Restaurant Reviews

Efendy: Restaurant review

Address

79 Elliott St
Balmain, Sydney, NSW

Hours

Breakfast Sat-Sun 9am-2pm
Lunch Sat-Sun noon-3pm
Dinner Wed-Sun 5pm-10pm

Prices

E $12-$18
M $21-$45
D $15
Tasting menu $68

REVIEW

A fragrant half-shoulder of lamb is brought to your table by a smiling waiter, the interior hums with instrumental Levantine music and your bill arrives in a 1980s Turkish comic book. Efendy does Turkish well, and it gets the details right. The menu starts with hot and cold meze: pastirma and hummus speckled with pomegranate seeds, say, or fat king prawns wrapped in crisp kadayif pastry atop a spicy capsicum dip. Tableside theatrics come from the charcoal grill - a blackened eggplant arrives whole, then is halved at your table, covered with olive oil and topped with a trio of cheeses. The fall-apart lamb is another attention-seeker - it's slow-cooked in a tandir oven and paired with grilled cabbage and a vibrant ajvar relish. The restaurant's lively energy is well conveyed by the animated waitstaff, who explain local dishes and the drinks list (teeming with Turkish wine and raki) with plenty of enthusiasm. Efendy is a keeper.
Phone:
(02) 9810 5466
Bookings:
Bookings recommended
Features:
  • Licensed
  • Bar
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Outdoor dining
  • Private room
  • Breakfast
  • Impressive Wine List
Accepted card types:
  • American Express
  • Eftpos
  • MasterCard
  • Visa
Chef(s):
Somer Sivrioğlu
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide's reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.