Efendy Meze Bar Balmain
Sharing is caring at Efendy Meze Bar, where communal plates of Turkish tapas are carefully crafted by Chef Somer Sivrioglu, and caringly consumed by eager epicureans. Upstairs from the award-wining Efendy Restaurant, Sivrioglu's meze bar responds to the growing market of groups of gourmet grazers and dining duos looking for high-class tapas at low-impact prices.
Size is not a concern when the bites are this rich in flavour, such as the sublimely tender pastirma, a spice-cured dried beef backstrap sitting subtly on a bed of hummus. The delicately marinated tavuk sis chicken skewers display Sivrioglu's passion for using authentic ingredients, complemented by a pleasantly surprising bed of semolina durum pilaf. Like the food, the mood is subdued and luxuriant, with half-lanterns spreading light from the yellow walls, themselves filled with Anatolian colours and paraphernalia. The spacious yet homely area is divided into several rooms each offering their own take on a casual dining atmosphere and providing a suitable grazing destination for intimate pairings, small clusters of conversation as well as for large groups gathering for a celebratory feast.
The Istanbul inspiration continues through seafood and salad selections with such plates as Kadayifli Karides; the sweet and tender meat of the king prawn cocooned by crispy spirals of the rice noodle-like Kadayif. This is complemented by the red pepper-rich muhammara dip. A side of Efendy Salata refreshes the taste buds with mixed textures of soft feta and dried figs dispersed amongst the crunch of rocket and walnuts.
The spirit of Turkey also flows through the drinks menu with Sydney's largest selection of the traditional Turkish spirit raki. Turkish beers and boutique wines are also on hand to complement Sivrioglu's ever-changing meze menu.
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