The Efendy group, founded by celebrated Turkish chef Somer Sivrioğlu, has made it its mission in Sydney to change the common misconceptions that many Australians have of Turkish cuisine and turning them right on their heads. Through stellar and elevated offerings at casual fine diners Efendy, Anason, Maydanoz and now, Tombik, the tides are shifting away from post-drinking session kebabs, dry and sandy falafel and food court bain-maries, toward a changed landscape of extreme attention to detail and premium produce in beautiful surrounds.
The 45-seater kebab joint is serving up Istanbul-style street food including the restaurant's namesake: light-as-a-feather wood-fired tombik bread. They draw inspiration from cosy bars dotted around Taksim in Turkey, as well as traditional donner kebabs with some seriously elevated ingredients. Just as you would in any of Sivrioğlu's venues, expect exceptional attention to detail in dishes like the marbled Wagyu grilled over coals, house-made tahini and chilli sauce, and rare wines from Turky and around the globe. There is, of course, a killer cocktail list of herbacious and refreshing brews, like the turnip and chilli-spiked turshu, served with raki.
As if it couldn't get more enticing, there's a daily happy hour from 3-5pm with beers and wines for $7, and cocktail jugs for just $30.