A Roti haven, tucked slightly off the main drag in Ultimo, Kafe Kooks doesn’t announce itself with fanfare. You’ll find it in a humble little heritage building that, on approach, reads more like a subtle London side-alley than a Sydney institution. Within “ch-ch-ch-changes” are exactly what’s waiting for you.
Kooks is a full-blown ode to David Bowie, and owner Andrew Ray isn’t quiet about it: the tunes, the decor, and Andrew’s own daily rotating Bowie tee all sing from the same songbook. However, the real “Space Oddity” here is what Kafe Kooks does to Roti, an entire menu built as a love letter to the flatbread, stretching it from traditional curry pairings to inventive signature wraps and even a crispy, air-bubbled dessert incarnation. This kitchen turns the bread into a “Starman” waiting in the sky.
Arrival & The Team
What elevates Kafe Kooks beyond “cute cafe with a great soundtrack” is the staff; each one is genuinely knowledgeable and keen to go the extra mile, sharing the stories behind the food. Owner Andrew Ray came out to say hello and tell his Bali origin story with real warmth, recalling sitting in a little cafe and watching Roti served every which way: egg, cheese, spam, you name it. That moment sent him down a rabbit hole of (largely failed) experimentation before he found his Roti master, Suresh Rajandran, who brings decades of Malaysian experience and now leads the kitchen and headlines the venue’s bi-weekly Roti masterclasses.
The Roti Masterclass
If you want to understand why Kafe Kooks’ Roti hits differently, book into one of Suresh’s classes. They’re pairing hands-on dough-making with a full five-course dinner for $95pp. Suresh grew up making Roti in Malaysian family restaurants, and he walks guests through dough technique, flipping, stretching and the different ways to shape it into its many forms, from savoury to sweet. It’s the kind of class that turns a fun night out into an actual skill upgrade, and reviewers consistently rave about how clear and genuinely fun his teaching style is. Consider it “Changes” you’ll actually want to make to your weekly cooking rotation. Why keep Taco Tuesday when Roti is on the table?
What We Ate
The menu itself is properly broad, spanning breakfast Roti-and-egg combinations through to hearty curry pairings, an array of signature wraps, and a dessert selection that stands on its own two feet.
We started with the three-curry combo, and it was clear from the first bite that every element here is curated and handmade. The Roti itself carries that signature touch of condensed milk in just the right balance, and the sauces are built with unique twists. Perfectly fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The butter chicken was the standout of the trio: a beautiful punch in the front palate without ever tipping into overbearing, creamy without being cloyingly sweet, and textured to optimise mopping up every last morsel with the Roti. The beef rendang curry was so scrumptious that we ended up buying two extra serves to take home for dinner!
From there we moved to the wraps, and the wasabi prawn was our clear standout. Perfectly balanced heat, a generous serve of prawns, and a decadent, unexpected twist on the humble sandwich format and at $20, it won’t break the bank. Alongside, we tried the rojak salad, a true satay-spiked take on the classic that’s packed with protein and nowhere near as “salad-lite” as the name suggests.
To finish, dessert became its own little revelation. The Perfect Banana was melt-in-your-mouth good, doing a lot with very little, while the tisu Roti reframed what Roti can even be. An ultra-crisp, sweet, air-flat-bread cousin that felt like watching an old favourite “turn and face the strange” in the best possible way.
What We’re ADDICTED To?
The wraps, hands down. Balanced, filling, and genuinely unlike anything else on Sydney’s Asian fusion scene. Worth the trip just for these.
What We Need To Be More ADDICTED?
Brunch. We didn’t get to the rest of the menu this time, and we’re already plotting a return trip for the Singapore-inspired Roti dippy eggs and the Kooks eggs.
Kafe Kooks, 63 Mountain Street, Ultimo NSW 2007