Eat Street Sydney: Ten things to try in Burwood
A GENERATIONAL shift has prompted the modernisation of restaurants and eateries in this inner west suburb, elevating wonderful traditional dishes to a new level.
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A GENERATIONAL shift has prompted the modernisation of restaurants and eateries in this inner west suburb, elevating wonderful traditional dishes to a new level.
Take a tour of the suburb’s best eateries right here with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street.
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‘FEASTING IN THE KNOW’ FOOD TOURS
We’ve all been there, staring wonderingly at what the person at the next table has ordered because it looks so delicious. It’s even worse when you can’t quite make out the menu, much less make up your mind. Wee Lyn Teo, who owns and operates Feasting in the Know Food Tours, bespoke culinary excursions, calls it “food envy”. She explains: “I love food — I grew up in Singapore so there’s no hope for me. I wanted to do something with food, I didn’t want to cook it, but I could talk about it.” Having lived in Burwood for the past 20 years, she loves pointing out the businesses that opened in the area and have gone on to great success, such as the popular dessert spot The Choc Pot, as well as those shops that have grown with the neighbourhood, including celebratory cake specialists Pasticceria Mancuso and Hong Kong-style bakery Maria’s Bakery Inn, whose owner Maggie has been there over 20 years. Maggie still offers traditional pastries but as with all prospering places has evolved by producing innovative products such as the Durian Bun, using premium Musang King pieces (not with real durians, as that smell sticks to anything). Wee Lynn hosts bespoke six-hour tours, usually for six people. She says it’s “not all about eating, but also shopping and learning to cook these dishes on your own”. - feastingintheknow@gmail.com
YUN NAN CROSS BRIDGE RICE NOODLE
An anecdote from the Quing Dynasty is the foundation of Qin Lan Xuan’s signature dish, Crossing the Bridge rice noodle soup. A scholar’s wife would bring food to him every day while he was studying in a pavilion across the lake but she noticed that after some time he was losing weight and food had gone uneaten because by the time she got it to him, it would be cold or soggy. Then by accident, she noticed that a soup she had made was still warm once it got to him because the fatty oil that was produced by boiling the chicken with skin, produced a layer thick enough to retain the heat and served as a veritable fireless hot pot where upon arrival, she was able to add thinly sliced meats, vegetables and noodles. It’s a fun meal to have with friends and family but take heed, if it stayed hot enough to cross the lake, then making its way merely out from the kitchen gives it very little time to cool off. Just in case, every table has a sign that says “caution, soup is very hot” for those tempted to delve straight in to try the soup. — 244 BURWOOD RD
FRÜT MARBLED JUICERY
With sugary bubble teas on every corner, Tony Hua set out to create something that was not only healthier but also eye-catching. Inspired by the vibrant layered concoctions he discovered while travelling through Taiwan, Korea and China, he set out to create his own version. In lieu of the typical fresh juice made by pressing the fruit, Tony blends the whole fruit, which not only gives it a thicker consistency, which keeps the fruit separated, but also retains its fibre and other nutrient. Tony changes the menu based on seasonal fruits but notes that avocado has become very popular, thanks to its smooth texture and slightly vanilla flavour. Importantly the bottle is recyclable — bring it back in for a 5% discount. — SHOP 4/127 BURWOOD RD
BELLO THE SHELTER
After 16 years, “it was time for a change” and owner Darin and Tania Anjoul were determined to do it right, so brought in executive chef and business consultant Marcello Ferraro to make it happen. After studying the area and the restaurant in detail, Marcello came to the conclusion, that if they wanted to evolve, it would mean that everything needed to be changed — from the interior to the menu. Bringing in his own kitchen team, he took a four-step approach — invent new dishes such as a deep fried cheese burger, add colour and with artistic fine-dining plating and reinvent some dishes, including the brunch staple, eggs Benedict. Marcello also had a bit of fun naming dishes, including some that referred to servers’ favourite foods or just general sentiments such as the “Not a Morning Person” — a name that makes you laugh, while the bacon and egg burger itself gets you going. — 172/100 BURWOOD RD
THE RUSTY RABBIT
There’s plenty of “Joker-ing” around at The Rusty Rabbit. Josh Khoury, 22, is co-owner of the popular cafe along with his brother Jamesray, overseeing their first venue in Darlinghurst. “We always wanted to do something together,” Josh says. “The concept itself grew over time as we began to figure out who and what we were.” Art student and regular at the cafe, Jake Zuccoiotto, did the artwork on the menu — essentially an illustrative compilation of superheroes — a theme that both Josh and Jamesray were eager to embrace. The menu was first printed in black and white — purely because they needed them the next day. But people started asking if they could colour them in and soon they started putting coloured pencils on the tables. The theme stuck and soon enough, a Superman figure landed on top of the coffee machine, followed by Batman, and ten more until the venue finally started carrying the Pop! vinyl figures — not just to sell, but also to add to the decor. From the beginning, the opted to keep the menu simple, nothing OTT. One of their most popular dishes, the Lamb Eggs, is a take on their childhood staple of lamb mince and eggs. So it makes sense that their mother would come into the kitchen and make it into the Lamb Eggs — lamb kafta, cucumber, pomegranates, zataar poached eggs on sourdough with labne lamb. — 27-31 BELMORE ST
When in Burwood, you must try ...
LOVIN’ LAMB
As the name suggests, lamb in on the menu but so too is ox-tendon and a plum tea — the only three items to be had in this small shop. There are other options but only when it comes to the heat factor — without chillies, mild, hot or extra hot. — 125 BURWOOD RD
HUNAN RICE NOODLES
The writing is on the wall at Hunan. Written on a chalkboard next are instructions for the four easy steps on how to eat rice noodles: 1.) Energetically stir everything together, 2) Make a slurp noise when you eat it, 3). Drink up all the soup and 4). Wipe your perspiration. — 127 BURWOOD RD
MARIA’S BAKERY INN
The small silver bell rings at 5.30pm as a last-call blow-out sale on breads sold from a table half in and out of the shop’s door. Try the innovative Musang King Dorian Bun or legendary Wife Cake. — 240 BURWOOD RD
THE PICNIC
Morning coffee, lunch on the lawns or just an afternoon stint at the playground, Burwood’s park with it centralised cafe, The Picnic, has become the ideal meeting point. Picnic baskets loaded with yummy food and blankets are available. — BURWOOD RD AND PARK AVE
MATCHA MILLE CREPE CAKE
There are 20 very thin handmade crepes that make this cake so special. Between each one is a delicate layer of pastry crème blended with green tea matcha. Enjoy with a pot of chrysanthemum tea. — DULCET CAKES AND SWEETS, 11A, 27-31 BELMORE ST
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