A sweep of the Kürtősh chimneys

Posted by Hendy

Sweeping through Crown Street, Surry Hills in search of afternoon tea one day, I discovered the rustic charms of Kürtősh house.

Short for kürtőskalác; a kürtősh is chimney-like baked pastry originating from Hungary, hollow and coated on the outside with delectable coatings, from crushed pistachios and almonds to coconut and cinnamon sugar.

Interior of Kürtősh, Crown Street, Surry Hills

The Surry Hills store is one of four for the Kürtősh brand (their original store in Randwick was followed by Surry Hills, Crows Nest and now Darlinghurst).

Kürtőskalác oven (right) and trays filled with toppings

The bakery front half of the Surry Hills store is filled with equipment used to prepare the kürtőskalács, decorated with an eastern European touch including some striking blue and white tiles behind the intriguing upright oven used to bake the pastries.

Dough stretched onto the roller before baking

The hollow, chimney-like characteristic of the kürtőskalács comes from the way the pastry is prepared.

The base dough is kneaded and stretched before being swirled onto a special roller and coated with a layer of oil and sugar to help develop the crisp outer crust. Toppings are added to the surface once the dough has been completely wrapped around the roller.

Selection of kürtőskalács on offer

Kürtősh's different varieties of kürtőskalács are on display behind the bakery window and each pastry is purchased whole for consumption, ideally with tea or coffee.

There are six varieties to choose from, each designed to give the kürtőskalác a different texture and taste; ranging from a simple cinnamon sugar coating to flaked coconut, chocolate, and crushed pistachio, hazelnut or almond.

Kürtőskalác pieces for sampling

The store is generous with pieces of bite-size kürtőskalács on sample atop the cabinets to allow for tasting and gauging of the various  toppings.

Cinnamon sugar coated kürtőskalác

Having sampled a few, we settled on the cinnamon sugar and the pistachio nut coated kürtőskalács.

The cinnamon sugar kürtőskalác looked a lot like a thin, hollow and elongated cinnamon donut, with a golden, crispy crust dusted evenly with cinnamon sugar.

Cinnamon sugar coated kürtőskalác

Sweet, though not nearly as sweet as a donut, there was also a hint of rum flavouring to the pastry. The texture was nicely crusted on the outside and quite soft on the inside.

Breaking up the kürtőskalác was an easy task of basically un-swirling the dough from its baked form; a task delightfully shared by all of us around the table.

Pistachio coated kürtőskalác

The pistachio kürtőskalác was a lot more colourful with the bright green crushed nuts on the surface of the same base pastry, and was a little more difficult to break into pieces.

Pistachio coated kürtőskalác piece

The roasted pistachio nuts were a nice complement to the pastry which on the whole was slightly sweeter than the cinnamon kürtőskalác.

Latte

Kürtősh also serves the full set of coffee varieties and tea, to complement all the pastries and cakes.

Early grey tea served in a traditional pot with a kürtősh coaster

I loved the traditional tea pot in which the tea was served in and, if you request milk, it arrives in a cute little glass milk bottle.

Ricotta cheese pocket

While the kürtőskalács are the signature feature, Kürtősh house also offers a large range of other cakes and pastries, sold by weight.

The ricotta cheese pocket was quite delicate; only slightly sweet with spurts of rum, raisins, almond and the saltiness from the ricotta.

Traditional baked cheesecake

We also ordered the baked cheesecake, which is cut to your desired size and charged by weight. The simple flavours of the traditional cheesecake, with hints of vanilla and caramel in its crusty outer layer, were pure luxurious comfort.

Selection of pastries on offer

Service was excellent with the friendly staff assisting with any queries or curiosities you may have on the chimney pastries and their extensive set of cakes and pastries.

Coffee machine

The Kürtősh experience is relatively new but after a quick and thorough sweep through the menu - kürtőskalács, cakes and coffee - it's a confirmed winner for afternoon tea sessions in Surry Hills, and probably morning tea, brunch and dessert sessions too.

In the lap of Luxe

Some Sunday mornings, the head needs a little more love and care than usual. By head, I mean the throbbing, make-up streaked, nauseous, heavy thing that sits on one’s neck after a large night out on the alcoholic beverages. Responsibility only seems to last three out of four weeks at most.

If one is hungover and in the vicinity of Newtown, conveniently down the road from Marly Bar are a couple of great breakfast/brunch/lunch options. We sheepishly grab a table near the sun-filled window one Sunday (let’s be honest) afternoon for an array of brekky, lunch, sweets and just coffee for some.

Cappuccino from Luxe Bakery

The coffees are good, strong and just the thing to wake some up; although the sunshine and quiet murmur of noise (rather than rowdy and packed) also ease the pain. While there are groups and families with kids, there are also many people on their own, just flicking through magazines and newspapers by themselves on the communal tables while munching on a fresh pastry or sipping coffees.

Chocolate croissant

As for the pastries, aside from the shelves laden with an impressive variety of sourdough and other flavoured breads, there are muffins, biscuits, cakes and slices. And a flaky, golden skinned chocolate croissant which one of our crew can’t resist. Delightful with coffee, I’m assured, as she disperses crumbs and flakes all over the table top.

Eggs with sourdough, potato hash, baked mushrooms and avocado

Breakfast for one comes in the form of eggs with sides of choice and huge rafts of toasted sourdough bread. Here there was couple of eggs poached to perfection, a golden potato hash brown, dark baked mushrooms, garnished with a giant sprig of rocket. A big, mostly healthy breakfast with a bit of very necessary greasiness in the potato post night before.

Alternative angle - see the mushrooms

For me, it’s closer to lunch and I have yet to overcome my adoration for a humble mezze or antipasti plate. At Luxe it arrives with a generous pile of warm Turkish bread logs on a separate plate – so much that I was able to doggy-bag some for home.

Mezze plate

Of the cured meats, I prefer the prosciutto, cut thin to a near translucent state, with the supremely tasty, melt-in-mouth but probably-not-very-good-for-you strips of white fatty parts. The salami is also moreish, not too salty nor spicy, and wolfed down with plenty of the impossibly soft and fluffy Turkish bread.

The vegetables are a definite high point: the grilled eggplant divinely soft and exuberant with olive oil. The collection of all-sized green and black olives is fun (I liked the big green ones), the pickled gherkin appropriately sour, and their own pickled onion a delicious revelation. There’s also a subtle chunk of a goat’s cheese curd hidden within the vegetables; all sprightly white with tangy flavour.

Even with a constant stream of customers, we could linger and chat without feeling guilty. There's such comfort to be had in the warm, welcoming lap of Luxe Bakery, that I’m actually looking forward to the next weekend morning that I’ll require a bit of comforting.

P.S. The Crave Sydney International Food Festival Night Noodle Markets starts tonight – and going by the looks of the slightly different setup this year, it’s a bigger production. Hopefully this means more seating – I hope the weather starts clearing up in time for a good two weeks.