Neighbourhood shops: Carmen Drive, Carlingford

Shoppers were ‘iffy’ about the hipsters opening a cafe in northwest Sydney but now they’re as beloved as the longtime traders. Enjoy the seventh instalment of Corner Store Heroes.

On a sun-speckled Wednesday morning at the Carmen Drive shopping centre in Carlingford, the atmosphere is more like a weekend, especially at the Tilted cafe where there’s a queue to get a daily coffee fix.

There’s a relaxed rhythm, with residents navigating the footpath with their canines and milling around the cafe which Stevan Bae and Jon Sewell opened in October.

“Everyone was a bit iffy, older people are a bit iffy,’’ Bae said.

“Look at it now.’’

He casts his eyes on some of his senior customers, who were once doubtful but now keep the cafe buzzing midweek.

Bae’s decision to open at Carmen Drive made perfect sense — the shopping strip is near the stop to catch the city-bound bus via the M2 so commuters could fuel up in the morning peak hour. But it was also devoid of a cafe.

Bae, a seasoned hospitality industry stalwart who has run cafes mainly on the north shore, is also moving to Beecroft.

Sewell, his fellow “coffee nerd”, joined his mate after dispensing many a latte at Mecca Coffee in Alexandria.

The pourover coffee aficionado has embraced the change of pace at Carmen Drive, which, despite branching off the heaving motorway, and the maligned Pennant Hills and Oakes roads, is relatively peaceful.

Tilted cafe owners Jon Sewell and Steven Bae have brought their energy to Carmen Drive.

“When you’re working and managing cafes in the inner city, people are in a rush to get to work and business meetings,’’ he said.

“But here you get to be a bit more part of their day so I guess that makes things feel a little bit more rewarding.’’

Someone who has been part of the community’s day for 25 years is the affable Carmen Drive Community Pharmacy shop assistant Chris Laoulach.

She started working at the chemist from the 1990s through to the “nightmare” of Covid lockdowns.

“We were all in PPE gear,’’ she said.

She missed chatting with customers, many who the former Carlingford High School student knew through the Murray Farm Public and Muirfield school communities when her two now-adult children attended.

Chris Laoulach is the kind of worker all the locals know.

“I grew up in this area and I went to school in this area,’’ the 62-year-old said.

“I came back to the area when I had children. I know a lot of the families through the school.

Her son Nabil, 20, is also a shop assistant.

Laoulach has witnessed loads of change and misses the newsagent but she quickly says Jenny’s Bakery and Cafe is a fine substitute thanks to the more-ish offerings from Jenny There’s family.

“The bakery’s unbelievable what they bake — their pies, their sausage rolls, the cakes,’’ Laoulach said.

“That’s been a real asset. All the food here is great.’’

Toongabbie’s Ryan Beatty, 23, concurs. Stocking up on pies and jam and cream matchsticks is mandatory when he visits his Carlingford grandmother.

Ryan Beatty leaves Jenny’s Bakery Cafe as one happy customer.

When they’re not getting freshly-baked bread or a sweet fix, savoury delicacies abound at Beef Bouillon where despite only moving to the strip six months ago, Cameron Potts already had a legion of fans from his family’s business (by the same title) at North Rocks Westfield where they cut the chops for 47 years until 2017.

They left for Turramurra before taking over Steve’s Fine Meats with their enticing gourmet emporium. Sausages include wild mushroom and garlic; pork, truffle and parmesan; jalapeño or the most popular — chicken, spinach, cheese and pine nuts.

Commuters often stop by to collect some of the butcher’s already-made meals while personalised service is on hand for bulkier parcels.

Potts, 35, started his apprenticeship when he was 17 and continues the family tradition. He works alongside Luke, Max and Rhonda Darley, and Kyle Thompson, who is glad he started his trade working for an independent butcher instead of in a supermarket.

“The meat’s better,’’ Thompson said.

Beef Bullion Butchers owner Cameron Potts with fellow butcher Kyle Thompson.

“You go to the supermarket and you don’t get the experience, the talking, the friendliness all that sort of stuff.’’

Carmen Drive Takeaway’s Rached Dirbassi loves the community.

“It’s a quiet area, people are nice, (there are) no junkies, everyone’s got nice manners, respectable,’’ he said.

“Even the kids are the same too and the area here, everyone’s more welcoming and say ‘hello’ passing through the door. That’s how it is.’’

Rached Dirbassi at Carmen Drive Takeaway at Carlingford.

Since November 2017, Maharaja’s On Carmen has earned a reputation for its butter chicken and for being an elegant establishment.

“Our butter chicken is famous around the local area and there are dishes we do really well and people come from other suburbs to eat our food,’’ head chef Kavin Kaishore said.

This is no curry-in-a-hurry kind of venue.

Interior designer Lexie Valatalis bedecked the 46-seat, gold-trimmed restaurant with white table cloths, peacock blue wallpaper, a glass petition, velvet banquet seats and mosaic-like art.

“It’s fine dining, it’s luxe,’’ owner Rani Benepal said.

“We pride ourselves on being boutique fine dining.’’

The cuisine complements the indulgent setting, with seafood dishes including lobster tandoori in summer.

“It’s not what you would expect in a little restaurant but our menu differentiates us from other suburban restaurants,’’ Benepal said.

A software developer who was poised to retire from the IT industry five years ago, a “bored” Benepal seized on an opportunity to capitalise on her love for food when the Carmen Supermarket closed.

She bought the space and also made the most of the experience her husband and his family had gained in Maharaja’s branches including Norwest and the flagship Kirribilli restaurant that first opened in 1991.

Maharaja's On Carmen employee Hamish Lambert.

Benepal adores her customers who fill the “tiniest restaurant that we have ever had”.

“I’m a people person as well; I love meeting the customers,’’ she said.

“It’s that feeling like you are part of the community and you are giving back to the community.’’

Many customers become employees and have started their working life at Maharaja’s.

“From day one I have employed local, young kids to look after my front-of-house,’’ Benepal said.

“I train them up and they are the image of Maharaja’s on Carmen. They’re amazing kids that all love working here. They’re not forced to work here — they love working here.’’

Along with the “10 kids under 20’’, there is up to 10 kitchen staff producing northern and southern Indian dishes who also created many-a-cherished takeaway meal during lockdowns.

“All the customers were supporting us and they were calling me at home, making sure we were OK,’’ Benepal said.

“They were saying ‘We want your business to survive and we will tell our friends about Maharaja’s’.

“They consider us the pride of Carmen Drive. They said ‘You’re the best thing that happened to the Carmen strip’.’’

And for a more casual but equally popular option, Carlingford Chinese Restaurant is the place to go for a meal out or takeaway option.

Skin Perfection Boutique owner Melinda Dawson has been keeping primped and polished for 11 years.

“We always used to drive past these group of shops and when it was my time to open my own business I decided to stay in the area,’’ she said.

“It’s the convenience. I would never open in a bigger shopping centre. I can go outside here. It’s a different kind of community about a group shopping centre. All of us are close and work close together.’’

With her second baby due in December, prospective beauticians should note Dawson is searching to recruit more staff.

Skin Perfection owner Melinda Dawson prefers small shopping centres over big malls.

To keep their tresses looking top notch, Hair by Phd draws customers who receptionist Sarah Mace said relish the personalised service that the four senior stylists and two apprentices deliver.

“It’s nice to be in the local community and get to know the local people,’’ she said.

“Everyone in the shops, we all know each other.’’

Hair by Phd’s Sarah Mace.

It’s a familiar feeling for Michael Bogg, who is not only Valley Cellars bottle shop’s long-serving worker, but after almost 30 years, has worked at Carmen Drive shopping centre the longest than other employees.

“It’s just so friendly, it’s like a big family,’’ he said.

Michael Bogg at The Valley Cellars, keeps locals in good spirits.

However, with commuters using the shops as a commuter carpark to reach the M2 bus stop, he notes that parking is a problem.

At Harcourts real estate agent, principal Andrew Magro and his wife Diana relish the location where they have operated for five years.

“We love the community feel. It’s nice to walk out and you see people you know, just to be part of the community,’’ Diana said.

“Our old office was on a main road, on a highway, so it’s nice to have the change.’’

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