The July Hit List: Izgara, Viand, Khamsa, Shaffa, and More

Efe Topuzlu and Ozgur Sefkatli have a way of creating portals to Turkey. Their first two Sydney venues (Above Par and Malika Bakehouse) directed you to their homeland and Izgara – named after the Turkish word for ‘grill’ – sends you on a similar route. Their new restaurant taps into smoky memories of meat being charred at ocakbaşı eateries in Istanbul. From Iskender-style lamb backstrap with ‘pide bits’ and the rich froth of butter to veal kofte with a fiery charge of harissa, Izgara delivers your protein hit with a smouldering burn.

Dougal Muffet grew up in a wheat-farming family and has a library-like knowledge of grains (just ask him about the prevalence of Ford wheat in the 1940s). Recently, he’s translated his intel on sustainable, lesser-known grains into baked goods that inspire early-morning queues and sell-out status: first through AP Bakery’s cameos at Reuben Hills and Paramount Coffee Project, then the Paramount rooftop and now, its first full-time shop: A.P Town in Newtown. This laneway gem offers carrot cakes with burnt butter icing, Aleppo pepper and Asiago cheese scrolls, whiskey canelés, chimichurri choripan and pies stuffed with cochinita pibil or peppery Warrigal greens and ricotta.

Walk-ins only.

Thai food made a late entry into Annita Potter’s life: there weren’t any restaurants serving it when she was growing up and she was close to 30 when David Thompson (author of the hefty Thai Food cookbook) introduced her to the sour, sweet, chilli-laced and ultra-vibrant Thai palate. After working with him across the world (from London’s Nahm to Sydney’s Long Chim), she’s now offering her spin on the cuisine at Viand – think grilled scallops with peanut caramel and green chillies and Chiang Mai pork belly curry with shredded ginger and pickled garlic. The restaurant has a gallery space upstairs and Viand’s schedule also includes cooking masterclasses and industry night events.

Ochazuke has a pretty unglamorous origin story: in Japan, about a millennia ago, people would pour hot water over old rice to give it a second life. Around the Edo period (1603–1867), this got upgraded to green tea. At TenTo in Surry Hills, ochazuke gets the flashiest makeover. Co-owner Ryota Kumasaka and chef Gabriel D’Agostini decorate the humble dish with sculpted rice paper baskets, flowers and pretty garnishes. And the ingredient-rich broth is much more complex than a quick-brew tea. Also on the menu? Highly stylised ramen, sandwiches wedged between pillow-thick shokupan slices and very snackable gobo chips.

Walk-ins only.

Lankan Filling Station’s menu of curries is a good defence against the freezing winter weather – from the gentle white curries, powered by cashews or potatoes, through to the heavy-hitting dry black curry or tamarind-sour red prawn option, there’s something for every spice tolerance and flavour preference. Don’t forget to order the brilliant cabbage mallung, with its crisp wok-fried edges and buzz of coconut shreds, turmeric, curry leaves and mustard seeds (turn to page 188 of O Tama Carey’s cookbook if you’d like to stir-fry your own version at home). And whether you dine in or opt for takeaway, getting the double-chocolate ‘Bounty’ bar, filled with puffed rice, coconut and cardamom, is an essential move.

With Maydanoz, Somer Sivrioğlu wants to combat the stereotype that Turkish food is defined by meaty kebab shops. Sure, there is a sheep’s head soup on the menu – inspired by the tradition of serving thousands of wedding guests with such a protein-rich dish – but Maydanoz mainly treats vegetables as the headline act. The zeytinyağlı cooking method – delicately slow-cooking ingredients with water and oil – locks in the sweetness and structural integrity of vegies. Credit for the smoky cabbage skewers flavoured with kebab spices goes to his executive chef Arman Uz. The dish is something of an international star: it’s also offered at Sivrioğlu’s Efendy restaurant in Istanbul, where he’s often mobbed (thanks to his star status as a MasterChef judge there).

Call (02) 9262 3161 to make a reservation.

Sarah Shaweesh runs Sydney’s only Palestinian eatery, which happens to be plant-based, too. So Khamsa takes on the traditional musakhan, but swaps the sumac-spiced roasted chicken for mushrooms that she envelopes in a pastry pocket. Her falafel is green and vibrant with herbs, and her drinks are just as vivid. The iced Nablus latte is a shout-out to her mum, who hails from the aforementioned Palestinian city located in the West Bank. Rosewater is a fragrant fixture of desserts in the region, which inspired Shaweesh to add rose-scented splashes to the coffee and some maple sweetness, too. The latte has the condensed-milk creaminess of Vietnamese coffee, with a Middle Eastern twist, and is worth ordering (and reordering).

Walk-ins only.

XOPP opened in 2019, as one of the star attractions at Darling Square. But it builds on the three-decade history of its (now-closed) sister restaurant, Golden Century. XOPP is named after one of Golden Century’s most famous dishes – which Momofuku’s David Chang endorsed as one of the best things you can eat on the planet. And you can now buy the signature pipi-coating XO sauce from XOPP to take home. XOPP’s original creations are worth seeking out, too (the salted egg yolk potato wedges have been a winner since day one).

The Queen Victoria Building gets a French accent with the addition of Manon brasserie. Chef Thomas Boisselier has name-checked the bouchons of Lyon and bistros of Paris as an inspiration, without forgetting the eatery’s Australian location, either (so, yes, your tartine can be swiped with some Vegemite, and there’s avocado on toast on offer). The buckwheat crepes channel Brittany, the ratatouille-bright omelettes evoke Provence and instead of a bloody Mary, why not start your morning with a ‘Bloody Marie-Antoinette’?

Call (02) 9051 2008 for reservations.

While hiking through the mountainous Bariloche region of Argentina, Erez Nahum dreamt about how his upcoming Shaffa restaurant would turn out. A key inspiration was located on the other side of the world: the vibrant Tel Aviv markets of his youth. And he turned his dream into a reality on a different corner of the planet: between a 150-year-old church and just-as-old inn in Sydney’s Surry Hills. The interior details (rows of colourful spices and jars and fresh produce) are just as transporting as the menu, which includes knafeh, lentil kibbeh with Turkish spices, harissa-charged olives and coconut malabi with saffron syrup and rose blossoms.