now.

Drinks Coffee $3.50-$4 by Welcome Dose; tea $4.50 by T Totaler

Prices $7.50-$18

Hours Mon-Fri 8:30am-2pm; Sat 9am-2.30pm; closed Sundays