Sydney Eat Street: Mascot is full of unexpected food delights
Mention Mascot and most people would think of it as a suburb just before the airport. But take a detour off the main road and you’ll find yourself in foodie heaven.
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It is not known as a dining destination but peak behind the curtain and you will find Mascot full of unexpected culinary delights.
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La Bufala
The aroma of freshly-made wood-fired pizza — an intoxicating blend of warm baked bread, bold herbs, and melted cheese — has been luring both locals and visitors to La Bufala, an Italian restaurant recognised as a stalwart of Mascot’s flourishing dining precinct.
“Our pizza bases are flavoursome and complex as one would find with good pizza dough,” owner Domenico Timpano says.
“We use a Type 1 stone-milled flour (nutrient dense) with classic Italian toppings.”
Every morning, pizzaiolo (pizza maker) Oscar Atriano kneads, stretches, and separates hundreds of fermented pizza-dough balls.
As the orders come in, the dough is formed into a near wafer-thin base garnished with ingredients then baked for 60-90 seconds in the 250-degree authentic wood fire oven imported from Italy.
In addition to pizza, La Bufala is also well known for their housemade potato gnocchi served with your choice of 10 different sauces, including basil pesto and tomato sauce topped with burrata.
With so many choices, it’s no wonder La Bufala fills up fast, so best to book well in advance.
– Shops 17 & 18, 19/33 Kent St, Mascot; labufala.com.au
Hinataya Japanese
It’s at this casual Japanese restaurant that owner, Siero Morya, has seen his culinary career come full circle.
What began as a part-time hospitality job while he finished high school in his native Japan led to work in an Izakaya (informal Japanese bar with snacks and alcohol) followed by hip Tokyo bars, a French restaurant, and upon arriving in Sydney in 2009, an Italian eatery.
Rather fortuitously, it’s there that he met the owner of Kokoroya in Maroubra who brought him on board as a chef/manager, later making him a co-owner, and eventually, upon the original owner’s retirement, sole owner of the business.
Ten years later, Siero has opened a second venue in Mascot. Inspired by Sydney’s harbour location and access to a world-class fish market, he has created a menu that focuses on Tokyo-grade sashimi and other Japanese dishes.
By day, this casual sunlit restaurant caters to the lunch crowd with quick bento boxes, curries, tempura, and an array of donburi (rice bowls).
“If you are looking for a sashimi Donburi you can’t beat the Chirashi or Kaisen Don which comes with a variety of raw fish and seafood, as well as a variety of other cold toppings such as fish eggs, cucumber, avocado, nori, Japanese pickles, and fresh seaweed,” Siero says.
There’s also the Yakiniku Wagyu Beef Don made from high-grade Australian wagyu cooked with a Yakiniku BBQ sauce.
Of particular note though is the luxury donburi (Uni Ikura), an elegant crystal jar filled with rice and topped with salmon roe and sea urchin (flown in daily from Tasmania). Hinataya also carries a selection of sake as well as Japanese and Australian beer and wine.
– Shop 14 Etherden Walk, Mascot; hinataya.com.au
Cuppa Flower
Friends and business partners, Carol Xu and Lynn Kong surely deserve a medal, or at least a rose named in their honour as together, as they just might have found the cure to Monday-itis: strong coffee and fresh flowers.
Channelling Carol’s experience owning flowers shops in the northern suburbs, and Lynn’s knowledge and skills as a passionate barista, the pair opened a shopfront that offers premium coffee, tea, and select housemade pastries alongside a wide variety of expertly arranged seasonal blooms, displayed artfully atop rustic furniture that’s interspersed with antique embellishments.
Alas, there are no tables and chairs for you to sit amid the flowers, so you’ll have to take your caffeine fix to go.
If, however you’re after an extra dose of joy – be it for you or someone special, try one of their pastel-hued lattes and pair it with some “matching” flowers. The lavender-coloured toro and matcha green lattes look particularly pretty alongside a large bunch of purple snowball-shaped hydrangea.
If you’re really hungry for breakfast and lunch, you can always go to their cafe in Waterloo.
– 19/33 Kent St, Mascot
Into Laksa
Location, location … laksa. Judging by the queue awaiting a table, you’d think popular Malaysian eatery Into Laksa had been a Mascot mainstay for years, yet it only just celebrated its first birthday; quite a feat considering they opened in May 2021, just before the Covid-19 lockdown.
That alone is a testament to the quality of their food, but owner Maureen Ma does give partial credit to its location.
“Mascot is a great area with an established community with the train station next to the precinct,” Maureen says.
“Meriton Retail Mascot Central is surrounded with a good mix of office buildings as well as residential apartments. It feels like a modern village but rather than just being a convenience for residents, the diverse area also attracts visitors.”
It seems Maureen is onto something as she also owns Bashan, another Malaysian eatery at Green Square. But location alone won’t lead to accolades, rather the menu must speak for itself.
“Into Laksa is a modern street hawker concept for casual diners,” Maureen explains.
“We wanted to create a contemporary and playful restaurant, as most Malaysians lean towards traditional hawker stalls or Chinese-style restaurants. We believe we have created a place that is as a reflection of modern city living with a minimalistic visual approach.”
The relatively small space decked out with blonde wood and recessed lighting definitely gives Into Laksa a casual contemporary vibe, but it’s the food that is placed on the bespoke polished concrete table that is the true winner.
Maureen admits that the basis for her eateries does have some selfish motive as upon moving to Sydney, she found it hard to find authentic Malaysian laksa, so she brought a chef over from Ipoh and together they developed a simple menu featuring eight different broth-based laksa including the fan-favourite seafood laksa and combination curry Laksa.
While the spice level is suited for a western palette, you can order extra sambal to kick up the heat.
While the laksa alone is worth the visit, you’ll also find other traditional dishes including Hainanese chicken and rice, roti with curries, char kway teow, nasi lemak, lobak (deep-fried five-spice pork and fish rolls wrapped with bean curd skin), and Malaysian Bak Kut Teh.
Take the train though as parking can be tight. After all, this is a pretty busy precinct.
– Shop 5/256 Coward St, Mascot
WHAT’S FRESH
Whalebridge
It’s one of the most iconic locations – not just in Sydney but the world and now, a new restaurant with alfresco dining, has taking up residence in Circular Quay along the sea wall looking out to the Harbour Bridge.
Until recently, the spot was held by a longstanding cafe (it’d been there for 30 years), but now that Whalebridge has replaced the tired eatery the coveted location is finally being given the love it so well deserves.
Rather than offering generic tourist-centric food, executive chef Will Elliot along with David Clarke, culinary director of The Sydney Collective, have created a decidedly French menu built around traditional French techniques and flavours that celebrate Australian seafood and market-fresh produce with dishes such as bouillabaisse de Marseilles, lobster Thermidor, Sydney rock oysters, and mussels escabeche.
Looks like Sydneysiders have a new reason to revisit our world-famous attractions.
– 8 & 10 Circular Quay East, Sydney; whalebridge.com.au
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