In short: The Silly Tart Kitchen looks after your coffee needs during the day, and now on Friday evenings you can pop in for live music and $2 tapas, wine, and beer. Look out for the hasselback potatoes and salmon tostadas.
The Silly Tart Kitchen has a little secret that I need to tell you about. You may know of it as a cafe, a rustic retreat in the middle of Kings Cross but on Fridays, the venue morphs into a soul and jazz venue with tapas and wine.
The Silly Tart Kitchen has been a labour of love for owners Nina Burton and Josh Cook. They have taken a space and given it that country-homestead feel with tiers of green planter boxes, a feature jam room, and even an area for ageing bacon and pork goodies.
It’s quite a departure of any other venue you would find in Kings Cross. Whatever your leanings with regards to the lock out laws, my initial observations on visiting the Cross in the past year, is that it’s attracting a broader age demographic back into the area. Coupled with that, I am seeing more venue options that cater to more than just the millenials. It was on display on my visit to Silly Tart as a couple more mature folk joined in the fun. They even got up and showed us younger folk how it was done on the dance floor as the band belted out their tunes!
So you’re here to read all about the tapas on offer. Here’s a run down on what I had on my visit to Silly Tart. I really enjoyed the lime cured salmon tostadas. I loved the creamy texture of salmon with the crispy tostada. There’s a nice freshness of the tapas.
Chilli and haloumi are just about my favourite ingredients, and as soon as I see chilli poppers, I am onto it and it’s gone! Longer chillis are nowhere near as potent as their sister scuds, but there’s a beautiful harmony with soft and squeaky haloumi.
At home, I enjoy the simplicity of pairing asparagus spears with prosciutto and placing it under the grill for just a few minutes. At Silly Tart, I am introduced to Breseola with asparagus. Breseola is a sweet, dark red meat, that’s thinly draped over the asparagus spear. It too, has the heat of the salamander melt onto the vegetable. A simple yet effective, complementary pairing!
Continuing the theme of perfect pairings is the mild-flavoured cheddar on thin slices of green apple. There’s the freshness of the apple which slices through the richness of the creamy cheddar. Hints of pepper and raw honey completes a dainty offering.
One of the stars of the night (aside from the talent on stage!) are the potato scallops. Hasselback potatoes with a roasted, almost caramelised, exterior were so crisp and seasoned exquisitely. Soft in the middle, they were truly hard to resist. I think I sneaked a few more than my share.
We were thoroughly spoiled with a grand offering of smoked free range chicken with carrot and sesame puree and greens and pan juice. I loved every morsel of the chicken. It was tender with that subtle smoky flavour coming through. With chicken, the key to elevating it is healthy seasoning, and Silly Tart exhibits how it’s done. It was a delicious ending to a great evening at The Silly Tart Kitchen.
As the week ends, make The Silly Tart Kitchen a stopping off point. With groovy live music, a festive atmosphere, and a tapas styled menu with each item priced at just $2, it makes for a compelling proposition and ideal way to launch into the weekend.
*Coco & Vine dined as guests of The Silly Tart Kitchen.
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