Kin by Us, Macquarie Park

MKR contestants Shannelle and Uel bring an Asian flavour to brunch

Located 1a/2 Saunders Cl, Macquarie Park NSW 2113

KIN by Us was hyped to us quite considerably. Not only because of the natural draw card of having two former MKR contestants, Uel and Shannelle, running it, but also because every single time we go it’s already closed! Be warned: their kitchen closes at 2:30 p.m. — and even prior to that some of their food items are unavailable because they are sold out. With such a sense of exclusivity, we could not help but to go in with a reasonable degree of hype.

It’s located reasonably close to Macquarie Centre, though nearer to the quiet residential areas, still means quite a walk from the shopping centre parking lot. The restaurant itself is quite small and cosy, decorated in the style of typical hipster style cafes and institutions: haphazard chairs and tables. Notably, many of the tables were shared; those that were isolated were significantly smaller and round — an interesting design choice.

Fortunately, we were able to get a table for two with minimal wait time — although the wait would have been substantial for any parties of four of more people. Our table was slightly on the cosy side, especially if you plan on ordering multiple food items. However, one of the two seats was on the couch, which felt decadent and relaxing.

The first thing we noted about the menu was its simplicity: one double sided A4 piece of paper, with only a handful of choices per section. It made our decision much easier, but not good if you didn’t like any of them — tough luck! The names of the dishes were interesting and pun-like — sometimes slightly confusing as to what the dish actually was.

With the drinks, we could not help but notice a daily special: watermelon and pineapple juice. This was really refreshing following the walk from Macquarie under the blazing midday sun. The watermelon chunks and fibres were still evident — a great texture accompanying the sour pineapple taste.

Perusing the drinks selection, our eyes went straight to the Golden Gaytime Shake — but with an accompanying price tag of $10, it wasn’t tempting enough. Lower down on the menu was something that was equally intriguing: a durian affogato. Durian is a staple in our South East Asian cuisine so we simply had to try that. It was the first time we’ve ever heard it paired with coffee. This visit was already proving fruitful in terms of creativity. The taste of it was really nice — a very interesting blend of bitter and sweet which coalesced surprisingly well. It was only really at the bottom where the bitterness struck a bit harder — especially for someone not used to drinking straight unsweetened coffee — due to the natural float and solidity of durian, which was quick to finish. What would have made it even better is the use of actual durian bits as well, and more of it, to complement the bottom bitterness.

“Lower down on the menu was something that was equally intriguing: a durian affogato…This visit was already proving fruitful in terms of creativity.”

We should also note here that it became evident that the menu rotates and changes regularly, bringing new dishes in and rotating old ones out. Better jump in quick if there’s something you really want to try.

We ordered a couple of entrees to follow: Wing It and Curlin’ Fries. Wing It consisted of six crispy chicken wings with a chilli and garlic garnish. It was Asian in style, very delicious and permeated with flavour. The wings were cooked to perfection and served piping hot. The amount of chilli and garlic was just right. Fantastic dish to start with. The Curlin’ Fries were a bit smaller in serving, by comparison. Certainly, the fries themselves were soft from out to in, definitely potato-like in texture, but not sure if it was money’s worth for a small dish like that.

Miso Yummy was one of the two mains that we had ordered. It consisted of a fillet of salmon, sourdough bread with two slow cooked eggs on top, garnished with a ball of sesame spinach. The salmon was cooked to that perfect medium rare, with a slightly pink centre that was really quite sophisticated. It was marvellous in taste — to a degree. We felt that the miso flavour was just a bit too overpowering in parts, which gave some parts of it that were particularly saturated a slightly too salty taste. In that respect, part of the freshness of the salmon was lost. The sourdough bread paired very well with the eggs: a pair of them also cooked with great technique to give that runny texture one expects from this style. Very Japanese — but you have to eat this quickly before it runs and spreads everywhere! The spinach ball felt somewhat out of place. It probably could have been omitted and none would have been the wiser. Not sure how it really fit into the rest of the dish, which really worked well together already.

Pass-Tha Crab was the priciest but largest dish of the afternoon. When it was served up, it resembled the dish that we had had at Grounds of Alexandria two years ago. In fact, the taste was quite similar as well. The linguine was seasoned with chilli sauce and cherry tomatoes. What made this dish different was a couple of things. First, the chilli sauce was more of an Asian style: it had an oilier texture that seeped through every bite of linguine and crab. Therefore, it’s not for everyone, especially those who “suck” in their pasta — it can cause a bit of irritation to the throat. However, when eaten in a less exaggerated fashion, it packs quite a punch, but is really full of flavour. The soft shell crab portion was generous in nature. It would have been nice to have more of the Singaporean influence in terms of the cooking of the crab; as it stands, it is a bit more reliant on the sauce inherent in the pasta portion.