Milk Beach

The warm evening breeze blew in through the open doors of this Antipodean-inspired café on the week night of our visit. Serving coffee and brunch by day, and sharing plates by night (Wednesday to Sunday), it’s a charming space. Exposed floorboards, whitewashed walls and pastel accents, and communal tables inside and out, ensure it fits in well on Queen’s Park’s quirkiest street. From the tiny open-style kitchen, a chef rustled up our small plates, while the friendly waitress poured generous wine tastings to help us choose which we liked best.

The short menu took us around the globe: skin-on Chinese sea bass was magnificent: resting in a pool of soy and sesame mingled with fish juices, it also came sprinkled with spring onion, coriander and ginger for extra zing. Also outstanding was a beef cheek pappardelle, with ribbons of al dente pasta and flakes of rich meat.

Other dishes were more mixed: Malaysian chicken laksa had good flavour but not enough broth, while the vegan mac ’n’ cheese was creamy but under seasoned. Still, the chatter was loud and the atmosphere welcoming.

There may be no sand or sea, but Milk Beach is a relaxing place to hang out.