Jack Ng
Chefs
AUSTRALIAN GOOD FOOD GUIDE - Home of the Chef Hat Awards
Suleyman (Sulo) Kirbancioglu
Born:
Mengen, Turkey.
History:
I grew up in a small village along the Black Sea in Turkey. I attended culinary school since the age of 11, which at the time was the only culinary school in Turkey and was highly regarded.
My apprenticeship was over a few different places that were vastly different. The first was a traditional Turkish lokanta, which is a type of casual restaurant that serves homestyle casserole dishes, mainly to local workers.
The next step was the Four Seasons in Istanbul, which was ranked as one of the best hotels in Europe. This was a world away from the lokanta and really opened my eyes to what I could accomplish as a Chef.
I worked here under Carlo Bernadini and Ciaran Hickey and was exposed to new flavours and techniques.
I went on to work at quite a few fine dining establishments around Istanbul including the Ritz Carlton.
In 2002, along came an opportunity to secure a sponsorship in Australia and I jumped at the chance, with no real plan – just happy to go explore and expand my horizons.
The sponsorship wasn’t quite the restaurant style I was hoping for; a simple café in Sydney but it got me here and I’m grateful for that. I had a small stint at the Four Seasons in Sydney under Marc Miron, but then took a chance on opening my own café with my wife on the Central Coast in 2007.
The café was a success, but I was itching to get back to a more formal restaurant environment. At the café, we had offered a ‘Turkish Dinner’ once a month, which proved popular and was a good test run to see if a modern Turkish restaurant could succeed in Ettalong.
In 2013, Safran was born. It’s almost been 10 years now - it’s a hard slog running a restaurant, but one that fulfils me and keeps me on my toes!
Have you always wanted to be a Chef?
Most of my older brothers and brothers-in-law are Chefs, so it was a natural progression for me to follow in these footsteps. I have a great love for cooking and experimenting with new ideas.
To be honest, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. It’s a huge part of my identity and my life is centred around the hospitality industry.
How would you define your style?
My cooking style is deeply rooted in traditional Turkish cuisine but with a modern approach. Utilising a combination of contemporary cooking techniques, along with traditional flavours and recipes from the Ottoman Empire’s kitchen and regional dishes.
Obsessive-compulsive about?
Constantly working on the ‘next dish’. As soon as a new menu has been released, I’m straight back to working on the next menu. I get bored easily and want to keep challenging myself and my kitchen crew.
Your greatest culinary influence:
I spent my early career working under Carlo Bernadini, Mehmet Gok and Paul Pairet, who all greatly influenced the Chef I’ve become.
These days, I love to closely follow what’s happening in the Istanbul restaurant scene. There are some amazing dishes coming out of Istanbul at the moment and I’m constantly inspired by what the new generation of Chefs are producing.
I’ve just returned from a quick trip to Istanbul, so I’ve got some new inspiration and ready to release some new dishes.
What do you love about this business?
I love the challenge. It’s fast-paced, there’s no opportunity to get bored. The pressure to keep producing good food and innovative menus, to keep up with the trends and diners’ expectations.
My crew too, the camaraderie of working in hospitality, everyone working in unison to deliver a total experience to the diner.
An ingredient you can’t live without?
Lemon, thyme and garlic - a classic combination!
Most ‘eyebrow-raising’ menu item?
Anything offal related always gets people raising their eyebrows, unfortunately! Offal is often underrated but can produce the most amazing flavour if people are willing to give it a try.
At the moment, our menu features a beef tongue kebab skewered with quince, grilled over charcoal, paired with a sweet carrot hummus.
Signature dish:
There are a few dishes that always make their way back to the menu. One particularly popular dish would be grilled prawns with pastirma butter (an air-dried beef, coated with cemen spices) and fava bean purée - a simple dish but packed with flavour.
Slow-braised meats always make an appearance too. We’re about to put on beef short ribs, mulberry molasses, pumpkin baked with limestone, chestnut purée, Turkish coffee.
What can diners expect when they eat at your restaurant and what makes the experience special?
There aren’t a lot of contemporary Turkish restaurants in Australia, so they are getting an experience they can’t find everywhere. We hope our diners leave Safran having had a delicious meal, infused with Turkish flavours, excellent service and some great wine.
We want our guests to feel relaxed and well looked after.
Have Australian diners’ perceptions of Turkish changed, or do they still think it is all about kebabs?
Slowly! We occasionally have some disappointed diners who thought they were coming in for kebabs and pide; or those who are confused as to why certain ingredients are featured on our menu.
I had an interesting online review once who ripped us apart for having rocket on our menu – rocket grows wild all along the Aegean coastline in Turkey!
Turkish cuisine is rich and varied, with the Ottoman kitchen sourcing Chefs and ingredients from all throughout Europe and Asia, which has shaped the cuisine into what it is today.
I’m still learning more about it all the time!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
Ah, with two Chef Hats from the Australian Good Food Guide?
Safran
Inspired by Turkey’s rich culinary history Safran restaurant on Ocean View Road delivers authentic recipes with contemporary twists to Ettalong Beach diners. From dishes cooked in Ottoman Palace kitchens to street food, Safran covers all tastes and palates, enjoyed in stylish surrounds of a green tiled bar, recycled timber flooring, arched windows and Middle Eastern-style lights. Perhaps opt for the five-course degustation and paired wines, or dine à la carte with starters like pan-fried scallops, caramelised celeriac purée, Avruga caviar and lemon tahini. Charcoal-grilled eye fillet, mulberry glazed beef cheek, battered mushrooms, caramelised onion, tahini and currants entice for the main affair, finishing with pistachio baklava, cherry sorbet, goats’ milk ice cream and rose meringue.
