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The Food Smith

Matt Holden

Happy in Hampton: Take home or eat in, The Food Smith has it covered.
Happy in Hampton: Take home or eat in, The Food Smith has it covered.Wayne Taylor/Getty Images

Contemporary$$

"Wordsmith" is an interesting, um, word. On my reading it denotes not a "writer", who wrestles with that slipperiest of human things, language, to create subtle psychological and emotional effects. It is not a journalist, who, when you boil it down, researches and reports on current goings-on in easily digestible formats. In fact, it is someone quite practical, who makes words do a job – like a blacksmith, who with a little bit of magic and a lot of fire and sweat, plus innumerable hammer blows, fashions something useful from shapeless lumps of iron.

There seems to be a similarly pragmatic approach at the Food Smith.

The windows of this food store, cafe and caterer are stacked with neat portions of edibles: one side to eat in, the other to take home.

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Killer: Pulled chicken, avocado and mango chutney sandwich.
Killer: Pulled chicken, avocado and mango chutney sandwich.Wayne Taylor/Getty Images

I was slightly disappointed on a recent visit to find that a fat, juicy-looking roasted veal cutlet with a crown of caramelised onion was on the take-home side (although as it turns out, the take-home food is available to eat in. I must have misunderstood). Also waiting for someone too busy to cook that night were potato gnocchi in napoli sauce with a scatter of basil leaves, family-sized beef and mushroom pies and juicy-looking portions of ossobuco.

On the eat-in side were chicken parmas, fat wedges of roasted vegetable frittata, quiches and tarts, single-serve pies, along with various salads of quinoa and kale and other on-trend ingredients.

Inside, a platoon of black-aproned staff bustle about in a big, open kitchen, While in the foodstore area another squad of black aprons takes orders at the counter, reheats quiches and serves those having brunch at tables in a narrow stretch of cafe seating.

Flourless mandarin and almond cakes, and Persian love cake.
Flourless mandarin and almond cakes, and Persian love cake.Wayne Taylor/Getty Images
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There's a brief menu to supplement the point-and-order things that name checks local suppliers such as Dr Marty's crumpets and Schulz milk, Dench bread, Five and Dime bagels and Dukes coffee.

Veal cutlet denied, I went for the "local tart" from the three-dish specials board, a little pastry shell with an eggy mix holding together some Mediterranean vegetables: nice and tasty, although slightly too hot in a just-zapped way.

A Moroccan harissa chicken pie was nice, the crenellated pastry case full of tender chunks of thigh meat and bright flecks of roasted capsicum. It was a bit light on the Moroccan, though – it could have used a bit more harissa bite and maybe some ras-el-hanout tang. Both are served with a leaf salad dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

Poached eggs on zucchini and mint fritters is a go-to dish.
Poached eggs on zucchini and mint fritters is a go-to dish.Wayne Taylor/Getty Images

There's a killer pulled chicken sandwich ("Our best seller," says head Food Smith Michelle Curtis), and some of the best eating-in is the weekend specials: maybe a dish of zucchini and mint fritters with poached egg and asparagus, or a breakfast pizza loaded up with chunks of spicy chorizo.

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One of those black aprons in the kitchen is wrapped around young pastry chef Ash Nicholson, who is working  hard to impress. The counter here is, yes, groaning under the weight of her baking: ginger kisses and raspberry yo-yos and salted caramel chocolate cookies. A slice of Persian love cake – moist, light and gently spicy – goes a treat with a Dukes blend espresso that's clean, smooth and just a little bit fruity; and a perfect fit here.

THE LOW-DOWN
Do… Come for the weekend breakfast specials
Don't… Forget to take something tasty home for dinner
Dish… Zucchini and mint fritters with poached egg and asparagus
Vibe… Smart bayside foodstore 

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