Taiwanese food is as hard to come by in Sydney as a city lunch priced under $15. Ultimo’s newest Taiwanese-style bento shop, Ommi Don, ticks both of those boxes without compromising on flavour or fun.
You’ll be surprised to find this hole-in-the-wall eatery in a hidden arcade under a UniLodge student accommodation building near Broadway. Even more surprising is the fact that there’s a former Aria and Barangaroo House chef behind the bright orange counter.
Taiwanese chef Omar Hsu worked under Matt Moran for a decade before he was forced to hang up his chef’s whites and bid farewell to Barangaroo House’s panoramic harbour views. In the midst of the nationwide sourdough craze, Hsu instead began nurturing a kimchi starter that eventually become the cornerstone of his and his wife Josie Yuan’s Asian-inspired catering business, Ommi Food.
Almost three years later, Hsu finally bought a bricks and mortar store where he’s dishing out the street food flavours of his homeland, all at a nifty price tag. True to its name, dons (rice bowls) make up the bulk of the menu, along with a few hot snacks, cold sides and refreshing Taiwanese teas.
Ommi Don’s three-cup chicken don checks in at a pocket-friendly price of $14, complete with your choice of sushi rice, purple rice or udon noodles. The dish earned its name from the precise ratio of sauce ingredients – one cup each of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine – that Hsu originally used when cooking it for staff meals at Aria.
Ommi’s East meets West black pepper teppanyaki dons are another hit with a choice of pork katsu steak, crispy pork, mushroom chicken, or tofu and veg. Hsu played with Taiwan’s traditional night market steak sauce, emulsifying it with butter using classic French techniques that he mastered during his time at Aria.
The menu also pays tribute to traditional Japanese-style bentos with a range of curry, yakiniku (grilled meat), and crispy-fried rice bowls. Turn your don into a set with sides like smacked cucumber, potato salad with creamy soft-boiled egg, seaweed butter sweetcorn, and golden or red chilli kimchi. Then add a refreshing herb jelly drink, winter melon tea with ai-yu (fig) jelly, or fresh iced lemon tea.
Even with a side and a drink, your don set will still likely be under the magic $20 mark. Grab your chopsticks and get around these don bowls.
