Sydney Eat Street: Eateries making a comeback after lockdown
Brand new or an established icon, every restaurant, cafe and bar across Sydney was hit hard by the global COVID-19 pandemic, but seeing it through is where each one has its own story. Here’s how eateries across the city are recovering.
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PUNTINO TRATTORIA
From hearty home-style dishes at communal tables to elegant fine-dining dinners, if you’ve ever had Italian food in any of its many forms, the odds are quite high you’ve crossed paths with hospitality veteran Antonio “Tony” Sabi; after all, he’s also the creator of the Easter Show standout, lasagne on a stick.
Yet despite his omnipresence and a contact list with every butcher, baker and pastry maker throughout NSW and beyond, he admits that it wasn’t till the COVID lockdown that he truly got to know people in his neighbourhood.
“Overnight, it’s like the area became a true community,” says Tony.
“I began seeing customers when I went to the shops or just passed by on the footpath.”
It’s from those regular interactions that Puntino began its pivot to include grocery items and house-made pasta.
Tony said “it started with just a few tables near the front”, each one with rows of bags filled with dry pasta and seasoning, but it wasn’t long till he offered some of that space to some of his small business suppliers hit hard by the lockdown.
Within a week, free-range eggs from Freedom Farms, jars of local honey and even Australian black garlic were laid out as well. Suddenly Puntino had become a quick go-to for groceries.
It wasn’t long till special requests came trickling in as people stopped by for a takeaway coffee and a quick chat.
He said “everyone was asking after freshly baked bread and sweets” so he did a shout-out and scrolled through his contact list to find a baker and pastry maker, ideally someone with stellar skills but also in need of employment to retain a work visa.
The move was a resounding success, so the restaurant’s front section was cleared of tables and permanently replaced with a refrigerated display case and baking area.
Takeaway breakfast items became the order of choice specifically the weekend’s decadent porchetta, bacon and egg roll filled with a generous amount of coveted crackling. Tony has continued to offer the rustic dishes that garnered Puntino its loyal following, and once Sydney fully emerges from lockdown, Tony will begin to lure diners out of their home with his Big Italian Brunch, $35 for an abundance of brekkie dishes including slider-size version of the now-famous porchetta breakfast roll along with two-hours of bottomless sparkling wine cocktails.
The best part, of course, is Tony’s gregarious and sincere greeting; to him, the people that walk through the front door aren’t just customer or strangers, they’re friends he has yet to meet
— 41 Crown St, Woolloomooloo; puntino.com.au
MARY’S ON TOP
Driving down the Princes Hwy, heading to a show, going to the Lansdowne, live music seems so long ago.
You know you’re missing live gigs when everyday sentences start to sound like lyrics, but fortunately, with The Lansdowne Hotel’s owners and self-confessed musos Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham the minute the stage floor is allowed to open, they’ll have their fingers on the sound system and ready to go.
Sure, these entrepreneurial gents behind the renowned burger brand, Mary’s say they snapped up the shuttered pub to renovated it back to its former glory as Sydney’s hub of live music, but since then, it’s pretty clear this is their adult version of a teenage hangout, complete with middle-finger directional arrows, cold beer and Detroit-style pizza.
In true Mary’s fashion, they’ve recently made an epic addition and turned the open-air rooftop into a bar, laying out AstroTurf, placing stools around up-ended cable reels, voila, Bob’s you uncle.
They got approval for the plans a month ago, with the intention of a Spring opening, but it proved too tempting, and as Jake would say, both Sydney and his staff desperately needed something fresh where you can soak up the sun – weather permitting – and enjoy a drink and Mary’s fab food.
While the vibe may come off as a bit rough around the edges, the menu is the antithesis of pub grub. In fact, despite their seemingly rebellious image, they’ve mastered the art of minimalism.
You won’t find towering burgers packed with ingredients that should never be between two slices of bread as here, it's the iconic Mary’s Burger – premium ground beef patty, tomato, onion, butter lettuce, American cheese their special mayo-based sauce – that tops the list.
There’s a reason they’ve sold hundreds of thousands of the classic cheeseburger since opening their first outlet in Newtown seven years ago.
The rest of the menu consists of full and half chooks, the requisite messy fries and vegan options such as the cauliflower burger which are intentional and well-thought-out rather than a hap-slap afterthought.
The rooftop is open until 10pm, and when the ground floor is ready to open, you can head back downstairs and join the masses.
Be forewarned though, if you’re in the thralls of live music withdrawal, those three flights of steps may feel like a long way from the top to rock and roll.
— The Lansdowne Hotel, rooftop, 2-6 City Rd, Chippendale (entrance off Knox St); marys69.com
FOUR PILLARS LABORATORY, EILEEN’S BAR
It’s the simple things in life that can often bring the greatest pleasure. It’s an ethos that rings true for established Yarra-valley gin distillers Four Pillars.
They’ve long since had a brick and mortar presence in Melbourne, but fortunately for Sydneysiders, they’ve ventured north, opening a shop front, working still and bar in the old Brussel Brothers building.
Opening a mere week ago, they are one of the fortunate few whose launch had been pre-planned for June, so the lockdown only set them back a couple of weeks, otherwise, as James Irving, creative director of Gin Drinks notes they would have been closed anyway for renovations. The main entrance off Crown St is fronted by ground to ceiling glass windows elegantly identified with a simple stencil stating Four Pillars Laboratory that opens up to the Gin Shop.
Here, the dark wooden shelves hold bottles of their top sellers, premium blend and limited-edition lines as well as Made with Gin products.
To the side Eileen, the copper-topped working still and gin-tastic cocktails beckon you upstairs for Masterclasses and tastings. Wednesday to Saturday, the juniper-blue venue plays host to the bar, appropriately named “Eileen’s Bar”.
At the moment, the place is limited to 28 people at a time so requires a booking for a 90-minute session – $40 for two people, $80 for four people.
Fear not though, it’s essentially just a deposit, redeemable for one $20 cocktail per person and some Made from Gin bar snacks.
On the main drinks list, James has created seven gin-based cocktails, featuring native ingredients such as Kakadu plum balanced perfectly with kiwifruit, lime leaf and Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin.
Alongside that, Michelin-starred chef Matt Wilkinson has built a menu to complement the drinks. A noted proponent of seasonal and market-fresh ingredients, Matt develops dishes “that are all about place”.
“Wherever I am in the country, it’s about ‘place’. I build around what is available from the local farms and markets,” Matt says.
It’s an approach that is evident with menu items such as Jimmy’s taramasalata with Yarra Valley Gin-smoked caviar; Angelachu anchovies, with pickled shallots and Pepe Saya Butter or Gin Lab jaffle.
“What both James Irvine and I were after was to produce a small food menu that would include some of the best bar snacks from around the world,” Matt says.
“They had to be delicious and simple, perfect sizing so as not to be a full meal but enough to keep you happy whilst sipping on one of our amazing Four Pillars Gin cocktails or another other tasty beverage we have.”
For the gin novice, it’s well worth grabbing some friends for a formal tasting or class where you get to make sample sizes of your personalised blend.
Armed with a bit of knowledge, you’ll soon understand why gin-fans are so excited about this Crown St addition.
— 410 Crown St, Surry Hills (entrance off Fitzroy St); fourpillarsgin.com.au
TACOS ANONYMOUS
The good ol’ Willy Wally, otherwise known as the Sir William Wallace Hotel, sure had a good run.
Built in 1879, at a time when Balmain was becoming a rough and tumble industrial suburb, there was practically a surly pub on every corner.
But a century later, as ramshackle houses became restored homes, some of those watering holes gave way to friendly cafes, inspired restaurants and, specific to the William Wallace, a stand-alone eatery, Burgers Anonymous (BA). Alas, the hotel was shuttered for redevelopment in December 2019 but BA owners, Denis Tang and Nhan Do, took it as an opportunity to ponder another venture.
“The idea for Tacos Anonymous had actually been brewing for the past 18 months as something we wanted to explore,” Denis says.
“Bringing across the same core values of BA – great tasting and quality food, that is value for money in a fun theme and environment. This new offering being a fusion of Mexican food paired with Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese flavours.”
The search was then on for a new location but said Denis, the pending lockdown “put a pause on these plans as we had to refocus our energy on our existing brand” (their other Burgers Anonymous).
While Denis and the team were gone, they certainly weren’t forgotten.
“We received so many messages from locals through social media, asking us when we’d be back in the area, the messages of support meant the world to us,” Denis says.
“So we decided the first place we wanted to set up Tacos Anonymous was in Balmain hope being that the great locals who had supported us with BA would be willing to give our new brand and offering a try” so when they came across a place on Darling St in April, even though the country was still in lockdown, they negotiated an excellent lease and set out to have it ready to go once things reopened.
It turns out they were right about staying in Balmain.
“Those that knew of our existing BA brand were excited that we were coming back to the area, and others seemed genuinely happy to see a new business open up during this time.”
They’ve set up the menu as a four-step process; Step one is where the fusion element is apparent as you choose one of six bases: taco, burrito, quesadilla, nachos, rice bowl or salad bowl, then add a protein – beef short ribs spicy pork, grilled chicken or fried mushrooms followed by a side and a drink.
“We’ve only been open just over a week, and the amount of locals that have come by the store to support us has been overwhelming,” says Denis, adding that many of their customers had been BA regular but what has been really encouraging and confirmed their decision to stay in Balmain is the number of people who just walked past, noticed they were open and were just keen to give them a go.
— 231 Darling St, Balmain; facebook.com/tacosanonymous/
CICCIABELLA OSTERIA & BAR
The alarm clock goes off and your first day starts like any other – get up, get dressed, grab a coffee and go to work, which for the time being is in your very clean and organised home office.
If you’re like most WFH rookies, fast forward to day seven, it’s 4pm, you’re still in your pyjamas and have run out of excuses to avoid video calls.
Might as well forget about using the time to learn Spanish and bake loaves of sourdough bread.
On the flip side Dave Owen, general manager at CicciaBella Osteria & Bar in Bondi, says that it’s in unpredictable times like these that hospitality workers have an advantage.
“We’re used to dealing with changes. We adapt quickly.”
Dave explains that once the lockdown was announced, he along with restaurateur Maurice Terzini, head chef Nic Wong (Cho Cho San) and other members of the team worked out a takeaway and delivery plan which would feature three-course “almost ready” meals – an entree, main and dessert.
“It took two weeks to do it properly,” he says ticking off logistical issues ranging from orders to packaging. And that’s before there’s even a discussion about the food.
“It takes quite a bit of effort to do it right.”
Once that process was up and running, it was Wong’s turn to take the helm. It was decided that once the restaurant did open, not only would it have a new menu, it would also have an entirely different style of Italian cooking.
“We stopped doing pizza. Now, the woodfire is the emphasis,” says Dave.
Rather than being prepared on a flat grill, it’s in a skillet inside the oven, such as with the king prawns in caper butter or the whole sardines with parsley and lemon.
For even more seafood there is no getting past the Fregola ai Frutti di mare – calamari, prawns, clams and more atop a generous serving of fregula, little pearl-shaped bites of rolled semolina dough; it’s a beautiful combination of flavours and textures.
With the strict lockdown restrictions beginning to ease, Dave says that despite the hardship the team’s main takeaway is that “we’ve gained confidence in what we’re doing and can comfortably say, okay, we’ve got this”.
— 75-79 Hall St, Bondi Beach; cicciabella.com.au
ONE. MORE CHOCOLATE
It’s common knowledge amongst Sydney foodies, but it wasn’t until late last year that it became official – the hub of Petersham’s Portuguese culture was formerly renamed Little Portugal, and in the middle of it all is, Sweet Belem, the unofficial home of Sydney’s favourite Portuguese tarts.
So when pastry chef and chocolatier João Cadete, took an interest in the lucky country while still living in Portugal, it was fortuitous that at the same time, Sweet Belem’s owner, Jose Silva (bibo Wine Bar, Guillaume) was looking for a pastry chef.
That was five years ago, and it’s been a perfect match ever since, only now João Cadete has rediscovered his affinity for producing chocolate and launched his own line – one.more – unbelievably, in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
There is however some sound logic in there as chocolate does indeed have a way of making things just a bit better, while really good versions made with native ingredients such as one.more’s Passionfruit Caramel and Punchy kalamansi bonbons can be life altering – or so they say.
To try some of João’s heavenly creations, you can pick them up at Sweet Belem or visit one.more’s production kitchen on Saturdays from, 9am-1pm.
— Sweet Belem, 35B New Canterbury Rd, Petersham; one.more (production kitchen), 3/94 Audley St, Petersham (Saturdays only); onemorechocolate.shop
VINEGAR AND BROWN PAPER
A 20-minute trip via the Cronulla ferry brings you to Bundeena, a picturesque village bordering the Royal National Forest.
It makes for a quick escape from the city and for Sophie Moses, that makes it perfect place to open a simple fish and chips shop and the first weeks of summer was the perfect time do it.
Well, that was the plan at least, only the bushfires in December and January put a damper on that, as did COVID concerns not long thereafter.
Sophie made the difficult decision to close Vinegar and Brown Paper mid-March, barely enough time to have really gotten it started.
From that point forward, her focus turned to the wellbeing of the Bundeena community, which she knew from over 20 years in the hospitality industry, would soon struggle as suppliers would deem it too remote and for deliveries.
“I spent whatever time I had researching suppliers …. working out ways to get ingredients in was and is one of the greatest challenges here.”
Sophie says that her good fortune came about through her best friends who own Farmer Browns, an egg business.
“I was determined to work out how to supply their eggs supporting my friends’ business and local small business is so important to me.”
From there, connections were made, first with ethical butchers Farmgate to Plate (Miranda), then Thoroughbread bakery till slowly her product started to take a different shape.
In addition to reopening the shop for takeaway, they now supply eggs, bread and home-cooked frozen meals and also developing an in-house range.
— 46 Brighton St, Bundeena; vinegarandbrownpaper.com.au
BAKED BY KEIRAN
Judging by social media feeds over the past few months, it seems that lockdown restrictions gave rise to an abundance of home bakers who cleared the cyber-shelves of breadmaking machines.
Fortunately for those in Dulwich Hill, fresh loaves could be had at Baked by Keiran, a petite bakery owned by French-trained pastry chef, Keiran McKay. During this unpredictable time, its success actually gave him the confidence to go ahead with the launch of his second location in Elizabeth Bay, even before restrictions were lifted.
Already planned as a takeaway outlet, McKay was able to open almost immediately, and before long there were (socially distanced) queues for warm loaves of sourdough bread and other baked goodies,
— Shop 1/17 Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay; bakedbykeiran.com