Adam Wolfers, of Yellow and Monopole fame, will bring Ételek back to Sydney next month for a three-month stint in Potts Point. Ételek is a culinary celebration of Wolfers’ Eastern European ties that’s travelled to Canberra and Melbourne in the past year, as well as appearing at Sydney restaurants Casoni and Bar Brosé. This time around Wolfers has spread his wings to tap into the Middle Eastern strains of his family traditions, developing a menu that pays homage to the eclectic flavours of his childhood.
Everything bagels with buttermilk cream cheese and dill
While the cuisines of Eastern Europe are significantly different from those in the Middle East, the chef says he’s been experimenting with the two for over a year now. As a result, the menu at Ételek seamlessly blends roasted cabbage and sour cream with dukkah, pistachios and flatbreads. In fact, Middle Eastern bread is a focus of this iteration of Ételek. You’ll taste it in the malawach, a Yemeni flatbread that comes laden with smoky cabbage skewers for a shawarma-like result. You’ll also see in it in the wattleseed pancake, which is Wolfers’ take on laffa bread seen across Israel. Accompanied by pickled fennel and a tahini sauce, the diverse inspirations behind the dish are hard to miss.
There are also a couple of old favourites that have made their way back to the menu. The signature lángos, a smoked and cultured curd served with a nutty dukkah, is there, as is the parsnip schnitzel, a crumbed beauty accompanied by hot sauce, pickled cucumber and labneh. While Wolfers is known for his vegetarian creations, he hasn’t forgotten about the carnivores out there. The new menu features a sirloin steak that comes with pickled kohlrabi and a brown butter sauce.
Marc Dempsey, Wolfers’ partner-in-crime, will again be taking charge of the wine list. Expect rich, textured whites and lighter and drier reds to bring out the flavours in the dishes. Dempsey also promises cocktails, beers and non-alcoholic drinks to suit every palate.
Grilled cabbage skewers, malawach and mustard
But the fun doesn’t stop there. The evening pop-up opens early on Sundays and on three chosen Sundays, Wolfers and Dempsey have something special planned. On 26 August, Gregory Llewellyn of Newtown venues Hartsyard and Wishbone will host a New York-style brunch, while in September Bar Rochford’s Nick Smith and Lucas Woods will team up with Wolfers and Dempsey to host a party, featuring a DJ, Ételek snacks and wines picked by Smith and Dempsey.
Ételek will be moving in to the site previously occupied by Gastro Park and The Antipodean, and Wolfers plans to revamp the monochrome, austere space with a more colourful palette featuring lots of pink.
Go soon and go back – the menu will change often, with other Ételek favourites such as the “meat and zaft” and gefilte fish making appearances.
Ételek, 25 July-13 Oct, Wed-Sat 5pm-midnight, Sun 2pm-midnight. 5-9 Roslyn St, Potts Point, NSW, 0409 844 518, etelek.com.au
