Shenkin Kitchen: Middle East in the Inner West

Posted by Kath

Rainy weekends give me a perfectly acceptable reason to hole up in a café, like Israeli-accented Shenkin Kitchen in Enmore, and enjoy breakfast and a coffee without feeling the need to rush off and make the most of my weekend.

Ladder suspended from roof and sign at Shenkin Kitchen, Enmore Road, Enmore

And who's to say I'm not making the most of it at Shenkin Kitchen, where an Israeli breakfast transports me beyond the usual café offerings and to the Middle East, via a quirky, welcoming little neighbourhood café.

Piccolo latte

The weekend starts with Shenkin's genuine passion for coffee, what with a window display full of Mecca's "Dark Horse" coffee bean packs.

My piccolo latte was strong but not bitter with a lovely, smooth finish; so enjoyable that I was tempted to order a second if it wouldn't have me bouncing off the walls.

Israeli Big Breakfast - Pita bread, smoked salmon, avocado, eggs,
 labna, cucumber, tomato and parsley salad

Shenkin Kitchen is passionate about showing Sydney-siders what Israeli flavours are all about, and what better place to start than the Israeli Big Breakfast.

This was a generous breakfast offering two of soft poached eggs, smoked salmon, half an avocado, labna yoghurt cheese sprinkled with za'atar, and a fresh and zesty salad of diced cucumber, tomato and parsley.

Pita bread

Healthy, fresh and soul-awakening, the big breakfast wouldn't have been complete without fluffy, oven mitt-like pita bread rounds, baked fresh in-house, to cradle and mop up every morsel on the board.

Ziva - puff pastry filled with mozzarella and olives with sides of pickles. spicy coriander, hummus and grated tomato

I couldn't go past the mysteriously named 'Ziva' option; basically a smorgasbord of Israeli delights served on a wooden plank. The flaky, sesame seed-topped puff pastry was crowned with a boiled egg and opened up to oozy mozzarella cheese goodness.

More olives would have been nice for more contrast as the buttery pastry and cheese were a little rich and heavy after a few bites. But the fresh, punchy sides really lifted the dish: the hummus was smooth and nutty with a good garlic hit; the tomato salad was fresh and seasoned spectacularly; the pickles helped cut through the heaviness of the pastry; while the spicy coriander sauce brought a unique touch to breakfast.

For a heart-warming breakfast that may well have you craving hummus for many meals to come, Shenkin Kitchen is a little corner of the Middle East in Sydney's Inner West.