The Kitchen’s team (that’s Rex in the middle, who is in charge of front-of-house).
I went to the opening of a new restaurant in Parramatta last week called The Kitchen, which is run by a Filipino-Indian duo called Rex Manaay and Sree Mohanan. The pair have worked together for many years and actually made two attempts to buy the premises, which was formerly Sangria. Needless to say it was a happy night, with cold beer and crisp wine flowing and creative canapes served up by smiling young staff, like this super cool toffee tomato:
It was my first launch party in Sydney and I was impressed by how organised it was. Admittedly I used to live in Myanmar and it’s kind of hard to get things to go as planned there, for reasons too complicated for me to go into in this little blog post. Anyway, I arrived a few minutes past five after scrambling there from my office on Church Street and things had already started. A priest was in the middle of reciting a few verses and then he walked around with what appeared to be a pump spray of holy water. We were given name badges to wear, everyone had a glass in hand and something to eat and the gentlemen at Mode Media who did the organising introduced themselves to me while the staff had some group staff shots taken by a photographer. It was all very smooth.
I’d actually also had lunch there that same day with the ‘Parramatta Foodie’ (she has ten thousand followers on Instagram!!). I won’t disclose Sarah’s surname as that’s kind of under wraps (I was eager for a selfie but she declined – modest or what!), but I can tell you that she’s charming (how many people are friendly enough to agree to have lunch with someone who stalked them on Insta?!) and I can show you what she ate:
The Kitchen Salad with added grilled chicken
I had a halloumi wrap, which was tasty and came with a decent serve of chips that I worked hard not to finish. The lunch menu has healthy options like quinoa salad and grilled salmon as well as what I call ‘man-food’ – burgers, wedges and so on. You can check out the menu here. Sree, who is head of the (actual) kitchen described the fare as “modern Australian.”
“It has a bit of everything. Which is modern Australian, really.”
The Kitchen’s kitchen.
It has a hint of an industrial feel but keeps things cheerful with lots of light and an open plan, plus potted plants on the wall and whimsical font that says stuff like “I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry.”
The Kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and Rex said that they are “smashing it” at breakfast and lunch, which is pretty impressive considering it had only opened its doors a week earlier. Rex did say that business slows down at dinner – he thinks because people assume it’s a café from its appearance and therefore not open late, but hopefully guests at the Park Royal opposite will make like a kangaroo and hop across the road (ha ha). Parramatta is known as Sydney’s “second CBD” and it has a huge office population and a great dining scene. But I daresay things are quieter in the evening when the offices empty out (I myself had only stuck around till dusk this one time). Time will tell. Sree and Rex must be optimistic though, because they’re already on the lookout for second and third venues to open more ‘Kitchens.’
The Kitchen has upstairs and downstairs dining and you’ll be able to sit outside and eat when the council grants the permit…
Rex used to work at a posh golf course in Manila and one day while he was working, someone came up to him out of the blue and asked if he wanted to be sponsored to come and work in Australia. Rex said no because he loved his life in The Philippines, but then gave it some thought and decided that his daughters would get a better education here. They started off on the Gold Coast but moved to Sydney so that his eldest daughter, who is contemplating being an engineer, has the chance to study at one of Sydney’s top-notch universities.
“I can’t believe I own a restaurant in one of the world’s greatest cities,” he said with a big grin as his family ate happily at a booth behind him.
It seems you never know your luck in a big city, and I wish The Kitchen the very best of luck.
The Kitchen is on 14/55 Phillip Street, Parramatta, 2150
Ph: 8628 7686
