In the neighbourhood: Marrickville

The history of two strong Migrant communities In Sydney’s Inner West is told through plates of Greek Sweets and steaming bowls of Vietnamese Pho.

Source: Tom Donald

Clustered around a few tight blocks in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville are a mix of restaurants, grocers, bakeries and cafes that help trace the area’s history from its beginning as a rural outpost to the thriving multicultural hub that it is today.

Elizabeth Heath, author of Eat Streets: A Culinary Adventure Through 150 Years of Marrickville Council, says ancestry data collated for the community profile in the 2011 Census is reflected in the suburb’s dynamic food scene.

“Food and diversity of culture go hand-in-hand and are the two most defining characteristics of Marrickville,” says Elizabeth. “After the flood of Greek migrants that arrived in Marrickville in the 1950s, the suburb was known as the Athens of the Inner West. By 1986, the Vietnamese were moving in as fast as the Greeks were moving out to surrounding suburbs that had more space and were considered more prestigious,” she says.

Source: Tom Donald

Jim Danas was an orphaned teenager when he arrived in Australia from the Greek town of Karpenisi in 1953. Jim opened Danas Fine Food Deli in 1962 and in 1974 met and married his wife, Agatha. “There are not too many delis that have survived for half a century. Greek food survives because it takes people back to a time and place,” says Jim. Five decades on, you can still find him – alongside his wife and daughters – behind the counter of the eponymous one-stop Greek specialty shop. Although Danas is renowned for its incredible cheeses, cured meats, olives and pantry goods, these days, you can also get coffee and cake, and choose from a changing chalkboard menu of home-cooked meals such as fakes or fasolada (legume soups) or moussaka with salad. Lamia Super Deli, which was owned by Jim’s sister up until two decades ago, is another good bet for Greek goods.

While stores managed by Greek migrants once dominated Marrickville’s main shopping areas, the Vietnamese community is now also closely intertwined in the suburb and you can flit from poura (Greek nut rolls) to Vietnamese pho in a flash.

Michael Le, now 34, arrived in Australia in 1987 with his father Hen Le, mother Lanh Nguyen and sisters Diana and Thuy after fleeing Vietnam following the fall of Saigon. While en route to Australia, Michael and his family languished in a Hong Kong refugee camp for five years. “My dad spoke Cantonese and Vietnamese, so he was sought-after as an interpreter and too valuable for the authorities to process our [asylum-seeking] claim in a hurry. I was seven when we arrived,” says Michael, whose family now manage two Marrickville restaurants: PHD and their newest restaurant, Pho PHD.

Source: Tom Donald

Michael says his mum Lanh has been “working in kitchens since the age of 10”, cooking food for other families in order to support her own. “My mum is a great cook and it’s because of her we’ve got a great quality of life in Australia. She is up at 3 o’clock every morning preparing broth for her famous pho, which requires hours and hours of simmering time,” he says. Michael says Lanh’s banh xeo (crispy pancakes filled with prawn or pork) are also a star attraction and have been ordered by everyone from Asian pop stars to politicians.

 

Recipes

Greek bean soup (fasolada)

This traditional Greek soup is often referred to as the national dish of Greece and is made using a simple combination of vegetables, tomato paste and stock, with the enriching addition of cannellini beans and a dash of chilli powder.

Crispy Vietnamese pancakes (banh xeo)

In Vietnamese, banh xeo means "sizzling cake" for the sound the pancake batter makes when added to the hot pan. Inspired by the Vietnamese community in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville, this recipe packs a fresh and flavoursome punch.

Baked pasta (pastitsio)

The Greek answer to lasagne, variations of this dish are made throughout the Mediterranean. It has three key layers: the meat filling, the pasta and the béchamel sauce on top.

 

The hitlist

Corinthian Rotisserie Restaurant
With its checked tablecloths and ceiling swathed with plastic vines, the Corinthian has ignored the march of time since opening 50 years ago. The menu remains full of comforting fixtures such as barbecued lamb and pastitsio (baked pasta). 283 Marrickville Rd, [phone]

Van Long Supermarket
The aisles in this bustling supermarket brim with sacks of lentils, rice, spices and authentic Asian ingredients. Try the fresh rice noodles, rice paper rolls and glutinous rice cakes for lunch on the go. 279-281 Marrickville Rd, [phone]

Hellenic Bakery and Cakes
Established in 1977 by Dimos Scoullis, this lively bakery offers pastries, cakes and a countless selection of breads. Now it’s a family affair, with his sons, George and Dymon, baking by his side. Most popular are the mousse cakes and melomakarona (honey biscuits). 371 Illawarra Rd,  [phone]

Marrickville Pork Roll
Expect queues that curl out the door of this buzzy bolthole owned by Khiem Du and wife Nga, both from Vietnam. Here it’s all about the famous crunchy pork roll, banh mi thit. 236A Illawarra Rd, 0479 000 445

Athena Cake Shop
This sweet Greek institution is run by husband and wife Chris and Efy Ahtypis. Chris says many of his customers travel across the city for his signature Greek treats such as galaktoboureko (custard filo pastry) and bougatsa (semolina filo pastry). 412 Illawarra Rd, [phone]

Danas Fine Food Deli & Cafe
Renowned for the past 50 years for its authentic Greek food stocks, Danas now also offers a place to stop for coffee, cake and home-cooked Greek meals. 416 Illawarra Rd, [phone]

Lamia Super Deli
Cram into this narrow Greek deli to find cheese, pasta, meats, a plethora of olive varieties and many more Hellenic food supplies. 270 Marrickville Rd, [phone]

Pho PHD & PHD
Following the original PHD restaurant’s success, its modern sibling sits just around the corner and offers the same sought after pho as well as other Vietnamese favourites. Pho PHD, 260 Marrickville Rd, [phone]; PHD, 308 Illawarra Rd, [phone]

 

 

Photography Tom Donald.

 

As seen in Feast magazine, July 2014, Issue 33.