The cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @ Not Quite Nigella

Category Archives: Jewish & Kosher

Shenkin, Erskineville

Israeli food? Now that’s something of a missing cuisine here in Sydney insofar as restaurants or cafes go. Shenkin is a family business with five brothers, two of whom work here and one brother who owns the Max Brenner franchise (yes the Max Brenner franchise). As befits a family business their father bakes all of the cakes and pastries himself and the breads are home made too. One of the brothers tells us that their grandparents owns a bakery in Israel that is still operating now under the helm of their grandmother now that their grandfather has passed. And as for the name? Shenkin is named after the famous Shenkin Street in Tel Aviv and a photograph of it sits in prime position above the pastry display.

Making siphon coffee

A picture of Shenkin Street above the pastries

Given a renovation merely a week ago I was put onto it by the lovely @InnerWestMumma. The space is airy and welcoming and there is a window that opens up to the street so that patrons can order coffee from outside which also acts to open up the room and give it a breeziness on this hot, stifling Sydney weekend. There are also two other sections in the back and on in the side on the outside where diners can sit.

While we are waiting for our food I find myself lured to the pastry display (what’s new right?) and a friendly voice asks if I need any help. Service here is uniformly friendly and warm and there’s not a single snippy one in the bunch. The waitress talks me through all of the cakes but I think I have my heart set on the Napoleon. I am a vanilla slice freak from young and this one looks heavenly. “I’ll be back for you later!” I whisper to it under my breath giving it a sidelong glance.

Lemon and mint frappe $5.50

When we sat down one of the brothers (who later introduces himself as Din) asks us what we would like to order to drink. “Something refreshing? Do you want me to choose?” he asks and we nod. He ends up bringing the two drinks we had our eye on on the menu. The lemon and mint frappe is refreshingly sweet and tart with the freshness of mint and a scoop of lemon sorbet. Like an icey cold lemonade but better.

Pina Colada frappe $5.50

The alcohol free Pina Colada frappe is gorgeous with a perfect blend of coconut and little pieces of pineapple and is refreshingly tropical. Both drinks are perfect for this sweltering Sydney day.

Shakshuka $14.50 with labne $2.50

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68 comments | January 24th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella

Glick’s cakes & bagels at Bondi

$Glick\'s at Bondi$

When I was growing up, my best friend lived at Bondi Beach so I know all about the fantastic Jewish delis and the Paris cake shop (the place to go for cakes way back then and probably still is). I have an affinity for Jewish food, I am not sure why but perhaps it’s because her mum was so lovely to me that I felt like I was part of the family. Glick’s, founded by Mendel Glick, operating since the 1960s in Melbourne turns out some of the best real bagels (filled or unfilled), as well as an assortment of cakes, pizza, ready made foods and pastries. Reportedly turning out about 70,000 boiled bagels a week, it was a business built on the humble bread. Mendel Glick is in his 80s but still works at his business 6 days a week. I’ve made real boiled bagels before and they were absolutely the real deal – there is no comparison to a real boiled bagel to the bagel imposters out there, you know the ones I mean, that are merely round rolls with a hole in the centre.

$Glick\'s at Bondi Cheese Danish$

Walking through the plastic PVC strip panels in the entranceway we see that on the right there is a display of various types of biscuits which you help yourself to with the tongs and pay per weight. I came in merely to perv and buy a bagel today but am lured by the selection of Jewish food on offer. Your Honour, I didn’t mean to purchase but if you show me Gefilte fish, cheese blintzes and salmon patties you know I’m going to have to buy some. Indeed my husband who thinks I have just popped in to buy a couple of bagels simply rolls his eyes. I choose a few things and they pack them up for me. Things are ludicrously cheap with bagels at 90c-$1 each, gefilte fish patties for $1.60 up to a massive cabbage roll for the princely sum of $5.

$Glick\'s at Bondi Salmon Patty$