Win for Ibrahim as Harry’s brings back original hotdog bun
Regulars rejoice — Harry’s Cafe De Wheels has brought back the original hotdog bun. Last week Delicious Sydney reported that regulars and celebrities, including former Kings Cross nightclub owner John Ibrahim and TV presenter Erin Molan, were up in arms about changes to the hotdog bun at the historic diner.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Regulars rejoice — Harry’s Cafe De Wheels has brought back the original hotdog bun.
Last week Delicious Sydney reported that regulars and celebrities, including former Kings Cross nightclub owner John Ibrahim and TV presenter Erin Molan, were up in arms about changes to the hotdog bun at the historic diner.
After taking all of the customer feedback on board, Harry’s co-owner Keith Warren has confirmed the original bun is back. Mr Warren said the fact the original buns are baked in sets of three had affected the structural integrity of the dog — given one or both sides of the bun were torn and flimsy — which is why they changed to individually baked rolls, which cost them double the price.
But the old buns, from Eddie’s Bakery, are back now and Mr Warren is in talks to have Eddie’s bake single buns in the future.
“At the moment, the old bun is back — bungate is over,” Mr Warren said.
Call to change Bunnings sangas to Lebanese bread
Aussies have put their own twist on Turkey’s kebab but which is better? Comedian Rob Shehadie put them to the test.
We put our clumsy spin on plenty of international cuisines: Italians would throw their hands up over Aussie pizzas and Mexicans ask “Que?” when given an Aussie taco.
The kebab is no different. Originally from Turkey, the kebabs we know and love (quite frequently at an ungodly hour after too many shandies) have been significantly altered to please our mild tastebuds.
Western Sydney cult favourite New Star Kebabs owner Atilla Tok said Aussie kebabs had very few similarities to those in his home country — mostly to cater to the very broad range of tastes in our multicultural society.
Mr Tok said, in Turkey, you don’t get a choice of kebab fillings — there is no option for customisation and there is never any cheese.
And Aussies “don’t go too much on the chilli or the salt”.
“You can’t make the kebab exactly like in Turkey, all the spices are different,” he said.
“It’s like American tastes — we have all different sauces here but they are crazy for ketchup or mayo.”
Comedian Rob Shehadie, dubbed the “unofficial mayor of Parramatta”, taste-tested an Aussie kebab — chicken, cheese, tomato and onion with tomato sauce and mayo — and the Turkish version of doner, tabouli, onion, tomato and lettuce with hummus and tahini.
While he preferred the flavours of the traditional kebab, he maintained there is a place on the menu for both.
Controversially, he said he had recently appropriated an Aussie classic — the sausage sandwich — to incorporate a Lebanese twist.
“My wife is from Adelaide, and her parents came up and we had a barbecue,” he said.
“And I said ‘We’re not using normal bread, it doesn’t sit right and your onions fall out everywhere’. I whipped out some Lebanese bread and rolled it up like the sausage was in a little blanket.
“They loved it — I reckon we should change the Bunnings snags to have with Lebanese bread. It’s less messy and it tastes better.”
Unlike many traditionalists, Mr Tok does not have a problem with Aussie-fied kebabs.
“It’s all about what the customer likes, if they like it I’m happy,” he said.
And even some visiting or newly arrived Turks have been converted after finding “our quality is better than over there … they like Australian kebabs better than Turkish”.
WOULD YOU PAY $1.57M FOR THIS HOLE IN THE WALL?
You would spit your morning coffee straight back out if you knew how much the shop was worth.
A 14sqm coffee shop on York St in the CBD has sold for $1.57 million — that’s more than $112,000 per square metre. The site houses Normcore Coffee, which opened late May and pays a gross rent amount of $92,000 per year.
According to Savills Australia, commercial real estate rent goes up 4 per cent each year so, with some very loose math, it will be 12 years before the new owner makes their money back.
On the other hand, Normcore only has to sell about 440 coffees a week (at an average of $4 each) to turn a profit. Located in arguably one of the highest foot traffic areas in Sydney, the pricey little shop is easily churning out the weekly minimum in a day.
MORAN SPILLS BEANS ON 20 YEARS OF CELEBRITY DINERS
Where else in Sydney could you catch a secret date between Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Blake Lively, or actor Jennifer Aniston dining out on two main meals, or soccer star David Beckham dining at Gordon Ramsay’s recommendation?
As Aria at Circular Quay turns 20, owner Matt Moran has been getting sentimental about all the celebrities who have dined at his harbourside restaurant.
They include Hollywood veterans Michael Caine and Mel Gibson, Aussie screen superstars Naomi Watts, Cate Blanchett, Liam Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman, and model Miranda Kerr. While the celebrity chef would not spill on every encounter, there were a few he was too proud of to keep to himself.
“I could tell you millions of stories,” he told Delicious Sydney. He starts with the time Leonardo DiCaprio was in town filming for Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby and dropped in for dinner with his then-girlfriend, the stunning Blake Lively, on his arm.
Lively of course is now married to Ryan Reynolds, but back then she and DiCaprio were the talk of the town. But, to the devastation of Aria staff, the pair literally closed the door to their relationship while they were dining.
“Leonardo DiCaprio and Blake Lively booked the kitchen table back in 2011 when they were dating and we were all so excited that we were going to get to watch them for the night,” Moran recalled. “And then they came in and shut the blinds. We were so disappointed.”
According to, well, anyone who knows him, Moran apparently still gushes over the time he scored a peck on the cheek from Friends heart-throb Jennifer Aniston.
“I had to go downstairs to collect Jennifer Aniston because I’d let her chauffeur use my car spot for privacy,” Moran said.
“I remember being impressed when she ordered pork belly and a steak. Not to mention when she kissed me on the cheek as a thanks when she left.”
And a bromance formed when soccer great David Beckham asked close pal Gordon Ramsay for a restaurant recommendation while he was in town last year. The famously foul-mouthed chef, also a friend of Moran, recommended Aria and, after a fabulous night, Beckham and Moran shared a car home — well, Moran played Uber driver.
“David (Beckham) and I have a mutual friend, Gordon Ramsay,” Moran said. “David texted him and asked him where he should eat and Gordon recommended Aria. He was such a legend.
“He was a friend of a friend so I even chauffeured him home afterwards. It seemed like the courteous thing to do, although he did joke that I was the worst Uber driver he’d ever had.”
THE MOUTH — REVIEW: WEARY FLAVOURS PUT THE ‘MEH’ INTO MEZE
JASMIN1 AUBURN
22 Civic Rd, Auburn
For The Mouth’s money, Middle Eastern food is one of the best and best value cuisines out there — and it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the Turkish or Syrian or Lebanese or Israeli takes on it.
It’s all good and, done right it’s fresh, bright, punchy food that balances chilli heat and garlicky sharpness with cooling yoghurt-based dishes and sweet pastries.
But with any cuisine that depends on balance (think of the number of mediocre Thai takeaways around town), if it gets out of kilter, it can all seem dull and one-note.
Which brings us to Jasmin1 Lebanese restaurant in Auburn — which also, as it happens, has an outpost in the inner west at Leichhardt.
A stand-alone establishment on a busy corner of Auburn, nearly in the shadow of the grandly Ottoman-style Gallipoli mosque, Jasmin1 feels a bit like an outer-borough New York City diner where the tired interiors have been given a bit of a tart-up with some eastern Mediterranean wedding hall wall and ceiling mouldings: Billy Joel by way of Beirut, as it were.
The Mouths’ verdict?
Look, this is perfectly decent Lebanese fare but, frankly, it’s the politics of the Middle East that are supposed to be serious, not the food.
Perhaps it’s a different scene on a weekend but this was paint-by-numbers stuff. And the only colour was garlic.
A plate of mixed mezes, or dips, comes artfully presented, with olive oil pooling in rows of divots carved out in the kitchen. But only the eggplant — baba ghanouj — has much in the way of punch, everything else is dreary.
A basket of pitas still wrapped in plastic do not inspire confidence — although a plate of pickles are addictively sharp.
It’s all let down by a plate of chicken shawarma which is supposed to be, according to the menu, “shredded chicken thigh marinated in herbs and spices” but tastes like they missed the second half of the equation. Bland and a bit dry, it’s all a bit slapdash and indifferent.
LICENSED NO
CARDS AE MC V EFT
OPEN 8AM-11PM DAILY
PRICES VERY MODERATE
VEGETARIAN TONS
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS COUPLE OF STEPS TO GET UP
NOISE LOW
PRO BABA GHANOUJ
CON INDIFFERENT SERVICE
THE MAN. THE MUSIC. AND A GREEN PEA PANCAKE
Screen and stage star Hugh Jackman is back at his beloved Bondi after completing his national run of The Man. The Music. The Tour — and it was a green pea pancake he craved.
The half centurion was spotted at Bondi breakfast institution Porch and Parlour with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness after a trademark swim at the beach.
Customers at the cool cafe left Jackman alone as he ate his breakfast, but noted that the Wolverine star was friendly and in good spirits.
Keep an eye out for the next few weeks: Jackman has a short break at home before jetting to the States to continue his world tour on October 1.
CROISSANT WITH EXTRA OOH LA LA!
Our talented feeders have been making drool-worthy moves with croissants for a while now, but The Fernery’s truffle and brie stuffed croissant is a cheesy game-changer.
The new addition, as well as a cookies and cream chocolate cookie crumble, will be available from Sunday if you’re looking to reach your weekly calorie count in one hit. You can find crazy croissies all over Sydney — from The Fernery at Mosman to Son of a Baker at Sans Souci and Rollers Bakehouse at Manly.
BUSINESS OFF TO A RICE START
The first year of business is meant to be the toughest but you will seldom see Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt without a line.
The Haymarket corner shop sells milky Chinese drinks that were popular in China a few years ago, but Australia has only just caught up on the trend.
The concept is fairly straightforward — a runny yoghurt with a flavour (passionfruit, berries, red bean) and clumps of rice.
For the most part, that’s it, but customers have been lining up around the block. On Tuesday from 1pm-2pm the shop churned out 160 orders — with most people ordering between one and four drinks at about $6 a pop.
According to a Chinese ex-pat, Chinese people like milky drinks they can have on the go — think of how many bubble tea shops are around — but there are people of all cultures lining up to slurp down the yoghurt rice combo.
Originally published as Win for Ibrahim as Harry’s brings back original hotdog bun
FOLLOW LIVE: Social media age ban ‘not unworkable’: Minns
A team of social media avengers are assembling in a first-of-its-kind summit to combat the growing dangers teens face online. Follow the social media summit LIVE.
‘When will our good karma come?’: Teen’s heartbreaking saga
A 14-year-old girl has revealed her heartache after she missed school for months due to severe bullying. Now, the teen faces eviction from her family home, along with her mum and brother.