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Friday, June 24, 2016

Marrickville Food Tour: Open Marrickville and Community Kouzina

Eleni Christou, author of the Community Kouzina project, leading our Marrickville Food Tour

Fifteen kitchens in Marrickville. Fifteen kitchens in Kos, a small island in Greece. Eleni Christou came up with the idea of Community Kouzina Project, a means of insight into what, how and why different people cook the way they do. Eleni, who has a Masters in Applied Anthropology, visited the homes of friends and strangers in Marrickville and Kos, backed by a grant from Marrickville Council to promote international goodwill and cultural understanding with its sister cities.

The stories she unravelled are currently on display at the Chrissie Cotter Gallery as part of Open Marrickville, a ten-day annual festival celebrating Marrickville's multiculturalism. Born in Cyrpus and emigrating to Australia at age 10, Eleni is a Marrickville local who is a keen supporter of its community businesses.

Last weekend she hosted a free walking tour as part of Open Marrickville, showcasing her favourite places in Marrickville. We were glad to discover the surprise tour all involved food, and as ex-locals who spent our childhoods here, we're secretly stoked we guessed four out of five stops.

I'll leave this post as mostly a pictorial wander through Marrickville's gustatory gems. All the addresses are at the end of this post so you can recreate this tour for yourself.

Lamia Super Deli on the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Lamia Super Deli

Every food tour of Marrickville includes a visit to Lamia Super Deli. Even after its move a few doors up, this poky deli and grocery store stocks every European product you could think of. And more. We're talking bags of Turkish ground coffee to yerba mate tea to giant wafer sheets to pickles and preserves. There's the salty whiff of olive brine from the self-serve olive bar, a cabinet stuffed to the gills with smallgoods and cheeses and fridges jam-packed with more cheese and homemade dips.

Stumped on where to look for Mexican supplies? They have that too. Load up on white hominy field corn, refried black beans, masa flour, cactus and tomatillos. They also stock Pepe Saya butter and ghee.

Cheeses at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Cheeses in the display cabinet

Christina Calligas, co-owner of Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Christina Calligas, co-owner of Lamia Super Deli

Lazania Greek lasagne at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Lazania - homemade Greek lasagne

Sampling olives, taramasalata and cheeses at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Sampling olives, taramasalata and cheeses

Tsoureki sweet bread at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Tsoureki sweet loaf, like a Greek version of brioche

Harry Calligas, co-owner of Lamia Super Deli slicing prosciutto during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Harry Calligas, co-owner, slicing prosciutto

Self-serve Greek olives at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Self-serve Greek olives

Greek black olives at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Greek black olives

Mixed olives at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Mixed olives

Attiki raw Greek honey with wild flora and thyme at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Attiki raw Greek honey

Portuguese olive oil at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Portuguese olive oil

Peeled chestnuts, chestnut spread and chestnut puree at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Peeled chestnuts, chestnut spread and chestnut puree

Brined cactus nopalitos and canned whole tomatillos at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Brined nopalitos cactus and canned whole tomatillos

White, yellow and blue corn masa flour at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
White, yellow and blue corn masa flour

Smallgoods at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Smallgoods

Behind the counter at Lamia Super Deli during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Behind the counter

Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Save More Fresh Fruits and Groceries 

Around the corner on Illawarra Road we head into Save More. This is the biggest Asian grocery store in Marrickville - their range of rice paper sheets is pretty incredible. I'm also endlessly fascinated by the selection of Vietnamese desserts and snacks stacked up high near the cash registers. They even sell rice cookers and pots for steamboat.

Customers at the registers at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Customers at the registers

Pomelo, jackfruit and tropical fruit tastings at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Pomelo, jackfruit and tropical fruit tastings

Asian greens at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Asian greens

Fresh chillies at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Fresh chillies

Giant pandan essence, sesame oil, young corn and baking powder at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Bulk buying: 2 litres of pandan essence, 2 litres of sesame oil, 1.5kg baby corn and 2.7kg baking powder

Vietnamese biscuits, cookies and crackers at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Vietnamese biscuits, cookies and crackers in bear jars

Noodle aisle at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Noodle aisle

Banh trang rice paper at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Bánh tráng rice paper in different brands, shapes and sizes

Vietnamese desserts and snacks at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Vietnamese desserts and snacks

Luncheon meats at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Luncheon meats

Banh giay sticky rice cake sandwiches at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Bánh giầy glutinous sticky rice cake sandwiched with cha lua luncheon meat

Boiled peanuts at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Boiled peanuts

Visiting the Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Smiles all around

Chrysanthemum leaves and Asian green vegetables at Save More Asian grocery store during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Chrysanthemum leaves and other Asian green vegetables

Visiting Banana Joe's supermarket for the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Banana Joe's

Across the road you'll find Banana Joe's, a one-stop shop that combines supermarket, fruit and vegetable shop and a proper butchery. There are usually bargain specials in the display facing the street. A relatively recent renovation means the refrigerated aisle is super organised - the number of cheese fridges has to be seen to be believed.

Fresh vegetable aisle at Banana Joe's supermarket during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Fresh vegetables

Baklava at Banana Joe's supermarket during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Baklava

Cheap fruit in buckets at Banana Joe's supermarket during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Discount fruit in buckets

Simsek Petit Beurre biscuits at Banana Joe's supermarket during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Petit buerre tea biscuits

Sweet potatoes, potatoes and onions at Banana Joe's supermarket during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Sweet potatoes, potatoes and onions

Visiting Marrickville Seafood during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Marrickville Seafood

Marrickville Seafood has been around for years, although it has recently come under new management. They are always busy on Fridays and are manic before Easter. Take home a package of fresh fish fillets to pan fry for tea or pull up a chair and go old skool with fish and chips or a baggy of potato scallops.

Seafood cabinet at Marrickville Seafood during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Seafood in the cabinet

Visiting Marrickville Seafood during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Being welcomed

Fried and grilled hot food menu at Marrickville Seafood during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Hot food menu

Seafood salad, octopus, fried fish and oyster samples at Marrickville Seafood during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Samples of seafood salad, octopus, battered fish, prawns and seafood sticks, crumbed calamari, oysters and crumbed fish

Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Pagoto Gelato & Waffle House

Our last stop is Pagoto, a gelato house that offers a Greek twist to many of its flavours. This place is always pumping late at night on weekends. I love that you can grab a kebab at Victoria Yeeros a few doors up and then roll here for dessert. The watermelon and feta gelato is super refreshing in summer and the melamakarona gelato, traditionally a walnut syrup biscuit, tastes just like gingerbread. What does pagoto means? It's Greek for ice cream.

Gelato flavour menu at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Gelato flavour menu

Gelato cabinet at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Gelato cabinet

Katerina Magoulias, co-owner of Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Katerina Magoulias, co-owner of Pagoto

Melomakarona gelato and kataifi gelato at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Melomakarona walnut syrup biscuit gelato
and kataifi pastry nest gelato (at rear)

Kourambiedes gelato and almond macaroon gelato at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Kourambiedes Greek shortbread gelato 
and almond macaroon gelato (at rear)


Ferrero Rocher gelato at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Ferrero Rocher gelato

Special gelato flavours at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
Special gelato flavours

Gelato cabinet at Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville
One scoop of everything please

Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House during the Community Kouzina Marrickville Food Tour for Open Marrickville

The Community Kouzina Project is on exhibition at the Chrissie Cotter Gallery (Pidcock Street, Camperdown) until this Sunday 26 June, 2016. The official closing event for Open Marrickville will also be at the gallery this Sunday 3pm-6pm.


Banana Joe's Foodworks
258 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9559 7064

Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 8am - 8pm
Sunday 8.30am - 8pm
~~~~~

Lamia Super Deli
278 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9560 1011

Opening hours

Monday to Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 5.30pm
Sunday 10am - 2pm
Lamia Super Deli Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
~~~~~

Marrickville Seafood
187 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9550 0277

Open daily 8am - 6pm
~~~~~

Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House
301 Victoria Road, Marrickville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (0)401 724 686

Open daily 12pm til late
Also in Oakleigh, Melbourne and Mt Gravatt, Brisbane
~~~~~

Save More
307-311 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9559 3117

Open daily 8.30am - 7pm


Related Grab your Fork posts
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Marrickville - La Cocina de la Abuela
Marrickville - Yen for Viet

Food Tours - Auburn
Food Tours - Bankstown
Food Tours - Cabramatta
Food Tours - Cabramatta with Luke Nguyen
Food Tours - Newtown
8 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 6/24/2016 01:17:00 am


8 Comments:

  • At 6/24/2016 8:20 am, Blogger Unknown said…

    Awesome post! I think I need a bigger car if I were to hit up all those shops ;)

     
  • At 6/24/2016 9:06 am, Blogger Jose said…

    Great post. Loved your photos. Amazing project this Community Kouzina. :)

     
  • At 6/24/2016 11:12 am, Anonymous chocolatesuze said…

    Watermelon and feta gelato sounds interesting, is there pockets of feta sprinkled throughout?

     
  • At 6/24/2016 3:52 pm, Blogger Vivian - vxdollface said…

    There are so many awesome places in Marrickville. Love the watermelon and feta gelato, thought it would be weird but it works!

     
  • At 6/24/2016 4:23 pm, Anonymous Hotly Spiced said…

    I really would like those six potato scallops for $5.00 and afterwards I'd love some of the gelato. I think these food tours around suburbs is a fantastic idea - a great way of supporting small businesses xx

     
  • At 6/25/2016 12:34 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hi Helen. My favourite suburb and palce. hHa Banana Joes in here that did amuse me a bit. i remember when I moved to marrickville Banana Joes was very small and quite quirky. What great thing to show people.

     
  • At 6/26/2016 10:43 am, Anonymous Berny @ I Only Eat Desserts said…

    What a beautiful neighbourhood! One of my favourite things to do is to wander around grocery stores and look at what they have to offer - you find surprising things when you look ;)

     
  • At 6/30/2016 9:30 am, Anonymous John - heneedsfood said…

    Great tour, and i had no idea that deli sold Mexican products. Great to know!

     

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