Beaumont St is undoubtedly one of the foodie hotspots you can find across Newcastle. With its huge mix of cuisines available along the strip, there’s hardly a flavour you can’t find. From Mexican and Italian to Thai and Indian, there truly is a little bit of everything. Until recently, Malaysian food had been missing from the mix.

We present to you, Overtime Café & Bar, brought to you by long-time foodie friends Saimun and Ling, this unique foodie fusion has been serving up some tantalising flavours since its inception in 2020.

“One day, we just sat down, and both said we would love to do something of our own, then once we started looking for places, it all just happened. We are both pretty spontaneous people, and we both just said let’s do it!

“We looked at a few different places, but we chose this one because we feel Beaumont St is a real community hub” Saimun shared.

Taking over the old space known as The Beaumont just before COVID decided to grace us with its presence, the last two years haven’t been without their hiccups for the newly formed business.

The pair, both originally from Malaysia and with strong backgrounds in the hospitality industry, had decided to inject some of their authentic Malaysian cuisine and hospitality into the venue, launching their night menu back in April last year alongside a venue refresh.

So, what exactly can you expect? By day the inviting and cosy space on Beaumont St is slinging out some of the street’s best coffee using beans from Sydney-based coffee roastery, Adore.

“During the day we have our typical Australian breakfast favourites. We’ve decided to stick to the classics. I think there are lots of different alternatives that you can get from different cafes around Newcastle. Sometimes, people just want a good classic breakfast dish.”

Making the most of their café trade, you can expect a selection of your typical Aussie breakfast favs including Eggs Benedict with poached eggs, salmon, spinach, and hollandaise, served on toasted sourdough, Smashed Avocado with avocado, marinated feta, pistachio dukkah, and sourdough, and our personal favourite, the housemade Sweet Corn Fritters with pomegranate molasses, bacon, fried egg, tomato salsa, and avocado.

“Today, I had a very good compliment from a customer, she said, it was the best granola bowl she has ever had! She said she usually makes her own granola bowls at home, so she knows a good one when she tries it,” Ling said.

Breakfast and lunch see customers spilling out onto the footpath and filling the expansive space from wall to wall. Moving into the evening, the space transforms into a bar and restaurant with live music performed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and the menu moving into Malaysian cuisine.

Utilising their cosy western-designed kitchen, the team have curated a Malaysian menu offering that works with their space and equipment restrictions, meaning you can expect a small but flavoursome selection of Malaysian favourites.

“We are doing pure authentic Malaysian food, but we pick certain special dishes that we can do with the space and the equipment that our kitchen allows.”

Simple snacks and sharing dishes include the Spicy Curry Puffs served with sweet chilli sauce, the Chicken Satay Skewers, and the Vegetarian Spring Rolls and Vegetarian Dumplings.

The Malaysian focussed main dishes are where the menu really starts to shine. Starting with the standout dish and unique to Overtime Cafe & Bar; the traditional Bak Kuh Teh (Pork Rib Tea). The rich decadent slow-cooked pork broth is flavoured with an array of traditional Malaysian herbs and spices and served with enoki, shitake, tofu, and Chinese dough stick (YouTiao) in a clay pot. 

“When you’re coming to eat here, you know you’re going to get really true and authentic Malaysian food. We have a lot of Malaysian people come in here to eat.”

Next up is the crowd favourite Malaysia Curry Laksa available as vegetarian, with chicken, or seafood and complete with curry laksa paste, coconut milk, lemongrass, tofu puff, green beans, rice noodles, and yellow noodles.

The rest of the Malaysian main menu features the Kampung Grilled Chicken, Overtime Fried Chicken, Malaysian Curry, Sweet & Sour Barramundi, and Overtime Fried Rice.

With a strong focus on authentic Malaysian local dishes, the menu also features a selection of western snacks and all-time favourites including a Chilli Prawn Linguine, Pan-Fried Salmon, and a Panko Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel just to name a few. The exciting news? The team is excited to be working towards launching a full Malaysian-only cuisine for the nights – watch this space!

As a fully licensed bar, the venue also stocks a great selection of Hunter Valley wines, a selection of beers, and a curated cocktail list featuring a bunch of classics and some Overtime signature creations.

Whether you’re looking for a new foodie haunt to experience, love your Aussie breakfast favourites, need a new spot to celebrate an event, or are even keen to see some live music, drop on over to Overtime Café & Bar on Hamilton’s Beaumont Street and find out what you’ve been missing!