Crispy fish kebab at Emma’s Snack Bar – $13
Nobody describes the crispy fish kebab at Emma’s Snack Bar better than owner Anthony Sofy.
“It’s like a powerful explosion of flavour,” he tells Broadsheet. “The combination of crispy fish wrapped in a roll with a zingy, tangy fatoush, plus the crispy chill mix that we make … when you eat it you’ll know what I mean. It’s such a good combination. You’ll be shocked by the crunch and the spice.”
The eatery uses sustainable ling fried in batter, topped with mayonnaise and a toum base. Textural fatoush salad with crisp strips of pita, and a chilli-garlic mix finishes the kebab.
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SIGN UPSofy’s family are Enmore stalwarts.
“Over the last 50 years we grew up here, we were born and raised in the building. Emma’s used to be a corner store, then I opened the restaurant 21 years ago.”
When asked if he’s noticed Enmore becoming an inner-western pocket of cuisines from the Middle East and its surrounds, he says, “I’m surprised, happily surprised. It’s good stuff. The ones that are here – Cairo Takeaway, Faheem’s – they’re really good.”
Work-from-home lunch special at Little Turtle – $10.50
Little Turtle’s work-from-home special started in lockdown and has proven popular. Made up of an entree plus curry, noodles or stir-fry (you can add on a bao for an extra $4), it’s probably the best value meal on this list.
What’s on offer changes regularly, and when Broadsheet speaks to owner Vinita Chumsri she says her current pick harks back to her childhood.
“I love the puff sticks,” she says. “You get this burst of flavour with carrots and onions, the crispiness of the puff pastry. When I was little I loved cheese sticks, and when I went vegan I thought, ‘I have to recreate them.’”
For the bao, she favours the mushroom “pulled pork” made from enoki, shiitake, butter and oyster mushrooms, julienned and lightly fried in corn starch before being caramelised in maple syrup and soy.
For colder weather, she recommends the most popular curry at Little Turtle. “The grilled, caramelised eggplant panang curry is a favourite. Once a customer is hooked on panang, they’re hooked. We pound the curry paste fresh every morning, so it’s really fresh and tasty.”
Hawawshi at Cairo Takeaway – $15
The hawawshi from Cairo Takeaway is the ideal portable meal to eat sitting on a milk crate outside the busy corner eatery.
“Hawawshi is a really famous Egyptian dish,” owner Hesham El Masry says. “It’s an Egyptian bread, and we stuff it with lamb mince, onion, chilli. Then we bake [it] until the outside is crispy and cut it into four pieces.”
When asked what “hawawshi” means, Hesham pauses. “I think it means stuffed, but I have to ask my mum.”
He mentions his mum regularly during the interview and when asked about it he says, “Mum is my inspiration for opening the shop. All the dishes are the things I used to eat when she cooked for me when I was a young kid.”
Tandoori fish tikka at Faheem Fast Food – $16.50
Faheem Fast Food isn’t showy. Its two rooms are lit by long fluorescent tube lights, the seats are chrome with blue vinyl, the tables are a lighter shade of matching blue. The kitchen is open and the chefs move fast. It has all the charm and self-assuredness of an eatery that was on Enmore Road long before the strip became fashionable.
Although the chicken tikka, marinated in yoghurt and spices, is extremely popular, its fish tikka cousin is outstanding. Marinated in garlic, ginger and traditional spices, the fish is cooked in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven that gives the fish a smoky char.
Rocco sandwich at Saga – $15
Although co-owner Andy Bowdy’s strength is making innovative, elaborate pastries, his patisserie and cafe Saga Enmore also does a smashing lunch trade.
There are quick, savoury bites, such as the Dijon-mustard-laced ham-and-cheese snail and fresh focaccia with seasonal toppings. But the more substantial Rocco sandwich is one of the most popular dishes.
If sandwich fillings had a personality type, Rocco’s would be all Type A – but instead of competing, the elements work in harmony.
“There’s hot sopressa salami with a goat’s cheese spread, grilled capsicum and rosemary on a Brickfields ciabatta. We toast it and drizzle it with honey. The saltiness plus the honey – it works really well,” Bowdy tells Broadsheet.
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