We’ve been missing Kitchen by Mike, Mike McEnearney’s rustic Rosebery canteen, since it closed its doors in 2015. Now the beloved restaurant has at last been reborn, opening Tuesday March 7 at the International Airport as part of the Sydney Airport T1 International City View precinct (in the departure area past customs and security).
So that’s the downside: you have to be actually leaving the country to get access to the new Kitchen by Mike. But, if you are outward bound and hungry, you get a view of the tarmac while accessing Mike’s all-day, seasonal spread of two meat or fish dishes, such as Kurobuta ham with mash and Cumberland sauce; wood roasted herb chicken with carrots and salsa verde; or mackerel with asparagus and herb butter. There’ll also be five or more salads, plus breakfast items if you’re catching an early flight.
For those Hannibal Lecter types who disdain airline food and would rather pack a gourmet carry-on tray, you can also get a takeaway Fly by Mike tray pack.
The publicist sent us over one of these packs, which are designed to be eaten without reheating. Two hefty hunks of za’atar roast free range chicken breast are basted in spicy orange harissa sauce with red onions and a couple of roast carrots. On the side there’s a big wedge of sweet, seared roast pumpkin doused in spiced yogurt; crisp shards of cucumber dressed in mirin, soy and sesame; and a creamy buttermilk ’slaw with cabbage, disks of apple and crunchy bullets of walnut.
With a slice of Mike’s rustic bread and a pat of Pepe Saya butter, and a strawberry and rosewater fizz to wash it down, all we can say is we are now ready to pop on a sleep mask and kip all the way to Singapore.
Not jetsetting anywhere anytime soon? Relax, you can always try McEnearney’s homestyle CBD diner No 1 Bent Street.
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