George St Deli brings American-style bagels to Redfern

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George St Deli opens in Redfern on Saturday, August 27, the start-up the work of mother-and-daughter team Bernadette Sheppard and Anna Berlyn. In many ways, it's a three-generation project.

When Bernadette's mother, Colleen, lived in New York City after World War II, a bagel and a lemonade at the famed Russ & Daughters was her lunchtime ritual. And so a family obsession with bagels was born.

"There's nothing like a hot toasted bagel packed with pastrami or salmon, and coupled with a home-made schmear [cream-cheese spread]" says Berlyn. "I feel like bagels are in our blood. Opening this shop would make my grandmother so proud."

Sheppard adds: "Sydney is definitely going through a sandwich obsession, and we feel like there's a lot of Italian delis around but there's a gap in the market for American-style delis selling traditional bagels and pretzels."

They're taking particular pride in their schmears, whipping together Philadelphia cream cheese, sour cream and lemon juice to make a smooth spread, to which they'll add other ingredients such as honey truffle or chives and freshly ground black pepper, which pairs beautifully with lox.

The menu line-up includes the Lox Classic bagel (smoked trout, cream cheese, red onion, capers and tomato), as well as pastrami and egg-and-potato salad. Want more? They're also serving house-made schmears and lemonade, pretzels and babka. It sounds a lot like New York.

Also opening on the deli circuit this week is MasterChef alum Jess Hodge's Small.Good. The pop-up is bringing in-store and take-home Australian smallgoods, sandwiches and snacks to Playfair St in The Rocks for the next three months.

Expect "roo-ben" sandwiches with wallaby pastrami, kangaroo katsu sandos, emu 'nduja, smoked barramundi croquettes and pepperberry stracciatella.

"We hope our Aussie favourites with Australian native ingredients will both remind diners of familiar tastes and surprise them," Hodge says.

​The venue is the first of several launching as part of the Playfair Takeover, a series of pop-ups opening in the precinct.

George St Deli, open Mon-Fri 7am-3pm; Sat-Sun 8am-2pm. 82 George Street, Redfern, georgestdeli.com.au

Small.Good, open Mon-Thu 11.30am-2.30pm lunch; Thu 5-8pm dinner; Fri-Sat 11.30am-10pm lunch and dinner; Sun 11.30am-5pm lunch. Shop 21 Playfair Street, The Rocks, small-good.com.au