Milk Bar by Cafe Ish (Redfern) (CLOSED)

I was talking to a buddy of mine a while ago about the weirdest couple names she’s ever heard of/used herself. She didn’t say anything too outlandish (wax candle was my favourite; who calls their significant other: ‘wax candle?).

She then asked me the same question and I was stumped. Except for some weird lapses in the space time continuum, I’ve been solo for most of my life just like the lemon soft drink. So, I decided to give a couple name to one of my favourite foods: chocolate.

I decided to affectionately call my chocolate a ‘milk bar.’

Speaking of milk bars, I went to Milk Bar by Cafe Ish for my company lunch on Friday.

Located a short walk from Redfern Station, Milk Bar by Cafe Ish is a milk bar by the guys behind Cafe Ish. Heh sorry, I had to.

Milk Bar’s signature calling card is it’s old school feel and interesting and incredibly affordable menu. I’m not old enough to have lived in a suburbia where milk bars were on every corner and I resent my parents for waiting as long as they did.

I usually don’t mention price in my reviews due to the fact that I love splurging on food but it’s definitely a talking point when it comes to Milk Bar. It’s trademark cheeseburger can be had for a single crispy $5 bill.

Note (pun intended): They also accept non-crispy bills.

My entire meal was had for a cool $15 and resulted in me falling asleep at my desk at 3pm.

My coma started off with a milkshake.

This was an extremely thick milkshake. Fortunately, I like them thick (heh) so this was right in my wheelhouse. I find that a lot of milkshakes that use caramel are in name only and was pleasantly surprised that caramel showed up in this one. The flavours were very strong. Combine that with my ideal milkshake texture and you’ve got yourself a winner.

This is a really unique cheeseburger. I’m so accustomed to burger joints using brioche buns that this burger completely caught me off guard. The bread was crispy, and is what I believe damper would taste like even though I’ve never had damper before in my life. It was incredibly enjoyable and added a crunch dynamic that you don’t usually get in burgers unless you’re one of geniuses that put fries in your burger.

Another unique dynamic is the patty that Milk Bar uses. The patty is free range which I originally thought meant that they were giving these away alas I was wrong. It’s texture was great with a very rich taste. The onions and ketchup are staples of all cheeseburgers and did well to bring the burger together.

Time to discuss the star of the show:

These fries were ridiculous. They were brought to our table piping hot and had a great crunch to them. I love all establishments who give you sauce on the house, especially if it’s creamy mayo that accentuates the awesomeness of the chips.

As I said earlier, I was already thinking of going back to Milk Bar by Cafe Ish prior to sitting down and the chips just solidified my belief.

Here’s the TL;DR who actually calls their significant other a ‘milk bar’

– A bunch of Sydney food bloggers and I put together a list of our favourite restaurants for Destination NSW. Please check out the link at Sydney Life and hope that this leads to more opportunities for the community.

– I forgot to take a photo but there was actually a poster for a Kelis concert inside the milk bar. You can guess which song was stuck in my head for the next six hours.

– I’ll be back for you Milk Bar, it’s a date (first date since my bad haircut and I’m taking it!)

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Milk Bar by Cafe Ish

105 Regent Street, Redfern

Opening hours

Day / service	Hours / details
Mon to Fri 6	30 am – 5:00 pm
Sat to Sun 8	00 am – 5:00 pm