Home delivery brings a taste of foreign lands
A dip into ‘modern Israeli’, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours at home? Locked-down Sydneysiders rejoice.
Hot in the city
Kepos Street Kitchen, Redfern, Sydney
A dip into “modern Israeli”, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours at home? Locked-down Sydneysiders rejoice. Redfern’s Kepos Street Kitchen has a range of meal packs ready for click-and-collect or delivery from Wednesdays to Saturdays inclusive, plus 200ml or 250ml jars of mixed cocktails with names as evocative as Bedouin Caravan, made with organic fig syrup. A mezze box contains arguably the city’s best hummus plus all the makings of a communal spread for up to four people, from labneh and pita bread to marinated olives, pickled cauliflower and crudites ($49).
There are vegetarian options or hearty feasts showcasing coriander-crusted slow-roasted lamb shoulder, pita pockets and salads speckled with mint, parsley, pistachios and cranberries ($45-84). Add more crunchy, herby sides and desserts such as milk chocolate halva mousse from $7. Delivery starts at $20, depending on locations from eastern and inner-western suburbs, south as far as Mascot, upper north shore or northeast to Manly.
Like many high-profile Sydney restaurants with distinctive cuisines, Kepos Street Kitchen has redefined what would have been served on site – as takeaways or featured in catering contracts in pre-Covid times – to in-home bake or reheat dining experiences that transport diners to a particular culinary destination.
Israeli-born owner-chef Michael Rantissi, who also runs Kepos & Co in Waterloo, offers deli fridge items (cue the falafels) at the Redfern corner diner and regularly does food collaborations, most recently a pop-up with Brooklyn Boy Bagels. New York staples in self-described “loxdown” with a spicy za’atar flourish? Bring it on.
SUSAN KUROSAWA
Cool in the country
Yahava KoffeeWorks, Margaret River, WA
Coffee snobs, addicts and lovers (one is often all three) can get lost in this wired world of caffeine. At the tasting bench, try before you buy, with complimentary samples of arabica coffee from around the world. Watch and inhale a roast in progress in the roastery, or have a go yourself. On a Koffee Safari ($79 a person), learn a variety of brew methods, enjoy a coffee and chocolate pairing, and take home a pack of the beans you helped roast. For a more intensive education, a one-hour course ($60) teaches four brewing techniques, while a three-hour barista course is a fun induction for a potential career change ($155).
Tea drinkers are not excluded. In the Tea Shed, taste single-origin blacks, greens, whites, herbals and flavoured blends.
At the main outlet in Margaret River, I snack on cakes and toasties and branch out into iced coffee, hot chocolate, smoothies and milkshakes over the course of a fortnight. Staff are happy to chat about the origins of beans, the flavours and how to savour them – just like wine-tasting at cellar doors down the road. Kids and dogs are welcomed on the grassed area outside. Inside is an emporium of cups, mugs, spoons, teapots and curious gadgets for sale.
Yahava KoffeeWorks outlets are also located in Vasse and Swan Valley. For quick cuppas, the Kwik Koffee drive-through is a handy option, as is the outdoor kiosk at Perth Airport.
LOUISE GOLDSBURY