Sydney Eat Street: South Eveleigh becomes a major player on the food scene
As the birthplace of Australia’s railway network, South Eveleigh is steaming ahead as one of Sydney’s latest dining precincts.
Eat Street
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As the birthplace of Australia’s railway network, South Eveleigh is steaming ahead as one of Sydney’s latest dining precincts.
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Re
Matt Whiley’s purpose is to repurpose. The hospitality heavy hitter, a founder of Scout, an award-winning sustainability-centric London bar, has aimed high, engaging the upper echelon of Sydney restaurants in the war on waste.
While Scout won acclaim for its use of local ingredients – both the drinks and food offerings – Whiley, along with head chef Josh Donachie, has taken the practice a step further at Re (as in reuse, recycle, reimagine, repeat) by using the by-products from other venues to create their Never Wasted menu.
Try a kingfish crudo made with dry-aged Ulladulla kingfish from Josh Niland’s Fish Butchery, an emulsion with seconds apples and oysters from Iceberg’s Dining, and an oil made with wasted fennel tops.
— Shop 8, 2 Locomotive St; wearere.com.au
RaRa Chan
Taking its name from the Japanese word for little sister (chan), RaRa Chan is a petite version of its older sibling, the cult-favourite ramen restaurant in Redfern, RaRa Ramen.
While RaRa Chan may be smaller, it still packs those famous flavours into the pint-sized space, even dabbling for a bit with tsukemen – “dipping ramen” – where thicker noodles are dipped into a bowl of thick and creamy broth (the broth is kept warm with a hot rock dropped into the centre of the bowl).
The noodles in each dish, as are the various broths, are still handmade offsite at RaRa Randwick.
— Shop 6, 1 Locomotive St; rararamen.com.au
BrewDog
Within the walls of South Eveleigh’s former locomotive workshop is BrewDog, an expansive bar and taproom with farm-to-table comfort food and 40 beers on tap; it can accommodate 720 people inside and nearly 200 people and their furry friends in the sprawling beer garden.
In other words, it’s huge, just like the ginormous burgers, schnitzels, and plates of chicken wings that emerge from the open kitchen.
The menu isn’t limited to basic bar fare as it also includes tacos, pizzas, salads, and a kids’ “hoppy” meal.
Practically 50 per cent of the food is plant-based with gluten-free options. While beer is pretty much a given here (though they do have wine, spirits, and cocktails) you’ll be impressed with the variety, a regular rotation of local breweries and BrewDog’s beers and ciders.
There are also weekly specials, including all-you-can-eat wings (chicken or cauliflower) on Wednesdays and two-for-one plant-based meals on Monday.
— Locomotive Workshop Bays 1 & 2, 2 Locomotive St; brewdog.com
Fishbowl
With its Aussie adaptation of the Hawaiian poke bowl (cubes of raw fish and julienned veggies tossed in dressing and served atop a bowl of rice), Nathan Dalah, Nic Pestalozzi and Casper Ettelson introduced Fishbowl to Bondi Beach in 2016 as a healthy alternative to fast-food. Much has changed in the past seven years.
The OG salmon bowl – a bowl of rice topped with salmon sashimi, kale, beets, edamame, red onions, roasted sesame dressing, seaweed salad, tobiko and crispy shallots – is still the bestseller, but now they have more than 25 outlets along the east coast, and that puts them in the position to source and serve premium sustainable fish like the ocean-farmed king salmon, from Big Glory Bay in New Zealand.
It’s more expensive than farmed Atlantic salmon. Dalah explains how the cold open waters have led to the moniker “the most delicious salmon in the world”, though he also admits that they took a big risk making the switch.
— Shop 7, 1 Locomotive St; fishbowl.com.au
Whitton
Stop in for a coffee and pastry or sit down for the chilli scramble or avo on toast but be forewarned as once you take a peek at lunch; you’ll probably be back in a few hours.
Whitton’s modern Australian menu features traditional dishes reimagined for a delicious take on familiar fare, such as the crispy fried pork belly salad with eggplant chutney.
— Shop 1, 1 Locomotive St; whittoneveleigh.com.au
Lucky Kwong
Renowned chef, author, TV personality, and restaurateur, Kylie Kwong has brought her signature flare to South Eveleigh with a casual Australian-Cantonese cafeteria style eatery.
The menu is small but mighty; it changes daily, often running through some fan favourites
such as prawn dumplings and caramelised pork belly.
— 2 Locomotive St; luckykwong.com.au
Yoho Loco
You know it’s good coffee when there’s a queue out the door … and there are other options
within a stone’s throw.
But in addition to the perfectly prepared Ona coffee, this sleek little takeaway shop also manages to elevate sandwich shop staples with hefty, toasted sandwiches, colourful salads, and bagel sandwiches made with the incomparable Brooklyn Boy Bagels.
While you’re there, be sure to pick up one of their saucer-sized cookies just in case they run out before your 3pm coffee run.
— Shop 12, 1 Locomotive St, South Eveleigh
Bekya
It may come out quickly, but it’s the time-consuming work in the kitchen that makes Bekya a favourite for those fast lunchtime order.
A standout at this Egyptian-influenced Middle Eastern food outlets is definitely the selection of wraps made with their marinated grilled meats and homemade Egyptian flatbread, though the koshari, long considered the country’s national dish, is a must try.
Made with rice, lentils, and pasta it’s a reflection of the Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern influences on the Egyptian culture in general.
— Shop 10, 1 Locomotive St, South Eveleigh; bekya.com.au
Eat Fuh
There’s something special about a home-cooked meal, and that was particularly true for Hoang Nguyen who, while living in London during the bleak wintry months, began pining for his mother’s pho.
He never did find something similar while in the UK, but upon returning to his family in Marrickville, not only did he get his fill of his mother’s fragrant Vietnamese noodle soup but started making himself to sell at local markets and eventually open a restaurant in Marrickville.
Now, five outlets later, the special recipe of slow cooked bone broth, lemongrass, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and cloves is still warming hearts and along with the flame-grilled lemongrass pork belly noodle salad and lemongrass pork baguette, still filling bellies as well.
— Shop 2, 1 Locomotive St, South Eveleigh; FB/eatfuheatfuh
Kürtosh
There are the sweets in the cabinets and great coffee at the counter, but the best treat of all, and the venue’s namesake is the Kürtosh.
These “chimney cakes” which are soft and doughy on the inside with a crisp baked sugar shell are a sweet treat found on the streets of Hungary.
The production itself is quite a show as Kürtosh are made by wrapping a thick rope of dough around a cylinder, basting it in butter and sugar roasting it on a spit over cinders.
Enjoy with a cup of coffee and friend for nice afternoon treat.
— Shop 3, 1 Locomotive St, South Eveleigh; kurtosh.com.au
Winter warmers to celebrate the season
Everyone is happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds, but winter’s not all bad. Bid farewell to the colder days with one last hurrah of warming fare.
Sniffing out Sydney’s best truffle desserts
Save the best for last. As truffle season comes to a close, be sure to indulge in some sweet treats featuring the annual earthy gem.