28 UP Restaurant 60 Lichfield Street Phone 60-505

Press, 29 January 1986, Page 38

28 UP Restaurant 60 Lichfield Street Phone 60-505

(By

JENNY CLARK)

“This is better than sleeping in porridge, huh, Goldilocks?”, I asked by friend as we drooled over the food at 28 UP. It certainly was, she agreed, through a mouthful of tomato and com quiche. The three bears could keep their boring old porridge and let her get on with the kebabs, croissants, choux pastry, and mint and liqueur gateaux.

Although 28 UP advertises itself more as a humble, small-time lunch and takeaway place, rather than a fully blown restaurant, do not be fooled.

The premises may be small and the service friendly' and down-to-earth, but the food selection is exciting and the quality heavenly. They have also branched out into providing picnic lunches, which are a novel attraction in their own right. But back to Goldilocks, making short work of her quiche and salad — “yum!” ($1.50 for both). The two salads that day

were both crackling fresh and colourful — the sort that brings out the jungle explorer in a diner. Red cabbage, beetroot and carrot are a happy mix, while the pasta with green and yellow courgettes mixed with onion blends in well with other foods.

The array of food would appeal to gluttons of all ages. Old favourites such as sandwiches, filled rolls, spiced scones and quiche are dotted among the more unusual offerings.

The menu varies daily, but this time there were phyllo pastries with chicken and orange sauce ($2), savoury cream cheese cake ($2), egg and alfalfa pockets ($1), caramel banana choux ($l)7 three-berry cheesecake ($1.50), mint liqueur gateaux ($2), and croissants.

We sat upstairs, where the well-spaced tables prevented that sardinephobia which strikes in so many small lunch-time places. With a pleasant decor of grey and pink, the area has only one slight drawback — it

looks into a clothing shop next door, and 28 UP is given the dubious benefit of sharing the shop’s piped music. I am told that the reggae Christmas carols were especially nasty.

I chomped happily through the chicken and orange in phyllo pastry ($2) with salad, impressed by the generous filling of meat and delicate use of herbs.

Goldilocks was persuaded to try the chocolate gateaux ($2) with slices of fresh peaches in cream between layers.

It looked like instant death to work for the rest of the afternoon, but on sampling, it turned out to be light, non-sickly, and refreshing.

A bout of unabashed gluttony had prompted me to choose orange fudge cake (60c), but my gobbling mechanism stalled after only one mouthful — just too rich for me, and for that time of day. The piece was taken home and fed to an appreciative airman who acts as an itinerant waste disposal unit around his friends.

Costing $10.21 for two, we decided that this was a good place.

Nice touches were the vases of flowers on every table — just as fresh and individual as the food.