Sydney Eat Street: Spoilt for choice in Glebe
The city-fringe suburb of Glebe is blessed with a main street that is home to an eclectic dining scene guaranteed to keep your tastebuds tantalised.
Eat Street
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The city-fringe suburb of Glebe is blessed with a main street with an eclectic dining scene
that is on point.
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
Sri Lankan Street Food
Award-winning chef Manjula Fernando is on a mission to share all that is great about Sri
Lanka and its diversity of tastes and (spicy) temperatures.
“Before opening the Glebe restaurant, I had one restaurant in Toongabbie, where lots of Sri Lankan restaurants are, but our main customers were Sri Lankan people,” Manjula said.
“I always wanted to bring this food up to other nationalities, too. When I was looking for a place to open with that purpose, I found Glebe.”
While the restaurant is Street Food by name, there’s no wax paper takeaway
or fluoro lights. Rather, inside the blue French door is a cosy space with terracotta-coloured
walls, antique art pieces, and pendant lighting.
Once you’re settled, start with some crisp pappadams and dips, then follow with hoppers, bowl-shaped rice and coconut crepe with a fried egg inside. To eat, just rip off pieces and scoop up the curries and dips that are served on the side.
While hoppers are typically savoury, Manjula has created sweet versions as well, such as the Banana Hopper which starts with a layer of whipped cream in lieu of fried egg, and then topped with vanilla ice cream, caramelised bananas, homemade jaggery sauce, and sugar-coated walnuts.
The dessert hoppers are a great way to round out your meal, or even just enjoy on their own with a cup of tea. It’s all part of Manjula’s Sri Lankan culinary story.
– 381 Glebe Point Rd; restaurant.dishevents.com.au
Beckett’s
Chef and co-owner Jeff Schroeter couldn’t have scripted it better when he said: “I didn’t choose the location, ‘she’ chose me. When I walked it in it was like getting a hug”.
That statement is rather telling. Unless you knew what stood behind the iron gates of this unassuming location you’d easily miss out on the treasure that awaits you inside, starting
with the glass shelves that display a collection of crystal decanters.
Beyond that is a cavernous interior with sandstone walls and brass table lights that are complimented by white table clothes, and sage-coloured leather banquets and velvet curtains. Its theatrical appearance is understandable given that co-owner and famed theatre director and
playwright Wendy Beckett engaged her set designer to transform the unique space into
Sydney’s version of a mid-century Manhattan restaurant and cocktail lounge. They nailed it.
For the menu Jeff showcases seasonal local ingredients with his polished Modern Australian
approach on French classic, particularly his signature dish, vanilla lobster (Queensland
caught), poached in fennel butter along with vanilla celeriac, ice plant and sea urchin along
with other favourites including duck l’orange, strawberry foie gras, and escargot en concette.
Altogether, Beckett’s is well worth a standing ovation.
– 134A Glebe Point Rd; beckettsbardining.com.au
Oh My Days
Step up to this cheery cafe and you’re greeted by a glass display case filled with fluffy and
flaky croissants. These sweet and savoury tasty treats aren’t just delicious, they’re also one
of Sydney’s few plant-based versions – though you’d never know considering all the effort
that co-owner David Rigby (Bentley, est. China Doll) and his team have vested in perfecting
the recipe.
David admits that the first renditions were less than desirable but with trial and
error (and a premium imported plant-based butter) the croissants – particularly the almond,
chocolate hazelnut, original versions as well as their more novel creations reserved for the
weekends. Oh My Days also offers other pastry faves such as cinnamon scrolls, fruit
Danishes, and eclairs as well as a weekend cafe menu.
You can get everything take away but it’s worth having a seat indoors to admire the adorable murals painted by artist/waitress Consuela Larenas who explains, “I choose bright colours and fun colours to give more light and life to the area. I play a little bit with proportions to give the characters attention.
“I was also inspired by the diversity of people who visit the coffee shop, so I choose a blue colour for the skin to include everyone. The second mural is a representation of a person in Victoria Park having coffee and a croissant from Oh My Days.”
– 99 Glebe Point Rd; ohmydays.com.au
Glebe Markets
It’s the end of a famous era and the start of a new for the Glebe Markets, a staple of
Saturday mornings inside the fence of Glebe Public School.
It’s been 30 years since Bob and Judy McCumstie started up the markets which they later passed on to the next generation, David McCumstie, and his wife Naomi, ensuring it remained a family business, just like many of the original stall owners have done with their own children.
But at some point, those early mornings take their toll so, David and Naomi said goodbye to the family business and retired early this year. Fortunately for fans of this Glebe institution, Stephen Choularton, director of Organic Food Markets, the entity behind the other beloved Sydney outdoor markets held in Marrickville, Mosman, Mona Vale, and more has stepped in as an interim operator.
While Stephen’s markets tend to be more food and produce centric, he says that he is determined to keep the Glebe markets in the eclectic and spontaneous nature of the markets as “to keep the traditional alive”.
(The markets are held every Saturday from 10am-4pm).
– Glebe Public School, Derby Place and Glebe Point Rd; organicfoodmarkets.com.au
Na Zdrowie
For those who know their Polish food, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a place that is as authentic as Na Zdrowie; they even have a slew of loyal customers from across NSW that have been coming here since they first opened over 15 years ago.
Top of the charts are their perogies, traditional Polish dumplings, served fried or boiled with a choice of three fillings: mushroom and sauerkraut with mushroom sauce; white cheese and potato with fried onion and sour cream; or meat with stewed onion and bacon.
True to their name – Na Zdrowie translates to “cheers” – they also have a pretty impressive selection of Polish beers. So, raise a glass and enjoy the dumplings.
– 161 Glebe Point Rd; nazdrowieglebe.com.au
Glebe Point Diner
You can peruse their market fresh menu, check their chalkboard for specials, or simply nod towards an adjacent table: “I’ll have what she’s having”.
But any way you play it you’re certain to get a meal that is both bold and satisfying with elevated renditions of familiar fare such as the Borrowdale pork cutlet, with peperonata and sage, Fettuccini with milk braised pork ragu, gremolata and pangrattato.
Stop in for a full meal or just swing by for a glass of wine and their signature duck liver pate with house made pear jam.
– 407 Glebe Point Rd; glebepointdiner.com.au
Badde Manors
While Glebe has gone through a number of notable changes over the past 40 years, this corner cafe has stood firm with its eclectic vegetarian menu, the only amendments being the addition of more internationally-influenced dishes in line with the area’s growing multicultural population.
There’s the classic Big Brekkie alongside Shakshuka, a Middle Eastern dish of poached eggs in rich tomato sauce; eggplant Stroganoff, and bean nachos.
Check the specials board as there’s something new most every day.
– 1/37 Glebe Point Rd; baddemanorscafe.com.au
Baja Cantina
When you’re after a bit of fun with your fajitas, Baja Cantina has you sorted. The ruby -red doors welcome you into a little slice of the Baja coast, a stretch known for its stellar surf scene and roadside cantina serving beer-battered fish taco.
The menu features California-style Mexican fare which is perfectly complemented by their killer cocktails and a regular rotation of entertainment featuring traditional music and dancers. Head out back to the beer garden where tables are scattered around the trees Iit up with lanterns and fairy lights in the evenings; it’s a great place to meet the crew for Taco Tuesdays, or $12 Margaritas on Thirsty Thursdays.
– 43-45 Glebe Point Rd; bajacantina.com.au
Jambo Jambo Africa
Some of the best conversations are had over food, and to make sure the stories flow, in Ethiopia, the meals are served on “communal plates” with everyone reaching to share from the same platter.
And forget formal dining rules; Ethiopian food is eaten with your hands, first tearing off a piece of the spongy flatbread (injera) to scoop up the lemon-marinated chicken stew.
For the full range of flavours, try one of the Combination platters: any six meat or vegan dishes ($100 for two people) or any three dishes ($90 for two people).
Included with the order is freshly-roasted Ethiopian coffee or ice cream.
89 Glebe Point Rd; jambojamborestaurant.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.