KIN by Us, Macquarie Park
EDIT: CLOSED
The mothership is an avid cooking show nut which is how the family and I came to be at newly opened KIN by Us (2 Saunders Close, Macquarie Park), run by My Kitchen Rules 2014 sweetest couple ever- Uel and Shannelle. We arrived just before 12 and found it absolutely packed but we put our name down with the super cheerful Uel who was manning the floor and were seated about 20mins later.
The majority of items are on the all day menu but the Snap Crackle Plop ($10) is only available after 11.30am and it was this dish that we had made the trip for. And it was AWESOME. The chicken rice was incredibly fragrant from the ginger and chicken stock used in the rice, the slow cooked onsen egg had a perfect gooey yolk and the chicken crackle, oh em gee that crackle! Deep fried perfection it was! Salty, fatty, crispy equals to a mountain of happiness! It’s not a large serve but considering it’s only a tenner I’d be totally fine ordering 2 serves of this!
The Sub Marine ($18) is also only available after 11.30am and is a toasted brioche roll stuffed with deep fried soft shell crab and a chilli paste. I appreciated the sprigs of coriander on top which cut through the richness because otherwise this would’ve been a super heavy dish.
The Congee ($17) is as pretty as a picture, there’s shallots, a pile of pork floss mixed with seaweed and sesame seeds and an onsen egg lurking in the depths waiting to be stabbed and mixed into the chicken rice porridge. And what’s congee without some youtiao aka deep fried doughnut/cruller, perfect for ripping into pieces and dunking! Given that I would normally pay around $10 for a giant bowl of congee in Chinatown I kinda wished that this bowl was bigger but it was tasty and Noods was happy so that’s all that matters 😀
I heart waffles so we just had to order the Waffle Belly ($17), the potato waffle was crisp and was the perfect vehicle to hold the meltingly tender caramelised soy pork belly, another perfect gooey onsen egg, mushrooms and there’s a bit of cabbage to cut through the richness. I totally rate this.
I was expecting a bit more with the Kaya Toast at ($7) a pop. I know a lot of work goes into making kaya, I’ve seen the mothership stir away at a pot of kaya for hours but I guess I was expecting a bit more than 2 half slices of bread? And I wanted slabs of butter! The kaya was awesome though, smooth and rich and it was a pretty generous layer.
The Durian Affogato ($7) is probably best for durian lovers only as it’s crazy intense. We tried the durian ice cream by itself first and found it to be pungent and rich and then we poured over the shot of Reuben Hills house blend espresso which mellowed out the durian flavour.
I can see why KIN by Us is so popular even though they’re only in their 3rd week of trading! I loved the bright open space, the food and the service- Uel made sure to stop and have a quick chat with each table and while there can be a bit of wait on Saturdays (they’re closed on Sun) I hope to come back again soon and try the rest of the menu!
KIN by Us
2 Saunders Close
Macquarie Park
NSW
Trading Hours:
Mon – Sat: 7am – 3pm
