Eat Street Sydney: 10 things to eat in Bondi Junction

FOLLOW Oxford St in an easterly direction and you’ll end up at Bondi Junction where an eclectic array of food shops, eateries and bars cater for all tastes.

FOLLOW Oxford St in an easterly direction and you’ll end up at Bondi Junction where an eclectic array of food shops, eateries and bars cater for all tastes.

Take a tour of the area’s best eateries right here with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street.

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The Meat Store

Seasoned chicken from The Meat Store.

The Meat Store’s father and son team, Pete and PJ Ilic. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski

FOR the novice cook, celebrity chefs may be the inspiration for a fancy feast, but the production begins with quality ingredients, much of which include meat.

“Reality TV cooking shows like MasterChef have gotten people excited about cooking,” co-owner Pete Ilic says.

He says people see this as an opportunity to be creative with their own seasonings and sauces so they want high quality cuts and some advice on preparation.

It’s that personal touch along with over 50 years in the meat trading business that makes this place such a desirable destination.

However, for those just popping to in to pick up dinner fixings there is also an impressive array of specialty food products, including marinades and oils, many of which are locally made. — 262 Oxford St

The Nelson Hotel

The Nelson Hotel is a favourite pub

There’s plenty of room in the The Nelson Hotel’s bistro

THIS 1930s hotel with its art deco facade and retro bar has had a makeover to include an outdoor bistro and an overhauled menu.

There are still the classic pub favourites of rump steaks and schnitzels but executive chef Chad Muir has added some flair such as the humble spring roll which he revamped to include Wagyu beef brisket accompanied with a truffle cauliflower puree.

He notes though that before something stays on the menu, he lets the locals make the final decision based on “Free Food Friday” where trays of testers get passed around the bar. — 232 Oxford St

The Cook and Baker

Vanilla custard doughnut from the Cook and Baker. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski

The Cook and Baker’s Red Velvet Cake and cookbook

HEAD in for some amazing sweet and savoury pastries and you’re certain to encounter some attitude, quirkiness, innovation and a huge dose of passion.

Stemming from New Zealand, co-owners Cherie Bevan and Tass Tauroa have taken traditional baked goods, such as the humble doughnut and turned it into their signature item with enough vanilla custard to practically make it a dessert sandwich.

You’ll spot it in the glass case, or look for the laminated Elvis playing card with its description.

Cherie and Tass have also generously offered up some of their recipes in a beautifully photographed cookbook, The Cook and Baker. — 238 Oxford St

The Souvlucky Country

Gyros pita from The SouvLucky Country. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski.

Inside the The SouvLucky Country

NOT often do you get authentic Greek food and a language lesson in one spot, but here it’s served up with your meal.

Ask co-owner Harry Petrohilos how to say the often-mispronounced word “gyros” and you’ll get a tutorial (sounds like gyear-ose) and an explanation of how the word translates in English to “rotate meat on a vertical spit that moves round and round”.

The love of words is even part of their shop’s name, a play on the The Lucky Country, though with their generous portions of fresh vegetables and tender meats it’s quality that will keep them around for generations, not just luck. — 62 Bronte Road

Harris Farm Markets

Harris Farm Market’s The Bread and Butter Project's bread

Harris Farm Market’s Salt Meats Cheese's Happy Cone

IT may be deemed a grocer but for many a Sydney chef it’s “a dream”.

The store has everything from mainstream pastas to gourmet marinades and a vast array of produce, such as the 25 plus varieties of tomatoes, the 600 cheeses, the popular Salt Meats Cheese’s deli selection and an in-house station of fresh baked goods from The Bread and Butter Project. — Level 1, Bondi Westfield Shopping Centre

WHEN IN BONDI JUNCTION, YOU MUST TRY ...

Spaghetti Namtok Salmon

Spaghetti Namtok Salmon at Calabur Café & Diner.

For top notch Asian Fusion fare head down stairs to this uber-cool space that by day is a cafe but transforms into a diner and bar at night. — Calabur Café & Diner, Basement Shop 2, 51-53 Spring St

Brekkie Bowl

Brekkie Bowl at Nelson Road Tuckshop. Picture: Federica Portentoso

Odds are that the old canteen you grew up on didn’t serve such grown-up dishes such as this Breakfast salad made with heaps of greens, falafel, spiced sweet potato and a soft boiled egg. — Nelson Road Tuckshop, 60 Bronte Rd

Spiracha Hot Sauce

Sriracha Hot Sauce. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski

Fans of hot sauces will rejoice with this one that has both flavour and fire. They also make hot chutney and pretty much anything else you can put in a jar. — Felix The Jam Man @ Nelson Road Tuckshop, 60 Bronte Rd

Artisan Sumatran Coffee

Triple Pick coffee. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski

Hand-picked and sorted coffee cherries from their extended family’s farm in Indonesia ensures complete quality control for their beans which you can take home or just enjoy a great coffee on-site. — Triple Pick Coffee, 17 Gray St

Chapulines

Chapulines at El Topo Mexican.

In Oaxaca, a southern-state of Mexico, flavourful chillies are featured in many dishes including this popular snack at sporting events, roasted crickets prepared with chilli, garlic and lime. — El Topo Mexican, The Eastern, Level 3, 500 Oxford St

Originally published as Eat Street Sydney: 10 things to eat in Bondi Junction