Eat Street: ‘Little Italy’ now BIG on diversity and deliciousness
Five Dock may be best known for its Italian fare and flair, but it is the multicultural make-up of this inner west suburb that makes its community thrive.
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Five Dock may be best known for its Italian fare and flair, but it is the multicultural make-up of this inner west suburb that makes its community thrive.
Take a tour of Sydney’s best eateries with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street. Are you hungry for more inspiration? Follow us on Instagram or Twitter. #SydneyEatStreet
LA CASA DINING & BAR
When hospitality veteran and Five Dock local Carmel Ruggeri along with Antonio Sabia (owner of the former Woolloomooloo stalwart, Puntino) were offered the opportunity to take over the kitchen of La Casa Dining and Bar at Club Five Dock’s newly refurbished restaurant, they jumped at the chance.
“(Club Five Dock) was looking to do something different and exciting,” says Carmel, and the culinary duo have delivered with Mediterranean-inspired share plates such as lamb skewers, lime fish tacos, and antipasto boards, a menu well suited to cocktails and tapas at The Terrace, an indoor/outdoor lounge with wicker chairs, earth-toned tiles, and sky-blue cushions.
However, a must on the menu is “Mamma’s Meatballs”, beef meatballs with tomato sugo.
“It’s one of our most popular dishes, definite comfort food,” she says.
These savoury spheres of seasoned ground beef won culinary hearts at her prior restaurants and during lockdown when she pivoted from her Sicilian Food Tours to a catering business delivering classic Italian dishes.
“I grew up in Five Dock, where we have a huge population of Sicilians. It makes me very proud, and I just love my hood”.
Level 1, 66 Great North Rd, Five Dock; clubfivedock.com.au
PASTICCERIA TAMBORRINO
Small yet mighty, this petite pasticceria has been serving Italian sweet treats in Five Dock for over 20 years from its central street location.
Step inside, where the entrance is shared with a refrigerated case filled with shelves of bespoke occasion cakes, profiterole cakes, and a variety of semifreddo cannoli (crisp shells filled with frozen creams such as hazelnut, tiramisu, caramelised figs and ricotta).
Like a siren song, the glass case to your right beckons you over to swoon at the trays filled with perfect lines of traditional Italian pastries, including sfogliatella (otherwise known as “lobster tails”) – spiralled layers of flaky baked pastry filled with cream, and dusted with powdered sugar.
Or try the equally decadent Zeppole di San Giuseppe – crown-shaped fried choux pastry filled with custard and jet-black cherries.
Choose a few for a decadent dessert at home, or take one outside, order an espresso and then just enjoy this sweet moment.
75 Great North Rd; pasticceriatamborrino.com.au
FERRAGOSTO
It’s incredible to think that what started in an unused parking lot as a get-together to mark Ferragosto (a festival whose origins date back centuries as a day of rest after the summer harvest) has turned into an annual event that attracts over 100,000 visitors to the main street of Five Dock to celebrate Italian cuisine and culture.
The event boasts more than 150 stalls, from traditional Italian food and drinks to merchandise and gifts.
Indulge in a rich and creamy gnocchi bowl while watching celebrity chef cooking demonstrations at Ferragosto’s kitchen stage, FerraCucina.
Savour a limited-edition Baci cannoli as you move to the live music and marvel at the traditional dances.
When the kiddies hit the carnival rides, that’s your cue to visit FerraPiazza for wine tasting or a cold lager at Birra Moretti Beer Garden.
Finally, grab an espresso and check out the Vespas and Mini-Fiat exhibition before heading home from your Italian holiday.
Sunday, August 20, from 10am-5pm
Great North Rd, Five Dock; ferragosto.com.au
APPETITE CAFE
At first glance, the queue out front of this bright and cheery cafe looks rather lengthy, but on closer inspection, it’s actually a cluster of people — young and old — chatting away, coffee in hand.
Amidst the conversations is Phillip Salhab, the gregarious co-owner of Appetite Cafe.
“When we (with Adrien Pizzolato) opened late-2019, we were predominantly focusing on Italian but, getting to know our customers, we realised, it’s not our cafe, it’s theirs. We asked what they wanted, and they just wanted normal food done well”.
After 15 renditions, the final menu still features Italian dishes like slow-cooked beef ragu as well as a variety of offerings that reflect Five Dock’s multicultural community, including a traditional Irish Breakfast, as requested by a local Irish couple.
“I didn’t even know what that was,” says Salhab, but after some research he found local producers to source the requisite black and white pudding, Irish pork sausages, and traditional soda bread.
“It was supposed to be just weekends, but it was such a success it’s now permanent”.
And what the community wants, at Appetite Cafe, the community gets.
141 Great North Rd, Five Dock; appetitefivedock.com
RAINERI’S CONTINENTAL DELICATESSEN
There’s a saying that “Good food is the foundation of happiness”, and if you’re partial to Italian fare, then Raineri’s Continental Delicatessen is pure bliss.
For over 40 years, customers from near and far have come to this family-owned business for fresh meats, cheeses, deli items, and a vast array of Italian groceries.
The floor-to-ceiling shelves are neatly filled with rows of pasta, sauces, olive oils, and more, much of which is produced locally, while the more elusive ones are imported.
That’s all fine if you plan on cooking, but if you’re after lunch (or just feeling peckish), there’s no going past the loaded sandwiches.
If you’re new to the game, try ordering the prosciutto and bresaola hams, a selection of cheeses, olives, and grilled eggplant.
Otherwise, just point and say, “I’ll have what she’s having”.
97 Great Northern Rd, Facebook/raineri.delicatessen
DINO’S BAKED GOODS
For some, it takes decades to figure out what they want to do in life; fortunately for Dean Benigni, owner of Dino’s Baked Goods, it took only four years in the hospitality industry to figure out that it was time to focus on his ideas. Dean says, “From a young age, I’ve had an obsession with pizza, bread, and making dough”, much of which he credits to his grandparents’ influence, noting that “it’s why the shop is open today”.
Everything is baked fresh at Dino’s, including the housemade pizza Bianca and Focaccia used for their loaded sandwiches. For Dean, however, the pizza al taglio defines Dino’s. “It’s the best way to showcase what’s in season,” plus, by using local producers, he knows the ingredients’ origins. “That’s what makes the perfect slice”.
-2/223 Great North Rd, Five Dock; Dinossyd.com
BUTTERCRUMBS CROISSANT
A veritable mixing bowl of culture goes into the buttery flakes of Buttercrumbs’ owner and pastry chef Youna Choi’s croissants. The shop’s story begins in Korea, where she first came across a small bakery with people queued up for hours to purchase croissants made in different shapes and flavours. Smitten with the idea of opening something similar, they chose the predominantly Italian suburb of Five Dock, first for its inner-west location but mainly for the sense of community that supported small businesses and welcomed young families.
Once established, like the French, her croissants are baked throughout the day, rather than once in the morning, thus ensuring whichever croissant you choose – though the fan favourite is the almond croissant filled with vanilla pastry cream, almond frangipane, topped with sliced almonds – they’re always hot and fresh from the oven.
-Shop1/189 Great N Rd; fb/buttercrumbscroissant
SMALL JOYS GELATO
From fine dining to fried gelato, for Terrence Seeto, that was the path to opening Small Joys Gelato, fulfilling his dream of opening an Asian-inspired gelato shop. Terrence says, “Our gelato flavours are unique with many Asian-inspired flavours as well as the classics.
Our popcorn miso caramel gelato is a staple on the menu. It captures our combination of Asian and Western influences”. While Terrence’s gelato is worth a visit alone, he adds that the shop is actually two in one, as they also serve casual Asian takeaway food, which makes it that much easier to grab dinner and dessert.
-1A/142 Great N Rd, smalljoys.com.au
THE BURG
Ask Alec Danelian what his inspiration was for opening The Burg, and he’ll tell you point blank, “We love burgers!”. Having had a cafe specialising in burgers, he felt it was finally time to open a shop dedicated to the glorious meat sandwich. “We have a unique recipe for our meat and chicken. The meat is a mixture of three different cuts of Australian meat minced by our butcher. The chicken is processed with our unique marinade.
Our emphasis is based on fresh ingredients and fresh flavours”. Of all the burgers, though, Alec says The Fully Tabouli is his firm favourite. It’s made with deep-fried thigh fillet, tabouli, hommus, pickles, garlic sauce and jalapenos. “All the flavour that I love, but in burger form”.
-195 Great North Rd; fb/TheBurgFiveDock
BAMIYAN AFGHAN RESTAURANT
While the predominantly Italian suburb of Five Dock may seem an unlikely location for an Afghani restaurant, the two cuisines actually have much in common – they are both influenced by adjacent countries - in the case of Afghani food, that’d be the Middle East, and Central and South Asia - and both favour a meal with communal dishes surrounded by family in friends.
As always, the smaller bites get passed around the most, and at Bamiyan, one such favourite and particularly popular on special occasions is Mantu. These steamed Afghani dumplings are made with savoury ground beef, onion, and aromatic spices, topped with tomato and chickpea sauce, yogurt, and mint sauce.
-Floor 1/147-149 Great North Rd; bamiyanrestaurant.com.au
GYROS FIX
This popular Greek restaurant is quite a family affair. Not only is it family-owned, or more precisely, led by a father-son team, all the recipes have been passed down for generations from their Greek relatives.
There are regular and large sizes of traditional pork, chicken, lamb, vegetarian, and halloumi gyros, but try the skepasti (similar to a toastie except with pita bread); the whole family at Gyros fix will tell you it’s Greece’s best kept secret.
-Unit 5, 118/130 Queens Rd; gyrosfix.com.au
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