It’s time to Meet Mica. They’ve been named one of the Good Food Guide’s 2019 Top 20 Cafes in Sydney.

Since opening in 2017, Meet Mica hasn’t disappointed the hungry Surry Hills brunch crowd. It’s hard to miss the glass-front café as you mosey along Elizabeth Street. Walking past you will see people buzzing from the addictive aroma of Reuben Hill’s roasted coffee beans. The interior designed by MarkCo, features blond wooden tables, copper piping and hanging plant fixtures that double as lighting. There is a distinct IKEA vibe cultivated from the clean simplicity of the space.

This vibe fits in with the café’s ethos which is inspired by the Japanese ethic of natural simplicity. Owners Mica Chen and her chef best friend Lee Li (ex Tetsuya’s, Kensington Street Social) have used Japanese techniques and flavours to differentiate their café from the saturated Surry Hills scene.

A stand out weekend special highlight their Japanese fusion flavours is the Bao Bao Bento. The bento box consists of two steamed bao sandos. One is filled with a Japanese egg roll with nori furikake, mayo and lettuce. The Japanese egg roll is sweet and has a distinct umami flavour that will leave you wanting more. The other bao is filled with teriyaki chicken, avocado and laoganma spicy mayo. The bao is light and fluffy, while the spicy mayo coating the chicken adds a kick of chilli to the dish. Accompanying the dish is edamame beans and crispy lotus chips.

Also showcasing their Asian-inspired menu is the Lobster Congee ($28). It comes with lobster meat slow-cooked in rice congee and served with egg, shaved katsuobushi, green shallot and ginger. For those not familiar with congee, it is a rice porridge that is known for its simplicity in flavour and humble ingredients. While the katsuobushi (bonito flakes) adds a salty element to the dish, the rice congee still lacked seasoning and is unfortunately fairly bland. Despite this, it was generously topped with succulent pieces of grilled lobster that added smokiness to the dish.

For a next-level pastry, try their Crab & Egg Croissant ($22). It combines a LUXE bakery croissant, soft scrambled eggs, chewy crab meat, sweet butter corn and is crowned with a lavish amount of fish roe. The bright orange salty fish roe adds vibrancy to this dish both in looks and taste. If you’re a seafood lover this is a must try.

If you have a sweet tooth, try their Matcha French Lava Toast ($18), which comes with matcha milk foam, strawberry dust and seasonal fruit. This plate looks like an Instagram dream. Make sure you have your phone ready for the moment the condensed milk lava oozes out of its gooey centre.

To drink, coffee ($3.50 regular) is brewed by Reuben Hills. Tippity Teas ($5) has you covered for all your loose leaf tea requirements. Botanica handles the Cold Press Juice with beverages like the Red Juice ($8), which combines watermelon, apple and lemon for a refreshing thirst-quencher.

There is no wonder Meet Mica’s innovative creations have landed the cafe on the Good Food Guide’s 2019 Top 20 Cafes in Sydney list. The menu’s free-spirited blurring of conventional meal boundaries is exactly what you’ll need to get out of bed on a lazy weekend morning.