Last year towards the end of Winter I rang Corner 75 to make a booking. Being that it was on a Saturday night, they were fully booked and it was with a sense of sadness that I realised that it would be another year until I could make another booking. You see I love the idea of eating these hearty Eastern European cuisines in Winter but come Summer, I’m all about salad.
I’m with my usual partners in crime, Miss America, Queen Viv and Mr NQN. We arrive on this chilly Winter’s evening and find a brightly lit and full restaurant. The clientele mostly appears to be Hungarian and it is decorated with lots of pretty Hungarian touches from embroidered aprons to whips. A candle holder that also holds salt, white pepper and paprika sits on the table. Pictures of the Hungarian Presidents line the walls to the bathrooms upstairs. Service from our waitress is sweet, friendly and knowledgeable.
Langos with sour cream $6.50
The entrees come out very quickly. I know Miss America will love this as he adores pastry. I recall having this at Manly markets a year or so ago and this deep fried dough is frightfully addictive. You know it’s deep fried dough after all and not exactly going to get you ready for swimsuit season but you just cannot help eating more. We dip it in the strong raw garlic sauce and then spread sour cream over it for a crunchy, oily, garlicky and creamy sensation. Bliss.
Cold Cherry Soup $9.50
Queen Viv tries the cold cherry soup. “Oh it’s wonderful” she says “Just the right balance of flavours”. I try some and she’s right. It’s a sweet, milky soup made creamy with sour cream and given aromatics with cinnamon. There are also whole sour cherries at the bottom and it’s delightfully good.
Hortobágyi Crepe $9.50
The Hortobágyi crepe aka the bite sized goulash is filled with soft and tender veal goulash and smothered in a paprika sauce. It’s delicious with the soft meat and we adore the sauce which we take to dipping the Langos in.
Paprika Chicken $21
Just as our entrees are cleared, our mains arrive-food is fast to come out here! This was a dish that the waitress recommended and looks to be the same sauce as with the Hortobágyi crepe. The chicken is very soft and delicious and falls off the bone. Sod etiquette, I pick up the pieces and suck them clean pleasurably. It’s served with some plain pasta noodles.
Crispy Duckling with cherry sauce $30
B.B. (Before blog) we had dined at a restaurant where we had ordered a half duckling and ours eyes widened at the sight of this huge half duckling but the meat was impossible to get off so it was a frustrating experience. Not here though as the meat is easily removed, almost like a confit of duck with a slightly crispy outer. The red cabbage is sweet and fantastic and we have this with the thick sour cherry sauce which complements it perfectly.
Gipsy Roast $21.50
The gipsy roast is gorgeous. Like a schnitzel they are breaded pieces of roast pork served with divine garlic potatoes, that red cabbage that we can’t get enough of and smothered in a rich sauce. It comes with a piece of crunchy, slightly tough crackling.
Fresh cucumber salad $6.50
The fresh cucumber salad is lovely and reminds me of the one that my mother makes although this is spiced with paprika.
Hungarian Pickled peppers $6.50
We are fascinated by the glossy pickles that look like pale yellow wax pumpkins and Mr NQN is the first to spear one. It’s a Hungarian sweet pepper stuffed with sauerkraut. It’s spicy, slightly sweet and quite addictive.
Chestnut Puree $8.50
We look around and most of the other diners have disappeared at this early hour so we get on with ordering dessert. We start with the lightly rum flavoured chestnut puree which comes out in squiggly ribbons of goodness with a generous amount of whipped cream. It’s rich and it’s decadent and it doesn’t stop us from finishing it all quickly.
Cherry Strudel $9.50
The pastry on his strudel is fabulous-nutty and buttery I could just have a big plate of the pastry thankyouverymuch. The sour cherry filling is plentiful and generously portioned and we order it with a scoop of ice cream.
Gundel Pancake $8.50
I had been wanting to try the Gundel pancake ever since I heard about the walnut cream paste stuffed pancake with chocolate sauce “Beautiful” Mr NQN says nodding. What the? He’s not in the habit of using such effusive adjectives and “It’s not bad” is his highest praise. I’m intrigued, there is a soft walnut filling, very finely blitzed we’d imagine with sultanas and a light splash of alcohol. And a rich chocolate sauce ladled on top. Oh yes it is beautiful.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like to eat warming food in Winter and cooling food in Summer or is that not an issue for you?
Corner 75
75 Frenchmans Road, Randwick, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9399 5712
Open Tuesday-Sunday from 5:30pm
Parking at rear
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65 Comments | Add your own
I would love to try this restaurant! I had fantastic meals in Hungary, so would be keen to try this place out. After years in Australia I still tend to cook casseroles in January and eat salads in July…
Please, can I have a quart of that cherry soup delivered??? Ok NYC may be a little far away but… it sounded great Lorraine! I was also taken by that pork gypsy roast… sounded awesome.
YUM The look of that cherry soup has me intrigued, and ahhh strudel. I love me some strudel!
Oooohh yum. I think like everyone I lean to the comfort food in winter and the summer fruits and lighter fare in summer. That being said, I’ve never knocked back a curry in summer or an ice cream in winter, so some foods transcend the weather.
Ahh memories of Prague here!
This is perfect! We have Hungarian friends, and we’ll have to make a point of going there with them – until now, I never knew this place even existed. I have discovered so many new places to eat through NQN – thanks Lorraine!
What a wonderful restaurant! I am all about comfort food in Winter!!
LANGOS!!!
Yessss another restaurant to add to the list of places we must visit when in Sydney.
Unfortch, there aren’t many Hungarian restaurants in our fair Melbourne and I must admit I haven’t made the effort to try out the few that are remaining.
Love all the desserts – crepes are my fave, or Dobos Torte of course. And the pickles are awesome too. Its barely 8am and I’m already starving!
Yes definitely prefer warmer more carb based meals in winter, and lighter frsh salads and seafood in summer.
Ooohh. We have just returned from a trip to Eastern Europe and we ate a lot of these fabulous dishes in Budapest. Hungarian flavours are very distinctive and yummy but I heartily agree that they are definitely not summer eating fare!
I can have a good curry anytime regardless of season!
I’m glad you used your hands to pick up the bones. As a chef I find it frustrating to go to all the effort to cook something on the bone- which can be harder to cook correctly- only to see the best bits being scrapped into the bin!
I love hot food year round, if my food is not hot(I don’t mean spicey), I feel like I am eating food that needs to be warmed up. When you eat hot food in the summer it make you cool off. When you eat it in the winter it warms you up all over. Another thing, I just love you site. I look forward to it everyday, it is like going on a trip when I read about the different places you are going. Thank you very much Cheryl Junkins
I am so glad you did a piece on Corner 75! My husband (being Hungarian) and I absolutely love this place – it’s fantastic and perfect for a cold winter night
Some of my favorites for winter were featured here – thank you, Lorraine
As for the paprika chicken (the version that’s passed around my circle is chicken paprikash – the sauce is a sour cream base and the noodles are actually wee dumplings called spatzle)it’s definitely time to suspend propriety. Wonderful flavor, excellent aroma and incredibly filling. Long walks are in order to burn that one off if you have it with cream sauce!
Love the blog and thank you for another bit of insight to dining in your part of the world! When I can travel, I’ll know exactly where to eat
Oh gosh…you guys really know how to order well! cold cherry soup? I’ve heard of it, but this is the first time I’m seeing it in pictures. I wish I could taste it!
I do like to be seasonal but sometimes winter food just gets a bit heavy for me. So I’ll crank the heat up to 25C in the house and have salad and icecream whilst wearing a singlet to feel like my beloved summer is back again!
Oh, I’m salivating…everything looks and sounds so delicious. I’m definitely one for seasonal food – crisp, tasty salads and tropical fruits and yoghurts in summer; roasts, soups and warming stews in winter. Oh, and it wouldn’t be summer without barbecued seafood and alfresco dining; while food before a log fire in winter always tastes so much better.
That cherry strudel looks so yummy! I would love to take a bite from it right now.
Oh the desserts…….:-)
Love the sound of the sour cherry soup…..
I haven’t really thought much about Hungarian food, but this looks great.
That cherry soup looks divine. Do you know if it’s made with sour cherries or sweet? Or maybe a combo? I have cherries in my freezer from this spring that I might have to try in a soup like that.
Such cravings for a cherry strudel will make for a long working week!
Love this post, everything looks so delicious!
I can eat heart warming stodge all year round. Good to hear you went in fingers first with your food. I live this stuff. Gotta get me one of those frilly aprons!
I’m a massive fan of seasonal food. It’s the reason I never made my buche de noel in summer! That chestnut cream arrangement looks fantastique! In fact all the desserts look fabulous.
Hi guys… am a recent subscriber to your blog and WOW! absolutely beautiful layout, info terrific, but the photos ‘take the cake’.
Congrats…
DG
I totally agree. I crave hearty stews and chilli and curries in the winter and then summer I’m all about fresh salads and fruit and grilled things. We had only salad for dinner on Friday and I felt so odd and unsatisfied by it, even though it was a regular occurrence just a few months ago!
Looks like good honest tasty food. I prefer hot meals in winter & warm light meals in summer, I like salad but as an accompaniment.
I lived in Randwick back in the mid-90s (doesn’t that sound terribly ageing?). I so wish that I was interested in food (and had the cash to indulge) back then after seeing all the places you sample!
I feel the same way about seasonal eating. I sometimes crank down the temperature because I’m in the mood for hearty and warm food.
Great Post!
That place looks so good, all of the food looks yummy too, the strudel and the pancakes the most!
Yum, I love langos. It’s so addictive.
The Cherry Strudel sounds fantastic too, I’m usually disappointed with bad apple strudels but your description of the sourness of the cherries sounds delish.
OMG, my favourite part of a mont blanc, straight-up on the plate! Heaven!
Hmm… mostly I prefer “cooling” foods in Summer, but one hot food I won’t give up is hot oatmeal in the morning, regardless of the temperature
OMG…wud love to slurp that cold cherry soup. N tat strudel is just to die for.
Warm foods in winter, cold food in summer??? isn’t it meant 2 be tat way, but then I wud nt mind a big waffle with lime n lychee gelato on a coldnite or rather a spicy curry on a scorching day…only if it is worth it.
Call me strange but I like the look of the chestnut puree! As an ingenue to the world of food, I remember getting a can of chestnut puree in a staff Christmas hamper one year and not knowing what to do with it. (I think we threw it out) Many years later, we were looking for a dessert to make for our egg allergy friends and came up with a recipe which combined pumpkin puree with chestnut puree piped into a shortcrust pastry tartlet, topped with a swirl of cream and sprinkled with a dusting of chocolate flakes – will have to make it again now!
Mmmm, langos really is fantastic. I’m used to rubbing a cut clove of garlic on it before topping up with plenty of sour cream!
I’ve always eaten csirke paprikash, like Stacey said, with a creamy sauce. My dad is Hungarian and uses thickened cream in the base, but it essentially has the same flavour as the Corner 75 version. I’ve always know the ‘pasta’ as nokedli but I’m definitely no expert!!
Well that looks NOTHING like the slop that MPS’s mother used to serve.
And she was all ‘real Hungarian, Keeeeeeleeeee, you must feed him good food’
And I am thinking ‘tinned peas mixed with flour and old grisly meat ain’t my idea of good food woman’
this is the kind of food that’ll warm up your body and spirit! that cherry soup looks AMAZING, second only to the cherry strudel. good eats.
I’m with you on summer food vs. winter food. But this difference is also hightened by what type of kitchen I’m in. atm we have a teeny-tiny kitchen you couldn’t even sneeze in with no ventilation; it’s so hot in there in summer I can’t even make poached eggs!
I love comfort food in winter!
Langos! Oh I love discovering new ways of eating carbs and deep frying it and slathering it in garlic sauce and sour cream sounds alright by me!
Italians are very adamant about what to eat in summer and winter and just happened to write about that, seriously. Me? I will eat anything whenever ,as long as it is good. It looks like a delic meal!
I want to try the Langos… that’s my sort of pastry! The cherry soup looks so pretty it could be a dessert. I also love the pastry on cherry strudel… yum!
Yummm langos bread *drool* the only time we get to have it here on the Gold Coast is when the food festivals are on. We order it with lashing of sour cream and cheese and then after we get a cinnamon one. I wish we had a Hungarian restaurant here!
Being of Hungarian descent it’s always a joy to see my people’s food well represented. I’m drooling due to every picture.
My other Hungarian friends of mine compete with our family’s chicken paprikash recipe. I typically win because my father’s recipes start, “First you steal a chicken…”
Hi! Firstly I would like to say how much I enjoy reading your blog. Your reviews are always so detailed, cleverly written & full of wit. I often find myself chuckling at the humorous way you describe things and situations (quite a feat mind you, as often I am drooling
like crazy at the same time) ! Anyway, I live quite close to Corner 75 and absolutely love their food, although like yourself, only during Winter ( or the occasional freakishly cold Summer evening).
That Chestnut puree looks reaaaaaaalllllly good!
I love euro food so this one is on the list!!!
Loving the cold cherry soup and the paprika chicken, great place, i also prefer salads in the summer and steamy bowls of soup in the winter, lovely pics
sweetlife
Wow, everything looks so yummie, would love to have a bite of everything…and a spoonful of the cherry soup…great pictures!
I’m quite certain I’ve never been to a Hungarian restaurant, Lorraine, so I’m so glad you took me along.
The langos looks divine. (And the candlestick salt, pepper and paprika holder is a cute idea.)
I loved the look of the cherry soup; the duck had me drooling but the gundel pretty well did me in. YUM.
Hungarian food looks fantastic – my only experience with it is goulash! I love how they’ve got paprika on the table.
This is right around the corner from where I live.
We used to go there all the time because the food was great, but the service was shocking!
We realised that they’d seat all the Hungarians on one side of the room and the rest of us on the other and pay special attention to the other side!
After that, the food started to get worse and if that wasn’t enough to put me off, the cockroaches scurrying up and down the walls were.
Seems like they may have stepped up their game, though as it looks like you had a nice time!
I always think the season is pretty much irrelevant when it comes to enjoying good food. I’m one of those people who can easily justify eating ice cream in either summer (“It cools you down”) or winter (“It doesn’t melt so fast!”)
I had no idea about this place! I’m definitely going to check it out.
Btw, the plain pasta noodles with the goulash are called nokedli and are made by pushing thick dough through a pan that has been drilled with holes into hot boiling water. My mother makes them beautifully. I’ll borrow her pan and make them for you one day
Lovely, sound like my type of food. Being of Croatian descent, and they were part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, our cuisine is very similar (the flatlands and mountainous parts of Croatia) I make Langos (we call it Lepinya) for my girls every Sunday morning for breakfast. I love your blog and your passion for food, the interesting and engaging ways you write about enjoying it and the way you share it with all of us. Beautiful
I’ve never tried Hungarian food, it looks delicious, particularly the duck. I thought the chestnut puree was spaghetti at first glance
I definitely prefer warming foods in winter although I can quite happily eat a nice salad all year round other than on really cold days.
I often drive past it and wonder what the food is like. Thanks for your review
The chestnut puree reminded me of the Mont Blanc I had at Angelina’s in Paris, though I’m sure it wouldn’t compare…
I live around the corner (or three) from this place and I’ve never been tempted. I like hearty food in winter but this stuff is more than rib sticking – it’s too rich for me!
Same with classic French food, I feel like my liver is turning into fois gras and it’s not pleasant ; )
Actually, can do Heart of Europe, fab Eastern European bakery and cafe on Bronte rd – give it a whirl NQN!
I have been wanting to go to this place of years. I drive past it occasionally and always think I must got there next winter.
Thanks for an inside look at it and one day I will get there.
This all looks like such hearty fare. Unfortunately over here in Northern Ireland we have a ridiculous climate that can flit between storms & pounding rain to glorious sunshine seemingly at any time of the year so I don’t tend to have seasonal based food.
I do tend to have a lot more soup in the autumn & winter months but ‘summer’ days with low temperatures can inspire me to bring out my trusted potato & leek soup recipe too!
Reading your post I felt like a young girl in my grandmother’s kitchen. I could almost smell and taste her cooking. My grandmother is German and this rich and creamy food is what I have grown up with. I do my best to replicate my grandmother’s cooking, but as I always say, mine never tastes the same as the food cooked in her pots. I will have to look this restaurant up next time I’m up in Sydney.
Hello!
I’m Hungarian. I really enjoy this articel.
Cherry soup is very easy to make. You could make it with any kind of fruit.
Also the langos. I will post the recipes on my blog.
The fresh cucumber salad is even better with little bit sour cream.
I don’t know this place, but the Hortobágyi crepe is originally stuffed with paprika chicken. Not goulash, because goulash here is a very rich soup.
I know the broccoli is just decoration but for me a bit weird with the paprika chiken.
But everything look the same as in Hungary.
Oh yum!! All the food looks amazing!! I seriously need to put this on my list of places to eat at… maybe I can ask my parents to take me here for my birthday in a couple of weeks!!
I love eating hot food in Winter to warm me up…but really – I eat whatever I feel like, whatever season it is! Except soup…that’s a winter food for me.
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