St. Kai's Latest Creation Is This Napolitana Udon Mashing Italian and Japanese Cuisine

Whether you're a fan of starting your day with a steaming hot coffee or a steaming hot bowl of noodles, a quirky Japanese-inspired cafe and coffee house in Mortdale has you covered.

St. Kai has been a local favourite since it was opened by siblings Lachy and Lexy Allouche in June 2019. Now it's welcomed a new chef to further push the limits of Japanese and Western flavours. Yuki Bagel, a chef and self-proclaimed "extraordinary earth alien artist," has further expanded the cafe's offering with a varied new menu.

Those after a light bite can opt for sourdough, fruit or charcoal loaf with coffee butter, or banana bread with matcha cream. A Japanese twist on a grab-and-go brekkie roll includes crispy bacon, fried egg and tonkatsu sauce on a milk bun.

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But it's the rice and noodle bowls many are coming for this winter and with good reason — they're the perfect way to warm the belly on cold days. The rice bowl lineup includes a dairy-free green tea broth over steamed rice with hot smoked salmon, as well as a bowl filled with grilled chicken on shio koji, folded eggs and caramelised onions. Or just simply go all out and get the 'cheeseburger' donburi — it's a heady mix of wagyu ground beef, fried egg, St. Kai sauce and dill pickles.

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If you're a noodle fan, a range of ramens are there to tempt you: the tantanmen ramen comes topped with miso pork and mama liu's chilli oil, while the mazesoba (brothless) ramen is topped with coffee-rubbed tiger prawns. And the pièce de résistance is the napolitana style udon: a mashup of Japanese and Italian cultures, thanks to its combination of kombu soy with bacon, onion, mushrooms, shaved parmesan and umami dust. Basically, it's a hug in a bowl, and exactly what we need to warm our mitts during the current winter cold snap.

If you haven't checked it out yet, do it while the weather is still cold enough that the steam from your coffee/noodle combo both warms your hands and your soul.

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St.Kai can be found at 38 Balmoral Road in Mortdale, Sydney. It's open Mondays 6:30am-1pm and Tuesday to Sunday, 6:30am - 3pm.

Top image: Jasper Avenue