Kita a homely spot for night owls

When Kita opened in Narrabundah in late 2018 and advertised their overnight opening hours there were some skeptics who didn't believe it would work. It was 9pm to 9am back then, now it's 6pm to 6am, and Kita is thriving, even at 3am.

We wonder whether we can fit this review in in the wee hours. I'm sure no review has ever been done at that time of night, or morning, but we can't work it. So we're here as doors open and the place is already full. It's walk-ins only, with 60 minute sittings, or 90 for groups of eight or more, and people are definitely walking in.

There are large tables with young families, mid-size groups, tables for two, even a few solo diners. Kita caters for a variety of setups. Tables are set with lounge chairs and sofas, the large table has lined the kids up along the banquette seating. The decor is homely in a way, like you've been invited into someone's house, with paintings and photographs, pot plants and wood paneling. Despite the limited sitting time, it's the kind of place it would be easy to settle into. Maybe at 3am they're a little more lenient in letting people stay and chill a little.

The Young family who are behind Kita used to operate the popular pop-up Indo Place at the Old Bus Depot Markets and the Indonesian influence carries through here. The day menu is breakfast focused, there's an egg and bacon roll alongside some bubur ayam, a traditional rice porridge in a chicken and ginger broth, or a martabak, which is a savoury omelette filled with minced beef.

At night there's a list of house specialties, from soups to salads, rice dishes, share plates and a dessert menu not to be missed.

There's also a curry of the week depending on the mood in the kitchen and a rotating list of monthly specials.

We start with the perkedel jagung ($9.50), corn fritters served with a spicy house relish. My fritter game has been strong recently, my garden full of corn and zucchini, and I'm always keen to see how the experts do it. These fritters are full of corn, crisp and light. The key to a good fritter is the lightness of the batter, and the ratio of filling, and Kita has it worked out. The two fritters were quite large and we had to break them up to dip them in the excellent relish. The relish had a good kick, without it being too hot. A good start.

We opt to make the laksa a seafood one ($18.50). You can also choose tofu and vegetables, or chicken and vegetables, but seafood swimming in a delicious coconut broth is hard to go past. Sometimes, when you go the seafood option, you're lucky to get a couple of limp prawns, but here the seafood is bountiful, prawns, mussels, fish and squid all present. The heat in the laksa is just right, enough to make you sit up and notice, but not enough to make your mouth burn, the noodles are well cooked, and the crunch of bean sprouts on top adding texture. It's a generous bowl too, a filling soup.

Nasi goreng ($18) is one of those dishes I've never been able to pull off. Fried rice can be tricky, there's an art in not letting it just turn into gluggy rice and vegetables. Here, it's full of flavour, the kecap manis is not overpowering. We've added chicken and vegetables and while some pieces of chicken seem a little over-cooked, overall it's a pleasing meal. There's a large pappadum and a fried egg, I would have liked it to be a little less cooked, as I'm a sucker for a gooey yolk. Again, it's a generous serve. I get the leftovers packaged up and it's a good-sized lunch the next day.

It's hard to narrow down the dessert menu. Fried banana and coconut ice cream, sago pearl with coconut milk and lychees, pancakes full of Nutella and condensed milk, buttermilk pandan waffles.

We can't go past the pisang goreng ($10.50), little balls of fried banana dusted in cinnamon sugar. The batter is crisp, the banana inside delectably gooey, the coconut ice cream a winner.

And, then there's the pandan waffles ($16.50). We watch the kids on the next table break into big smiles when these Hulk-green waffles are served up to them, when ours are served up the group of four on the other side agree they need to order them now too. Two thick waffles which were light and tender, luminous green with a slight flavouring from the pandan, more coconut ice cream, and some seasonal fruit, strawberries, watermelon and kiwi. Again, enough to package up, an indulgent breakfast the next morning.

When Kita first opened eyebrows were also raised by the lack of alcoholic drinks. They've thought about it over the years, but never bothered. It's not really missed. There's a range of cold drinks, tea and coffee, shakes and juices. We order a spiky melon juice which my dining companion says "tastes like a holiday", and I try a Heaps Normal non-alcoholic XPA which is so good you could drink it full time and feel rather virtuous.

We have enjoyed our meal at Kita. The service was efficient and friendly, the meal comforting and homely. With the lounge chairs and personal touches, it's like the Young family have opened up their own home to feed friends. And that's not a bad way to approach it.

Address: 59 Boolimba Cres, Narrabundah

Phone: 6295 1898

Website: kitakafe.com.au

Hours: 6pm to 6am, Wednesday-Thursday; 6pm to noon, Friday-Saturday.

Owners:

Chef:

Vegetarian: Plenty of options

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