It's been AGES since I've brunched. I remember in my first year of University, we were all about that brunch life since that was the best time my friends and I could all meet up. Nowadays, we're lucky to even catch each other for dinner or drinks because life has been so busy.

Orto Trading Co in Surry Hills boasts of the Insta-famous Eggs Benedict & Fried chicken. I remember a few months ago my girl, Terry also giving me some truffled polenta fries she got take-away from the place and they were so good! She said they were much better with the blue cheese sauce it came with. Unfortunately I didn't order that when Vanessa and I ventured here for some brunch after Vanessa's job interview. Which she cried about how badly it went all of brunch. Literally all of brunch. We even had to get ice cream after 😂  Just over a week later as I'm writing this post, I'm so happy to also tell you guys - VANESSA GOT THE JOB! Congratulations to this gorgeous new Operations Manager!!! Not even graduated yet and already landed a job, she is absolutely amazing and deserves it 💖

Hehe back onto this food review. Orto seems like a far walk on the map from Central Station but it actually isn't that bad. Just like most times when you are walking around Surry Hills, the uphill will tire you but the way back going downhill is much faster. Take comfort in that like I do.


There is an extremely cute outdoor courtyard area where you can enjoy your meal in the sun which is getting much more lovely in Sydney lately. We opt to sit indoors because it's still a little windy on this day. And it's annoying because my hair feels like it's only 5cm or something with my new short hair, but it still manages to fly into my mouth and poke my eyes at every possible opportunity! 😱



The indoor is even more pretty with both a colourful wall, a rustic brick wall, and the rest is glass allowing the gorgeous sunshine to seep in. It feels very chic and modern. Each table has flowers in a vase to my delight because this will make my photos look even nicer and even more "brunch" like 😇



It's quite empty at 12PM on a Wednesday and so we choose to sit in the corner right in front of the kitchen. The chalkboard menu is high above our heads but we are also handed a paper menu since there are a lot of options. The waiter is so nice and friendly, and tells us about the specials of the day which Vanessa chooses to order. As for me, I'm here for the Eggs Benedict x Fried chicken which Vanessa also recommends!


We're not Vanessa and Kim if we don't order entrees or drinks with our meal (because indulgence is what we do best):

We had some conversations until our meals arrived not too far apart and it looked so good I couldn't wait to dig in!





I had such a good experience at Orto Trading Co and I feel like I definitely will come back some time and give the other options a try. One menu item I particularly have my eye on is the scotch eggs!! I highly recommend everyone give this place a go especially if you're looking for a non-busy, good-food and Instagram-worthy kind of place to dine!



TL;DR:
Price: Bit pricey
Quality: Very good and freshly made
Service: Friendly and welcoming
Ambience: Pretty, rustic, chic and hip!

I'd say our Garden Party was also a great success as we got some new sign ups from interested people walking by, and we were able to meet our current members who are all very keen for our next FABSOC events! :)

So that's the end of the first two weeks of uni, I'll definitely try to balance my time better and post more!