‘Superbly stout’: This inner-west spot will satisfy your Cornish pasty cravings

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One of my enduring memories of visiting London is going to the Regency Cafe near Westminster and watching a red-cheeked man behind the counter shout “Two eggs, sausage, beans and chips” as loud as a train horn while wiping his hands on a chequered tea towel.

No one replied, but the kitchen behind him, working away in this greasy spoon institution, got the message. There was even a tea urn, steaming quietly opposite formica tables, red marbled linoleum flooring and framed black-and-white photos of Tottenham Hotspur soccer players.

Pork pies take two days to make and are served cold.Louie Douvis

While not a greasy spoon, The Kentish Chef, a new cafe offering British-inspired food in Petersham, conjures this tradition.

The menu features Cornish pasties, pork pies, scones, potato sourdough and cheddar, potato and onion slices, but also breakfasts with ingredients frequently shouted across The Regency. There’s the OG, for instance, which features bacon, a pork sausage patty, a fried egg, American cheese and ketchup in an English sourdough muffin.

Meanwhile, Greggs Benedict, named after the UK baking chain (sellers of 18 million sausage rolls a year across Britain) is a hangover-evaporating toasted sandwich medley of sausage, baked beans and melted cheese. It comes with a delicate poached egg and hollandaise to plunge its golden crunchy corners into.

This is the meal to restore pluck and beat away all seediness. It’s a similar feeling with A Bit of Kentish Crumpet, a wink-wink title that delivers two light but excellently chewy crumpets with butter and a choice of spreads. Lewis Richardson, who co-owns The Kentish Chef with his partner, Samantha, advises the best thing to smear on is Marmite. But, as it’s not commercially available, he’ll allow Vegemite.

Photo: Louie Douvis

The Richardsons’ say their aim is to bring a taste of their home, the county of Kent in England’s south-east region (known as the “garden of England” for its agricultural history) to Australia.

Richardson, who worked as a chef in the UK, is especially particular about the simplicity, structure and taste of a Cornish pasty.

“To even call it a Cornish pasty you have to follow rules,” he says. “My recipe is a classic one that I’ve evolved slightly with the percentage of meat to vegetable ratio but apart from that, the ingredients are exactly as they should be.”

Cornish pasties date back to the 17th century as a portable meal for miners and field workers in Cornwall. The pastry needed to be dense enough to withstand dropping, and the pasties’ crimped edge provided a pastry handle.

A Bit of Kentish Crumpet delivers two light but excellently chewy crumpets with butter and a choice of spreads.Louie Douvis

Richardson’s pasty is superbly stout, not overfilled and, although modest in a way, is a snack of depth and comfort via its unfettered blend of diced beef, swede, potato and onion, all seasoned with salt and pepper. He also offers a superb pork pie, made in a two-day process including rendering his own pork fat for the pastry. It is served cold, as tradition stipulates.

The chef personally cannot abide beef sausage rolls, something he was amazed to discover on his first visit to Australia several years ago.

“Beef ones have got their own lane,” he says. “But it’s a childhood thing. Pork sausage rolls remind me of my childhood when you would get them from the school canteen.”

Richardson’s sausage roll is excellently moist on the inside, has a good pork-to-pastry ratio and is subtly seasoned with sage. Eat it in The Kentish Cafe’s tiny, cosy environs as Richardson works like the clappers in the open kitchen beyond. No shouting involved.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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