By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
The original team behind Efendy - the beloved Turkish dining institution that once lit up Balmain with its warm Middle Eastern-Mediterranean welcomes and unforgettable flavours - is reuniting for one night only at Maydanoz in Sydney’s CBD.
On Wednesday, June 25, Fatih Kulle (Group Operations Manager of the Efendy Group) and the original Efendy crew will take over the luxe, low-lit dining room at Maydanoz for an exclusive culinary homecoming, featuring a specially curated $78 set menu that showcases Efendy’s most iconic dishes. Plus a few bold extras for those who like their plates with a touch of tradition and adventure!
From the moment you walk in, expect to embrace the magic Efendy was known for. As Fatih puts it: "It’s not just about the food, it’s about that feeling when you walk through the door. That’s what we’re recreating.”
Recreate it they will. The night will kick off with stone-baked bread, buffalo kaymak and lavender honey, a rich, creamy opener that immediately sets the tone for the rest of the deeply comforting menu.
From there, diners can expect to be treated to a generous spread of cold and hot meze - including olive oil-braised leek with blood orange, pachanga borek filled with cured beef pastirma and dried eggplant dolma stuffed with cracked wheat.
Mains include charcoal chicken thighs with toum and meyhane pilav and the hero dish: slow-braised beef cheek served atop silky eggplant begendi. A zingy Efendy salad of rocket, fig, walnut and Tulum cheese rounds it out before the grand finale: the Turkish Mess, a riot of textures featuring meringue, fragrant mastic cream and fresh berries.
Efendy loyalists will be thrilled to hear that the prawn kadayif – crispy shredded pastry wrapped around juicy prawns with smoky muhammara - will be available as a must-try add-on. Also on offer for the more adventurous: lamb testicles and liver – bold, traditional flavours that Efendy was never shy about showcasing.
The partnership will pop up at Maydanoz, the chic Mediterranean venue from Efendy’s own Somer Sivrioglu, already known for its Aegean-inspired, vegetable-forward menu and stylish CBD setting.
It’s the perfect backdrop for this one-night-only reunion of Efendy favourites, reimagined for 2025 with all the nostalgia and none of the compromise.
"Efendy was always about heart, heritage and hospitality. And, we’re bringing that magic back for one special night,” says Fatih.
The details:
Date: Wednesday, June 25.
Location: Maydanoz, Sydney CBD.
Price: $78 pp – Set Menu.
Bookings: Essential and extremely limited – book your table here.
