Chef Cho Yoon and co-owner Lachlan Exton. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
On Lonsdale is the latest cafe by the team behind Dickson’s reinvigorated Highroad cafe.
The ONA-coffee-loving business owners Lachlan Exton and Maheer Prasad are teaming up with Chef Cho Yoon to create a unique offering on a street already famous for its cafes.
Lachlan and Chef Cho recently visited Korea to get some inspiration for their new venue, and they landed on Korean-style rice bowls and sandos: an Asian sandwich on fluffy, white shokupan bread.
“There’s already a lot of good cafes in Braddon doing that Modern Australian-style breakfast, and also some really good sandwiches in the city, so I didn’t want to do that western-style sandwich,” Chef Cho told Region.
“Instead, we’re using Asian ingredients to create something a bit different, but it’s something in between an Asian and a Western style of sandwich, so there’ll be something that everyone likes.”
On Lonsdale specialises in sandos like this Tonkatsu Pork Sando. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The long list of sandos on the soft-opening menu includes Tonkatsu Pork Sando, with panko-crumbed pork loin and tonkatsu glaze, and a Sando-O-fish – a quirky take on the McDonald’s fish burger. But unlike mass-produced Maccas, Chef Cho insists on quality, using his fine-dining background to make most elements from scratch.
I had a first taste of the Korean Beef Bulgogi Sando, with a marinated beef patty, soy-pickled onion, spicy ssam-jang paste and moreish crispy garlic chips. The medium beef patty is super juicy, and the soy-pickled onions are delicious. Each sando is served with homemade pickles and a smear of hot English mustard, just as you’d find in a Japanese Izakaya (bars serving snacks). The hefty meat patty and thick-sliced bread kept me full all afternoon.
Hot sauce, noodle cups and ONA coffee- what else do you want? Photo: Lucy Ridge.
On the other side of the menu is a list of hot rice bowls. Chef Cho explained that, eventually, they would also be selling cold grab-and-go sandwiches and cold poke bowls. There will also eventually be snacks like gyoza and a nostalgic way of serving chips.
“This is something I remember from when I was a child. We used to have chips that came in a large bag, and you would pour in a seasoning powder and shake to coat the chips,” he said.
“I wanted to do something like that here. We dehydrate kimchi to make a seasoning for the chips: we’re calling them Shake On Lonsdale!”
Hot sauce, cup noodles and ONA coffee, what else could you want? Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Co-owner Lachlan is full of ideas for future events and further expansion. He and his team are looking to be a locally owned hospitality group that will rival the big guys.
Chef Cho is also experimenting with sweet shokupan dishes and I was lucky enough to try one of his newer creations. I’ve been sworn to secrecy for now, but hopefully, I won’t have to keep it to myself for matcha longer …
ONA-trained baristas from Highroad have come across to the new venue. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The cafe is currently open for outdoor seating and takeaway meals, as well as ONA coffees, as they soft launch and finish off the interior details. The official launch will be held in the first week of November.
On Lonsdale is located at 23 Lonsdale St, Braddon. Follow them on Instagram or visit their website to find out more.
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