‘Peak Sydney’: Diners divided over Kiln’s $10 Jatz appetiser

A $10 appetiser featuring an iconic Australian snack has divided diners, who have declared it’s “peak Sydney”.

An $10 appetiser featuring an iconic Australian snack has divided diners, who have declared it is “peak Sydney”.

On the menu at Kiln – one of the most eagerly-anticipated restaurant openings of 2022 – in Surry Hills, the snack is described as “jatz, smoked butter, anchovy”.

“It’s a play on the high-low, which is something I love to bring into my cooking,” head chef Mitch Orr, famed for his plays on the Jatz cracker, told Good Food last year.

“The version at Kiln [is topped with] a butter that’s smoked using the wood from the grill, and is topped with a baller Olasagasti anchovy.”

Not everyone is convinced, however, the tasty morsel is worth the money.

“Is this peak Sydney?” Reddit user aussie_trekker questioned over the weekend, after dining at the establishment.

An $10 appetiser featuring an iconic Australian snack has divided diners, who have declared it’s 'peak Sydney'. Picture: Reddit

“At a new fancy restaurant. describing as jatz, smoked butter and anchovy. And yep that’s what it was!”

They noted elsewhere in the thread that they “questioned the waitress and said I have jatz at home. She informed me it was definitely great and worth it”.

Their thread elicited a range of reactions from other users – with some maligning the price of the appetiser, writing they were “lost for words”.

“This is why interest rates are going up,” one said.

“SMH (shaking my head): Millennials can’t afford to buy houses in Sydney because they spend all of their money on anchovies on jatz,” another wrote.

While a third commented: “Is that actual real jatz? Wow, I thought they were extinct in the inner west like 20 years ago. Love the circle of life irony here. (Hope you took the ugly ass plate home for compensation)”.

Other users pointed out Orr’s use of Jatz in his cooking before, “something along the lines of Australiana nostalgia and pairing top quality ingredients with childhood favourites”, one commented.

“I mean it’s a w*nk, but probably tastes delicious,” they added.

“Remember you’re not paying $10 just for a dish. The new Kiln space is one of the nicest restaurant setups in Sydney. It’s the atmosphere and staff you’re really paying for.

“[If you] want a cheap meal it’s obviously not the place for it.”

Then there were those who noted that the appetiser wasn’t the most “peak Sydney” behaviour on display.

“Peak Sydney isn’t offering a pair of Jatz crackers for $10,” one wrote.

“Peak Sydney is paying $10 for a pair of Jatz crackers.”

“I’d say peak sydney is being dumb enough to pay $10 for a couple of Jatz crackers and a mouthful of topping,” agreed a second.

While another added: “It’s also peak r/sydney to then post about said ridiculous dish.”

For anyone keen to try the snack out at home – without the added whinging – Delicious has shared Orr’s recipe here.