Review: Devon on Danks – Waterloo

Devon Cafe finally has a bigger place to spread its wings. I was expecting even a higher standard now compared to the Central station branch for some reason. Find my previous Devon reviews here: Devon I, Devon II & Devon III.Not knowing this area, the walk from Redfern station was quite pleasant. The main landmark nearby is the Hillsong across from it. Inside, it is very spacious and comfortable, there is an improvement in the service, I suspect because all the tables are in sight compared to the segregated “rooms” of Devon Cafe.

SOFT SHELL CRAB ROLL ALA JAPANOIS $18
Crispy soft shell crab with shichimi pepper, wasabi mayo, tobiko, nori, pickled cucumber, daikon, carrot, shiso

The fried soft shell crab was cooked perfectly with a slight kick of pepper. The wasabi mayo did not have enough of a kick for me, would not have noticed it without reading it the menu. I tried to eat it with my hands but it was not practical as the crab kept falling out. Knife and fork is the way to go. Disappointed with the presentation. Somewhat, one of the more mediocre dishes at Devon.

DR SEUSS’S GREEN EGG AND HAM $19
Thick cut bacon, crispy potato, 63 degree egg, green tomato ketchup, pea puree, soybeans, pea tendrils, jus

Pea and ham is such a classic combination, visually, the colours are vibrant and just pop out. Shame for the presentation again as a little more care with the pea puree would have made it perfect (to be picky). The ham is full of deep smoky ham flavour, I really enjoyed it with the all the other combinations on the plate. The crispy potato is indeed very crispy and brought a crunch to the dish. A dish that I would order again.

DANKS-IN-DONUTS $7

These mini donuts are mouth-size and filled to the brim with individual flavouring. A mixture of asian flavours such as matcha green tea or milo and classic raspberry were available. I was not too impressed by them and would not order them again. Nice flavours but I would have preferred made-to-order fried doughnuts with the sauce 🙂 for that price.

CRONUTS $6.50

These are officially the most expensive cronuts or cronnies as it is referred to here. Are they worth it? yes, just because they are square! not but really as a late entrant, Devon did not just make a mediocre replica. I feel that they have tasted every cronut in town and taken note of which qualities to include.

The texture of these cronnies is similar to Adriano Zumbo’s Zonut, the construction is very similar as well with more emphasis on the filling rather than overloading the top which in my opinion makes the pastry too soggy and thus looses its crunchy texture (i.e. some of the Brewnuts).

The Milo-chocolate was very good filled with a light ganache of chocolate and milo. The one to remember is the pork floss and mayo cronut which is based on the popular pork floss bun found in Asian bakeries. Is it sweet or savoury? 70% savoury – 30% sweet, 100% yummy. It is definitely an experience. I do not quite know what is the filling, but it’s yummy.

The soft shell crab roll was below the standard that we are use to at Devon. This was still is very good breakfast however to be ultra-picky there were some areas of improvement like cleanliness of tables and inconsistent presentation. The Pork Floss and Mayo Cronut is enough of a reason to come here.