Anason at Barangaroo: Turkish food to warm your heart and soul
HAVING a restaurant by the water is a no-brainer in summer but doesn’t seem like such a winner when winter rolls around, but not for this restaurant at Barangaroo.
Sydney Taste
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HAVING a restaurant by the water is a no-brainer in summer but doesn’t seem like such a winner when winter rolls around.
It’s something Istanbul-born chef and restaurateur Somer Sivrioglu (also behind Balmain’s Efendy) must have thought about, because he’s turned this open-air harbourside terrace at Barangaroo into a warm, comforting cocoon on a cold night.
Clear plastic sheets keep the wind out without obstructing the water view and gas heaters keep us so toasty that jackets soon come off and winter is forgotten.
It helps that the service is just as warm as the dining area. The wine list has a few familiar Australian options but the focus is on Turkish varieties, with most available by the glass, carafe or bottle. The knowledgeable wait staff are happy to guide us and even offer samples if you dither.
A glass of Narince, Isabey ($12) is likened to a dry pinot gris while a Syrah/Kalecik Karasi, Majestik, Aydin ($10) is a smooth shiraz/pinot blend.
The food is a modern take on traditional mezze. Instead of dolmades there are calamari dolma ($28), the seafood tube stuffed with pistachios, feta, barberries and avo ganoush, a take on babaganoush, the hummus ($16) comes with pumpkin and crispy chickpeas and instead of an iskender kebab there’s iskender-style veal tongue ($24).
We start with bread and dips, pita ($3) and simit ($4), a warm ring of sesame-crusted chewy dough, like the love child of a pretzel and bagel. The tarama is a mix of white cod roe and potato ($16) with finger lime and simit chips. The potato rounds out the flavour and makes it creamier, but it’s a tad grainy and you lose the sharpness of the roe. Atom ($12) is a mix of dried red and fresh green chillies and burnt butter on a bed of strained yoghurt, which gives a welcome cooling effect from that chilli kick. Finish it quickly or the butter solidifies.
An octopus, beetroot and herb salad ($18) is fresh and light, but the octopus pieces get lost among the purple, beetroot-stained burghul.
If your opinion of anchovies is tainted by the canned version, then hamsi, black sea anchovies ($19), will reconvert you. Think a meatier version of whitebait. They’re kept whole, coated in a mix of polenta and tarhana, a dried yoghurt and capsicum powder, deep fried and served with pungent garlic shoots, lemon juice and parsley.
Less successful is the dish of king prawns, spicy sujuk, mushrooms and tomatoes ($25) which comes covered in mounds of kashar cheese. It’s lighter, less demanding than parmesan, more like provolone but there’s so much, it crowds out the flavour.
The meats are done well, tender and tasty. Lamb fillet ($27) has a tinge of pink in the centre, served on a creamy bed of eggplant begendi which is mellower than its cousin, babaganoush, thanks to the addition of a butter and flour roux, cream and kashar cheese. Beef kofta ($26) aren’t as heavy as the Lebanese lamb version, with a nicely charred outer and moist inner but they are overshadowed by the accompanying beans, firm with a creamy centre and a tart dressing of tahini, lemon juice and pomegranate vinegar.
A date pudding ($6) is gelatinous with crunch from candied walnuts and a tart hint of raspberry. Sutlac ($15) is Turkish rice pudding — a creamy bowl of rice and baked milk, topped with hazelnuts and shredded kadayif pastry.
Turkish coffee at night isn’t ideal for those who want to sleep, so we go the apple tea ($5) instead. The sweet liquid is nicely spiced with slivers of green apple and cinnamon — a great way to fortify yourself against the cold outside.
All meals are paid for and visits unannounced.
ANASON
Rating: 7/10
5/23 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo
Phone 02 9188 1581
Style Modern Turkish mezze
Open Monday-Saturday: 11:30am-3pm, Tuesday-Saturday: 5:30pm-11pm
Highlight Anchovies
Lowlight King prawn
and sujuk
Like this, then try these
● Erciyes Turkish Restaurant, Surry Hills
● Pazar Food Collective, Canterbury
● Sefa Kitchen, Bondi
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