Koulouri, tsoureki and other traditional delicacies get a twist or two in this inner west cafe.
Koul Cafe trades in koulouri: a Greek pastry ring that resembles simit and bagels. Owner Kosta Giannakaros tried his first one at 11, at a cinema in Thessaloniki in Greece, where it was sold like popcorn.
As a child from the nearby island of Lemnos, this was a big deal: his family stockpiled koulouri and gave them to kids back in the village. Each bite of the seed-crusted pastry would leave trails of evidence.
“When you eat the koulouri, you get sesame all over you,” he says. “Someone will find some sesame for sure.”
That seed trail has followed him throughout his life, particularly when the Marrickville-born restaurateur visits Greece.
“The first thing you see when the airplane lands in Athens is koulouri,” he says. For Greek people, “it’s like the croissant for the French”.
At Koul Cafe, this sesame-studded snack is all over the menu. Baked in-house by Matteo Giordani, koulouri appears as croutons in the Greek salad.
In the pastry counter, you’ll find endless versions: plain, flavoured with three cheeses and za’atar, breakfast-style with bacon or sweetened with apple-pie filling.
Koulouri is also the foundation of Politiki eggs, accompanied by creamy Greek yoghurt and haloumi curd, toasted pine nuts and sprinkled chilli flakes.
The dish gets its name from Greek movie Politiki Kouzina and pays tribute to Istanbul.
Turkish cuisine features a similar dish called cilbir, where eggs are served with yoghurt and chilli, so this acknowledgment is a nice move.
The many border changes and overlapping histories in this part of the world are reflected in something Giannakaros calls “scrambled eggs, the Greek way”.
Listed on the menu as kayana, it has a sweet tomato punch – thanks to the swirl of confit cherry tomatoes and braised tomatoes.
This Greek staple is also known as strapatsada (from the Italian word for “to scramble” – a reminder that Venetians once ruled the Ionian Islands).
It’s also recognised as menemeni, as it resembles Turkey’s tomato-egg dish called menemen. “It’s all this mixed together,” says Giannakaros of the food mingling between countries in the region.
This recognition of how Greek cuisine can evolve and morph, while also keeping its culinary traditions, is what makes Koul Cafe so inviting.
Giannakaros proudly showcases Greek food in a way that feels true to him, so spices and other ingredients (Kalamata olives for salads, kasseri for the heavy-duty cheese steak) are sourced from the country.
But chef Panagiotis Lefkimmiatis is allowed to reimagine staples, too: spanakopita is remixed as an ultra-refreshing salad with crumbled feta and filo pastry shards.
French toast is presented with tsoureki, a sweet yeasted bread that tastes like a doughnut that’s billowed into a pillowy mattress.
Tsoureki is also known as Greek Easter bread but we’re lucky to enjoy it all year round at Koul Cafe, where it’s lavished with mascarpone, whipped lemon and tart dollops of sour cherry jam.
Want fried eggs? Enjoy them with a salty feta sauce drizzled over twice-cooked golden potatoes and Greek sausage.
If you’re vegetarian, you can request this without meat, or opt for the other plant-based options, such as the traditional briam (vegetable bake), something Giannakaros knows well. “Briam again?” he’d ask in horror as a kid.
As an adult, it’s something he happily showcases on his menu, just like the koulouri that left seedy evidence wherever he went.
The low-down
Vibe: A cafe that highlights Greek cuisine in a part of Sydney that was officially renamed Little Greece last year.
Go-to dish: French toast turned Greek with sprinkled cinnamon, whipped lemon, mascarpone, cream cheese and sour cherry preserve. The star is the tsoureki, which feels like a doughnut that’s stretched out into a thick, sweet bread that could cushion a human fall.
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