Sydney foodies can’t get enough of this humble Turkish pastry
Who invented börek? Some say it was a famous Turkish baker. Others claim it began in Serbia. Whatever its origin, tucked away in this low-key suburb is some of the best in the world and Sydneysiders can’t get enough
Sydney Taste
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Aussies love their meat and pastry and more and more are discovering the Turkish version of börek that dates back to the Ottoman Empire.
Sergun Ozsoy opened Rose Borek five years ago championing the traditional pastry dish filled with combinations of spinach, cheese, potato, mince and chicken.
Like many cultural dishes, the origin of börek is cloudy — and many countries have their own version.
Sergun said the “very special pastry” (jufka) is what makes his distinctly Turkish because it is lighter and flakier.
He said growing up in Denizli, his mother made it all the time, so he is happy to now see “all types of people” enjoying his dish.
“People love it … some of them are coming from far away places,” he said of return customers to his restaurant. “It is good, everyone is from different countries.”
He also offers sweet versions with chocolate, tahini or black cherry.
WHAT I GOT WRONG ABOUT VIETNAMESE FOOD
Chef Luke Nguyen loves his mum, and credits her with much of his success, but a show pairing the two of them might be the one thing that tips the consummate professional over the edge.
“I love my Mum dearly, and truly think she makes some of the best food in the entire world, but like most people, we also drive each other mad sometimes, particularly if we are
cooking together,” he told Delicious Sydney.
“She has a particular way of doing things, and so do I.
“But perhaps that would make for entertaining TV? I know I still learn new things about food from her all the time.
“I’m in favour of any shows that champion mums.”
Locally, Nguyen owns Red Lantern, Botanic House and Fat Noodle at the Star but has also become well known for his food travel shows.
His newest, Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam, starts tonight on SBS and explores Vietnam by train more than 20 years after he did so for the first time.
It is a fascinating and in-depth look at Vietnamese culture and cuisine but, most importantly, it makes his parents proud.
“My Mum is very proud to see me so immersed in our culture,” he said.
“It can be hard for first generation Australian children to balance their family’s culture with the culture of their peers, and I certainly have found new depth to my understanding and love for Vietnam as an adult.”
But despite his close affinity with the South East Asian country, Nguyen said the country and cuisine still surprised him.
“I learn something new every day!
“When I was in Hue in central Vietnam, I went on the hunt for my favourite Vietnamese dish called bun bo hue — a spicy beef rice noodle soup.
“I found a bustling little place selling this dish from 7am and selling out by 9am.
“The vendor has been selling this dish for 50 years, and her mother 50 years before that.
“I was surprised to see that her bun bo hue didn’t have much beef in there at all, but had
crab cakes, chicken, pork hock, blood jelly and an abundance of fresh herbs.
“She explained that this is the original dish, and it was Vietnamese who moved abroad that
changed it and made beef the main star.
“I realised that I had it all wrong all this time.”
See more of Nguyen’s adventures in his 10-part series Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam, Thursdays at 7.30pm on SBS.
FINAL STAGE OF COOGEE PAVILION REVEALED
After five long years of intrigue, the final stage of Coogee Pavilion is now ready to be unveiled. As of January, the middle level of the beachside landmark will house three entirely new venues — Mimi’s, Will’s and Una Mas.
The venues will be headed up by executive chef Jordan Toft, currently at Bert’s Bar and Brasserie, who Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes enticed back to Australia five years ago with this project in mind.
At the time Toft was heading up the kitchen at Hollywood hot spot Eveleigh and, prior to that, ran a chalet in the French Alps.
The three concepts will centralise around coastal dining with a distinct European essence — what Merivale described as a Mediterranean heart through an Australian lens, which the stunning structure lends itself to.
“This building is incredibly special to us, the community and to Sydney’s history,” Toft said.
“We felt a great responsibility to do it justice; taking our time to respectfully bring it to life and create experiences that are deserving of their location. Each experience has its own special personality and identity, but all are inspired by the generosity of regional dining around the Med — those moments when your heart rate slows down, you’re completely at ease and filled with gratitude for life’s simple pleasures.”
Mimi’s menu of fresh, no-fuss seafood and meat cooked over a Josper grill promises to be perfectly complemented by the sea breeze rolling in through arched windows.
Toft and Hemmes quipped that their favourite, most memorable meal they both enjoyed during their inspiration trip through Europe was the demonstration suckling pig cooked at the Josper warehouse.
Accompanying cocktail bar Will’s aims to tie together coast and cocktails with a distinctly European line-up, mixed with local influence.
Lastly, Una Mas will be the go-to venue for “walk in off the beach” experiences, be it a quick bite or an extended catch up.
“Think a chilled chablis or vermouth, with an oyster just shucked, seafood off the plancha and anchovies on fresh bread”, Toft described to Delicious Sydney.
As is the case with Hemmes’ venues, these latest additions have a personal touch.
Mimi’s and Will’s are named after Hemmes’ parents, Merivale and John respectively — Mimi was the late John’s nickname for Merivale, and William was John’s original birth name. They are also a nod to Hemmes’ grandmother, Wilhelmina Hemmes.
OLIVE OIL WITH YOUR BREAD? THAT’S AN EXTRA $1
In a time when restaurant rent is high and overheads are even higher, is it OK for restaurants to charge extra for items that were once assumed, or is it cheeky?
Barangaroo eatery Born by Tapavino has raised a few eyebrows by charging extra for olive oil if customers want to dip their bread.
One diner told Delicious Sydney she was aghast when her receipt showed the bread cost $3 and the olive oil was tacked on at $1 extra.
She said it wasn’t the dollar specifically (the bill total was $208), it was the principle that certain things in a restaurant are usually just a given. On the website “sourdough bread with extra virgin olive oil” is priced at $3pp.
Born by Tapavino owner Frank Dilernia said the “extra” was to save money for people who didn’t want olive oil — some just want bread to mop up sauces.
He said they didn’t want to charge people $4 for bread and oil when some people don’t want the oil.
He also said bread and oil should not be complimentary or included as they are high quality items that take time to source.
Possibly the most popular argument of extra v included is tomato sauce, but there are plenty more Sydneysiders furious about cheeky extras.
At Cento per Cento Italian at Bondi, a straight spirit costs $10 and a soft drink costs $5, so a vodka raspberry or a bourbon and coke costs $15.
If you want an extra piece of toast at The Hatters Cafe, Katoomba it will cost you $4.
Bondi Surf Seafoods is guilty of the aforementioned sauce crimes, charging for all sauces including tartare and salad dressing.
At Lee Hing Chinese Restaurant it will cost you $2 extra if you want your honey on the side of your honey chicken.
Brookvale Chinese Restaurant charges $2.50pp for herbal tea that is widely complimentary at most Chinese restaurants.
To cut a birthday cake at The Bistro at Manly Pavilion will set you back $7pp to be sliced and served or $4pp if serving pre-sliced or canape-style.
BESTEST NEWS FOR KIDS
The late former prime minister Bob Hawke would have been looking down proudly as his children’s charity raised an incredible $750,000 in a matter of hours on Monday night.
The 2019 Bestest Foundation dinner drew in 40 of Australia’s best chefs who all donated their time, staff and produce to put on a dinner for esteemed guests who forked out $10,000 for a table and a private chef.
Guillaume Brahimi, Peter Gilmore, Colin Fassnidge, Josh Niland, Dan Hong, Darren Robertson, Lennox Hastie, Jordan Toft, Joel Bickford — and more all donated their time for the cause, cooking for the likes of former Ardent CEO Deborah Thomas and partner Vitek Czernuszyn, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delaney, Zenith Media exec Anthony Ellis, Buildcorp founder Tony Sukkar and socialite Skye Leckie.
Not only were all the chefs, their food, staff and wait staff donated, almost everything else was too — including the marquee which was actually up for a wedding over the weekend but was kept up for the event.
Even the alcohol and printing for menus were donated, plus top-tier auction items that fetched more than $200,000.
Brahimi, who is also a board member, said he is in charge of putting together the list of chefs, but he doesn’t have to try very hard since most are chomping at the bit to cook at the event again. Some have cooked seven or eight years in a row.
And it’s easy to see why. Aside from raising money for disadvantaged kids across Australia, the chef gang have a mighty catch up.
Unlike a regular dinner service, many enjoyed a glass (or two or three) of wine during service and bantered with each other (one high-profile chef was overheard having a dig at another, saying “all you have to do is write another cookbook and you can buy a mansion at Bondi or Bronte or wherever you want”.)
My Kitchen Rules personality and By Fassnidge @ Banksia Bistro owner Colin Fassnidge said all banter aside, the night provided an opportunity for the chefs to check in on each other.
“Chefs all seem like rock stars but they’re all making minimal dollars and there’s a lot of stress,” he said.
“We all talk about it out the back: ‘How’s your business?’, ‘It’s s …’, ‘Have you seen your kids and your wife …’
“We’re all looking after each other, that’s what’s good with this event.
“It’s not all drama, there are good things too but wages, food delivery — Sydney is terrible, the lockouts. We’re in the s … est industry to be in at the moment, but we’re all there for each other.”
Since 2006 the charity has raised more than $6 million.
U2 ROCK SYDNEY
Irish rockers U2 made themselves at home during the Sydney leg of their Joshua Tree tour.
Last Wednesday Bono, The Edge and an entourage dined at Surry Hills restaurant Porteno, ordering round after round of espresso martinis in a private dining area.
On Saturday they held their exclusive after-party filled with family and friends at Palmer & Co. Sources say it was a very tight guest list so the band could relax and enjoy quality time together. Support act Noel Gallagher also attended and stayed until 4am.
Then, on their final night in town, Bono hit the town again, making his way to The Establishment in the city before dining at iconic Asian restaurant Mr Wong.
THE MOUTH:
REVIEW: FRANCA
2/81 Macleay St, Potts Point
Rating: 3 out of 5
The biggest divide these days isn’t between left and right or black and white. No, it’s between the often self-appointed guardians of knowledge — the “experts” — and the rest of us.
Now, sometimes you really need expertise. I don’t want to drive across a bridge designed by someone who just has, like, really strong feelings about, you know, roads?
And if there’s a spot on the X-ray, The Mouth damn sure wants the best specialist in town looking at it. Beyond that, though, things get a bit looser.
Experts told us that free trade with China would turn that nation into a liberal democracy. Experts keep pushing back their doomsday predictions about the end of the world. And experts love to tell us that we should love a woke, feminist Charlie’s Angels remake rather than a fun movie about cars like Ford v. Ferrari — but the box office ultimately knows better.
Something similar happens in the world of restaurants. Critics — experts — can rave about a place for whatever reason, while the rest of us are left cold (and out of pocket).
Which brings us to Franca, in the very trendy New York-ish if you squint hard enough suburb of Potts Point. Without rehashing everything that’s been said by others, Franca has made more than a splash in the foodie press. And with a reported $2.5 million budget for fit-out, you can see why.
It’s big, bright, and really quite beautiful. There’s more than a touch of the art deco, seating is arranged for a perfectly Sydney feng shui of see and be seen, the marble-topped tables are beautiful.
And the waitstaff, largely French, are unfailingly cheerful and fun, suggesting that they’ve not only taken the boys out of Paris, but taken the Paris out of the boys.
But what of the food? Well, it’s pretty good, but nothing to rave about: there are better versions of the Paris bistro around town, even if the kitchen’s Mediterranean flourishes are probably more suited to the Sydney climate.
A starter of foie gras is depressingly small, lacking that rich punch, and the glass of accompanying sticky wine showed up long before the plate. Smoked swordfish with a codfish brandade is more of a hit, though the brandade comes a bit underseasoned.
A T-bone for two is largely a success, particularly the fillet side, while a lamb backstrap is pretty and technically well-executed (particularly the sauce) but it is hard to pick up any of the promised piquillo peppers in the otherwise tasty little composed side salad.
Which, again, is fine, but they don’t miss you on the bill, and if you get hooked into the (really well put together) wine list, well, cha-ching!
It all comes down to what you’re there for. If you are serious about your food and value for money, jog on. But if you want a good time and a bit of that Sydney “Master Of The Universe” vibe, and have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, you’ll have a blast. Just don’t listen to the experts and expect a world-class feed.
LICENSED Yes
CARDS All majors
OPEN 12pm-12am Tues and Thurs-Sat, 12pm-10pm Sun, 5.30pm-12am, Mon
PRICES Spicier than the food
VEGETARIAN Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Yes
NOISE Convivial
PRO It’s the vibe of the thing
CON Under-seasoned greetings