Dita and Troy Allingham reckon they’re on a winner at Windang with their cafe, Oh Dang! Espresso. Photo: Eileen Mulligan.
The Texas-style chicken wings at Oh Dang! Espresso cafe in Windang have been so popular they are practically flying out the door.
New owners Dita and Troy Allingham added them to their menu on the recommendation of their chef Zackery Williams.
“The wings are coated, fried and tossed in buffalo sauce, then drizzled with blue cheese, and they’re really good,” Dita said.
“I don’t generally love wings but the chef had worked with them before and I absolutely love these, so we’ve introduced them.”
Dita and Troy took over the popular eatery on 1 February this year.
They have kept most of the items on the menu but have added their own twist. The Texan-style wings were added as a special to the lunch menu to see how they’d go.
“We’ve had a group of boys who tried them in our first week – and they have been back four times since,” Dita said.
Another signature dish is the Oh Dang! Brekkie Roll which comes with bacon, egg, hash brown, cheese rocket and tomato relish. This and the classic bacon and egg roll are favourites among the tradies who often order ahead on the their way to work.
“We have our regulars,” Dita said. “The door will open at 5:30 and there they are.”
Luckily, Windang Road out the front of the cafe is a clearway until 6 am. Or tradies can stop in a carpark near the fishing tackle shop.
After the wave of tradies has passed through, the cafe is a hangout for parents after they’ve dropped off their children at school.
Troy and Dita have added salads and bruschetta to the menu and kept the popular beefy boy burger.
“And we’ve added the Little Dangas meals to the menu, which was Troy’s brainchild,” she said.
These smaller portions aren’t restricted to under 12s. There are quite a few elderly people living in Windang’s over-50s communities who often share a serving of eggs on toast.
Troy said: “I dislike it when people go somewhere and they are not particularly hungry but they can’t get a kids’ meal. If you’re not hungry and you want something small to eat, you should be able to get a small portion.
“We’ve got a Little Scramble and Little Pancakes, so if you have a little appetite you can have it, regardless of your age.”
The lunch menu includes Little Dangas meals of chicken breast and chips, fish and chips, cheeseburger, ham and cheese croissant, and bowls of chips.
Oh Dang! Espresso also attracts customers from the nearby caravan park and residential streets.
“We serve Whitehorse coffee,” Troy said. “Only a few places serve Whitehorse coffee in the Illawarra,” he said.
“They are very select. I like the way they blend it, the passion they have and their expertise. They’ve been in the industry for over 20 years. We have to follow very strict guidelines on how to brew the coffee.”
Troy has worked in hospitality for more than 30 years and Dita has a background in media and marketing.
“We were looking at doing something ourselves, whether it be a restaurant, an Airbnb or a small boutique hotel,” Troy said.
“We came here for lunch one day, loved the atmosphere and fell in love with the courtyard out the back. We found out the business was for sale and that sparked a little excitement.
“It was also an opportunity to get away from late nights and swap them for early mornings. It’s a fantastic lifestyle change. Yes, we are up early but we are home early and we get to go for a swim in the afternoon, which is nice.
“It came about unforeseen, I guess, and we just jumped at the opportunity and took it with both hands.”
Troy and Dita have decorated the back courtyard and put up a blackboard so children can draw while their parents relax.
They are keen to grow the business and find their niche with possibly afternoon and evening openings, so stay tuned.
Oh Dang! Espresso is at 314 Windang Road, Windang; phone 4244 1086. Kitchen hours: Monday to Friday, 5:30 am to 2 pm; weekends, 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Follow on Facebook or Instagram.
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