Italian, Turkish and Greek food trail
1. Loukoumades at The Greek Corner
Chatswood Mall Market, Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
Think of loukoumades as Greek doughnuts, its dough pastries made into a ball which is then deep fried before being soaked in sugar or honey, cinnamons and nuts.
It was a mixed contrast of flavours - the exterior was crunchy, the inside was fluffy and airy, the honey was light in sweetness and the touch of cinnamon and nuts further adds richness to the flavours. If you are looking for a light street food dessert, then this is the spot.
2. Spinach, beef and cheese gozleme at Gozleme King
Chatswood Mall Market, Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
Gozleme is a savoury unleavened flatbread from Turkey. It is usually stuffed with various toppings like cheese, spinach, beef and lamb which is then sealed and fried in a hot pan. You often see an older woman preparing the dough and toppings right in front of you. This is one of the reasons we were attracted to gozleme in the first place, it's our fascination to see something being made right in front of our eyes. We had spinach, cheese and beef gozleme. The pairing of the toppings was impeccable, the cheese was generous which became the predominant flavour, the mince beef provided a tender savoury contrast. If you love European food, this is a great street food choice at the Chatswood Mall Markets.
3. Quattro formaggi pizza at Arlecchino on the Road
Chatswood Mall Market, Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
If there is one Italian dish that has integrated itself into the world, its pizza. In Sydney we always look for places that sell authentic Italian pizza. We think there are 5 components to an authentic Italian pizza – the base, the sauce, the cheese, the toppings and of course the chef.
Tucked in the buzzling Chatswood Mall Market is Arlecchino on the road. What caught our eyes was the portable woodfire pizza oven that was creating a cheesy aroma from few stalls down and immediately we knew this was a spot we had to try. We had the quattro formaggi, a 4 kind of cheese pizza - mozzarella, scamorza, gorgonzola, parmesan. The base was thin with a smokey aftertaste and the cheese combination provided a unique wave of flavours in your mouth that keeps you biting for more.
4. Gnocchi gorgonzola at Pellegrini's Italian
Chatswood Place, 13/260 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
Gnocchi (pronounced NYOW-kee) is a classic Italian potato dumpling and has a long history in classic European cuisine. They are light, chewy and full of potato yet by itself the taste is bland like pasta, but the differences come in when you add seasonings and sauces to create different types of dishes. There are so many gnocchi variations, this one we tried is 'Gnocchi gorgonzola' - gnocchi in creamy sauce, with parmesan and some walnuts.
Written by Nick and Helmi
Visit Nick and Helmi's Instagram
Visit Nick and Helmi's TikTok