For brothers Jono and Nick Freeman (and for most of us, too) some of their fondest memories were made in the kitchen of their grandmother, Ida. As its name suggests, the concept of Ida’s Kitchen pays homage to these memories – it’s a delicious echo of times gone by, achieved by preserving and reinventing the unforgettable tastes and moments of the Freeman brothers’ past. Local chef Kym Trost and renowned local patissier Elsa Holland have joined forces in the kitchen, tasked with passionately recreating Ida’s food for the 21st century through an all-day menu and an eye-catching offering of sweets and delicate pastries. In the cabinet you’ll find a selection of treats made in-house daily by Elsa – from crumbling cookies and freshly baked scones, to pastries like the intricately decorated slab of lemon cheesecake (a recreation of Ida’s lemon tart recipe) and the zingy blood orange and passionfruit tart, which gives a nod to the original passionfruit tart that Jono and Nick used to enjoy.
As for the menu, you can keep things simple in the morning with classics like hot housemade banana bread with maple-espresso butter, The Bread Social toasts with house preserves, and streaky-bacon-and-egg rolls with Swiss cheese and a tomato, fennel and chipotle relish. Ida’s Breaky Salad of a roasted pumpkin segment topped with sauteed greens and broccoli, Chinese black vinaigrette and a poached egg is a warming all-day dish, as is the mushroom, aged parmesan and sage fritters, served with greens, cauliflower puree and poached eggs. Classic waffles have been given a savoury spin, which sees a kimchi and cabbage waffle topped with a spicy Asian watercress salad, toasted peanuts and an option to add eggs, streaky bacon or crispy karaage chicken. Ida’s lunch-style dishes cover light bites to moreish eats – spend a moment indulging in a cheeseburger with Monterey Jack cheese, dill pickles, lettuce and secret burger sauce, enjoy a crunch salad with citrus dressing, tuck into a proper Reuben sandwich, or lash out with the karaage chicken bun topped with a red-cabbage slaw, seven-spice mayonnaise and Ida’s chilli sauce. As for the coffee, it’s boutique Sydney roaster Maloney St pouring daily, while filter coffees and batch cold brews will rotate with a different Australian roaster featured weekly.
Ida’s Kitchen is now open! Head to our Stumble Guide for its opening hours, contact details and location.
