Designed to share in groups of two, three or more, meze dining complements a leisurely night of slow-graze eating, conversation and drinking. Meze is a hip, yet casual dining experience that is so popular among Istanbul urbanites, and Efendy Restaurant has recreated this concept in the heart of Balmain.
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm - bookings
Cold Mezes
Pide Homemade bread, Ayvalik extra virgin olive oil 4
Zeytin (v) Warm green and black olives from Edremit and Gemlik 6
Kavun (v) Classical raki meze of sliced melon 6
Ezme (v) Crushed tomato, fresh herbs and isot pepper 6
Cacik (v) Garlic, mint, cucumber suzme yoghurt 6
Peynir (v) Crumbled feta, tulum cheese balls 6
Saksuka (v) Saute?ed potato, zucchini, eggplant with mint yoghurt 6
Fava (v) Broad bean puree, dill, extra virgin Ayvalik olive oil 6
Mercimek Kofte (v) Red lentil, bulghur, parsley, chilli and spring onion 6
Pirasa (v) Traditional olive oil braised green beans 6
Hamsi Marine Olive oil and bay leaf marinated Black Sea sardines 8
Efendy Salata (v) Wild rocket, feta, dried figs and hazelnut 8
Ahirdagi (v) Chopped tomato, cucumber, red onion, fresh walnuts, pomegranate 8
Hot Mezes
Tursu (v) Sauteed pickled winter vegetables 8
Bulgur Pilavi (v) Meyhane style cracked wheat pilaf 8
Begendi (v) Smokey eggplant puree with kashar cheese 8
Pastirma Sun-dried, spice cured beef backstrap slices 6
Sucuk Grilled spicy merguez sausage 6
Pacanga Boregi Pastirma, kashar cheese pastry 8
Arnavut Cigeri Spice fried cubes of lambs liver with red onion sumac salad 8
Koc Yumurtasi Pan-fried lamb testicles, almond garlic tarator 8
Hellim (v) Chargrilled haloumi 8
Kofte Village style lamb kofte, carrot and yoghurt tarator 6
Karides Shredded pastry wrapped king prawns, walnut, capsicum muhammara 10
Yanak Braised beef cheek 10
Kuzu Roasted Bultarra Saltbush lamb shoulder, aromatic rice, pinenut, currant pilaf 12
Utilising recipes from his Turkish heritage, Chef Somer’s meze bar is a true representation of this vibrant, contemporary dining scene that dominates metropolitan Istanbul. Featuring a diverse collection of dishes, the Efendy meze menu also has blackboard specials that evolve daily to reflect the best in fresh produce. With dishes such as the crispy Pachanga Boregi - moreish triangles of pastry containing pastirma and kashar cheese, and the simply delicious Kadayifli Karides – shredded pastry wrapped king prawns with walnut, capsicum and garlic – the meze menu is a not-to-be-missed culinary adventure across Istanbul.
This sumptuous selection of Turkish delicacies is complemented by a diverse array of boutique wines available by the glass, Turkish beer and delicious, Turkish inspired cocktails. For the more adventurous, ‘raki’ is also on offer –‘raki’ being the preferred Turkish spirit, of which Efendy boasts Sydney’s largest collection.