What is it about crumble that just warms the inner cockles of your soul? Is it the soft, yielding fruit, always a little piquant, or the crunchy crumble top that melts into the fruit beneath? Perhaps it’s the gallon of double cream we pour on top, cooling down the rest so it’s perfect for eating sans wait-time.
Now, it’s pretty easy to make from home, as we know already – check out our recipe (below) – but Sydney’s Newtown now has a restaurant that’s dedicated to the art of crumble alone, and it might well be a world first. It’s called Crumble Top, and the man behind it all is patron-chef Luke Stack.
Check out our recipe for caramelised stone fruit with crunchy nut crumble and raspberry yoghurt here.
Raised in Revesby, Sydney, the 33-year-old has worked at some of the world’s top restaurants, including Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s in London, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai; he even reached the role of sous chef at Gordon Ramsay at Forte Village in Sardinia. And now he’s home, making bespoke crumbles from a small shop on King Street.
Crumble brings people back to their childhood,” he says, “It’s just good, tasty comfort food.
“I just wanted to do something different after years of 18-hour days,” he tells me, “I was at the farmers’ market one day and I bought all this really beautiful rhubarb. I went home and I cooked it into some crumble, served it to the family, and everyone just went silent. I could hear the sound of spoons scraping bowls, and I was like ‘Wow, everyone enjoys this as much as I do.’ Instantly, Crumble Top just came up in my head.”
It goes like this: you go in and order your base (apple and rhubarb, say, or pear and ginger) then you select a crumble topping – maybe it will be white chocolate macadamia, lemon myrtle or peanut butter. On the side, you order a sauce like toffee or lemon curd, and an ice-cream from a selection made for the shop by Marrickville gelato supplier Glacé Ice Creams and Sorbets (with flavours like cardamom, lavender or cinnamon). There are vegan choices and even cake-base options if you’re not into fruit, like sticky date or banana pudding. With between six to nine choices in each category, the flavours change every three months along with the seasons. “My favourite combo at the moment is white chocolate and raspberry pudding with chocolate wafers, coconut pandan sauce and toasted coconut ice-cream,” Stack says, “It is delicious!”
He’s even doing savoury crumbles, which sounds odd, I know, but actually it makes sense given that crumbles are essentially just pies. “At the moment we’re doing a slow cooked lamb shoulder with roasted vegetables, smoked paprika crumble and tomato and basil salad,” he tells me.
Stack is working directly with farms, too, to make sure the produce he gets is top notch. “We get all our produce straight from the farmer, who uses very minimal sprays,” he says, “Because the fruit is really taken care of, it’s all got a lot of flavour. It makes a big difference.”
And how does he think people will respond to crumbles on a hot Sydney afternoon, now that summer is on its way? “Well, yesterday was a really hot day and we had loads of people come in,” he tells me. “It wasn’t too hot for crumble for them!”
Maybe the man’s onto something. “Crumble brings people back to their childhood,” he says, “It’s just good, tasty comfort food.”
Whatever the weather, it’s hard to argue with pure, unadulterated pleasure. Why did no one think of this earlier?
Want to keep up to date with all things crumbly? Follow Crumble Top on Instagram @crumble_top. For our collection of crumble recipes, see here.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
Have a story or comment? Contact Us
