Where to Eat in September: Kabul Social, Izgara, Beckett’s, and More

The community-minded team behind Colombo Social has a new project: Kabul Social. This CBD canteen is run by female Afghan refugees and offers plenty of social pay-off. Every meal you buy here also funds two meals for Afghans in need: one is donated to Mahboba’s Promise, a charity that assists orphans and widows in Afghanistan, the other supports the local diaspora through Plate It Forward’s initiatives. It’s a good reason to order up big, whether you’re requesting a lunchbox based on Afghan bread, spiced fries, Kabuli salad or maash palaw (Afghani rice) or picking from the many Kabuli burger options available – they’re banked with borani banjan eggplant, charcoal chicken, Afghan-spiced lamb or pumpkin and come with a bonus supply of crinkle-cut fries.

Walk-ins only.

Köpoğlu might originate from Trakya in Turkey, but Izgara’s version of this smoky eggplant dip is courtesy of Istanbul – most specifically, the ocakbaşi (grillhouse) where Izgara’s co-owner Efe Topuzlu worked two decades ago, assisting his uncle in Taksim Square. The char and sparks behind these recollections have also inspired the menu at this sleek Sydney interpretation of Turkey’s fire-charged eateries. There’s lokum, a grilled lamb dish that’s cut into soft squares like the Turkish delight it’s named after, and a version of İskender, where the lamb backstrap is served like a next-level doner kebab, and placed on pide croutons that have been richly submerged in foamy butter.

Loulou’s three-in-one bistro, boulangerie and traiteur setting offers a convincing gateway to France. To make it feel like you’ve woken up in Paris, the venue has recently amped up its weekend breakfast selection. There are classic pastries from the bakery, as well as more elaborate dishes by chef Ned Parker (The Ledbury) at the bistro – from a crab soufflé omelette topped with chives, lemon zest and espelette pepper to a signature croque madame, filled with Comté cheese, leg ham and poached egg. The “Grand Loulou breakfast” features Toulouse sausages from the traiteur, which you can chase with a Bloody Marie. Spiked with vodka and Suze liqueur, this cocktail is named after a certain queen who was famously sent to the guillotine during the French Revolution.

Call (02) 8000 7800 for reservations.

Shinmachi is run by Ryota Kumasaka, who grew up in Fukushima with a mother who was always making pottery (so it’s apt that this izakaya serves its fried chicken, agedashi tofu and ‘WTF Spicy Ramen’ on beautifully crafted tableware). Kumasaka can shape bowls and mugs from hand, too, but his talent doesn’t end there. The chef is also excellent with meat-free dishes, because his wife is vegetarian and he spent a good amount of time at Japan’s underground vegan venues. At Shinmachi, you can ask for eggplant katsu curry that’s flavoured with seven vegetables and 10 different spices, as well as vegan tonkotsu, tantan black ramen and eggplant teriyaki don if you’re after plant-based dishes for your table.

Aalia has been in the spotlight recently: in August, its shapely interiors by GP2 Projects landed an international Restaurant & Bar Design Awards nomination, and the venue was ranked as Sydney’s seventh-best eatery in the Delicious 100. The acclaim for Aalia is understandable, especially as chef Paul Farag is cleverly drawing on Middle Eastern texts – some 1000 years old – to inspire his menu. Try the lamb neck shawarma served on the warm ruffles of saj bread, or sorrel leaves that you swerve through smoky buffalo yoghurt and sticky-sweet beetroot molasses. Don’t miss the eggplant mes ‘a’ aha, inspired by the chef’s Egyptian father. This spiced tomato and fried eggplant jackpot is a good match for the pide Farag bakes from khorasan, an ancient grain that originates from the Iranian region it’s named after.

Call (02) 9182 5880 for reservations.

With its one-of-a-kind wine selection and likeable Italian menu (those tapioca and asiago fritti sweetened with chestnut honey had us from the very start), Paski Vineria Popolare justified its keen following from the moment it opened late last year. The Avengers–style team-up of savvy Italian wine importers Giorgio de Maria and Mattia Dicati and 10 William St’s chef Enrico Tomelleri was always bound to be a winning combination, and the venue’s multipurpose nature – a bottle shop, wine bar and upstairs restaurant in one – suits the trio’s laidback yet discerning approach to hospitality. Now that awards season is here, it’s racking up the honours: it scored a #29 ranking in the Delicious 100 and a nomination as Wine Bar of the Year in Gourmet Traveller’s just-announced restaurant awards.

It’s apt that Beckett’s has a theatrical look, as the elegant sandstone venue is co-owned by playwright and director Wendy Beckett, and she commissioned her set designer, Halcyon Pratt, to work on the interiors. The moody lighting and plush curtains help add to the period glamour. The look might remind you of a mid-century New York bistro or yesteryear Parisian brasserie, but what’s clear-cut is this: Beckett’s style has entranced the judges of the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, as the venue has been recently shortlisted. The menu by Jeff Schroeter (Bistro Moncur, Bayswater Brasserie) reinforces the classic French feel, think wagyu rump with pommes dauphinoise and Perigeux sauce or escargots en cocotte (pastry-topped snails, rich with garlic butter). The restaurant also stages collaborations and special events, too – like the chef’s revival of dishes he once cooked for celebrities like Anna Wintour and Madonna.

Call (02) 9566 2167 for reservations.

If bottomless yum cha sounds like an ideal way to spend your Saturday afternoon, then Fei Jai is here for your har gau, xiao long bao and gow gee cravings. The menu selection isn’t just about dumplings and it’s not strictly traditional either: the lamb spring rolls are Fei Jai’s take on a Chinese meat pie, albeit with plum sauce. These dishes are also available at the restaurant beyond the yum cha timeframe, and for other leftfield offerings, try the banana fritters with dulce de leche or spring rolls flavoured with chocolate and strawberry.

If Bistro Rex conjures up thoughts of Paris, then the team’s new venture might send you in the direction of Rome (with a few detours). Enoteca Ponti has landed at the old Monopole site and is headed by Aldo Farroni (Shell House). The Italian chef is remixing spring rolls, too: his version is formed from lasagna and is served with fermented chilli aioli. Asian influences also appear in the mushroom tortelli with dashi broth, while the rigatoni all’Amatriciana is more of a direct-from-Italy creation. The Oscietra caviar mascarpone pizzetta and tuna noodles with neon-green wasabi definitely push the cuisine’s boundaries, though.

Call 0420 857 171 for reservations.

Banco opened quietly last year, with its understated neon sign – a line drawing of a bottle – pointing diners towards the 32-seat venue. Well, as quietly as its hip-hop soundtrack would allow. The latest venture for the crew from Corretto Dee Why offers low-intervention drops, accessible dishes and inspired cocktails – a noteworthy mix that’s steadily landed Banco on people’s radars. In 2022, it’s been highlighted by the NSW Sommelier’s Wine List Awards, been name-checked by Time Out as one of the city’s best new bars, and been internationally recognised for its design. Settle in for a mini lobster roll with miso butter, Tuscan bread smeared with Vegemite, breakfast-style Old Fashioned or glass of Delinquente vermentino piquette from the Riverland to see why Banco is making such an impression.