Sweet and savoury Turkish delights at Mado Cafe, Auburn.
We take a perch at an outside table at Mado Cafe on a Saturday afternoon, a fine place to watch the whole world go by. There's a joyous energy and cultural diversity on this street that makes us feel like we are on the road and travelling again, we find it uplifting and we're a little addicted to it.
Aryan yoghurt drink and Gazoz soft drink, which tastes like creaming soda.
Guvec - tender lamb with eggplant, tomato, peppers baked in a traditional clay pot - $13. A slow cooked gentle stew.
Toasted bread to dip in the guvec. Momma.
Maras Kebab - $13. Similar to our favourite, the iskender kebab: lamb, covered in tomato sauce and yoghurt on top of cubed Turkish bread. The bread is lightly sauteed with a subtle crunch.
The lamb is grilled and chunky, unlike the usual iskendar kebab that has regular slithers of kebab meat. Very happy.
We get dessert to takeaway. A creamy vanilla goo pudding inside a lightly charcoaled outer, covered in cinnamon. Amazing.
Intrigued, we return the next day and sit inside. It is oddly calming inside, it's spacious with plenty of room, something we rarely find in Sydney. The place has a the vibe of an classic old Greek cafe mixed with a Turkish antique shop.
This is what lured me back - ice cream made from wild orchid tubors, eaten with a knife fork, it wasn't stretchy like we had read about, maybe we ordered the wrong thing . Next time we'll try the ice creams out the front, apparently fantastic :-)
This was amazing, a chilled dessert of stewed fruit with crunchy nuts, a clever contrast of textures.
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe Auburn Menu - Click to Enlarge
Mado Cafe is at 63 Aurburn Road, Aurburn. Phone (02) 9643 5299
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I am absolutely addicted to your blog, everything looks tantalizingly/tauntingly delicious (I live in rural france with a very limited choice of gruel, boohoo). Please keep up the good work, big tummy rub and massive thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteYour in rural France? I want to know what you eat! :-)
ReplyDeleteAll that food is making me hungry! The lamb on top of the turkish bread and that gooey thing OMG!
ReplyDeleteThis place has so just been added to my wishlist! Holy Noms Batman!
ReplyDeleteErm, the main local cuisine here in the Aveyron is aligot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aligot and sausage and steak...oh and tripe! Which is great, just not for 365 days per year, check it out if you guys are ever in the area!
ReplyDeleteOh, when aligot hardens, you can basically retile your bathroom with the stuff ;)
I could dive into an (unhardened) bowl of aligot right now, but every day? Hmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI could eat tripe everyday - gimme innards!
ReplyDeleteDo you have the aligot with rum everyday? I can see Shawn becoming hooked on that...rum and cheese smoothies.
ReplyDeleteShawn, I fear you may really hurt your head if you choose to swan dive into a caldron of aligot, or more likely just sucked into it's cheesey, gloopy vortex! Erm, never actually heard of the aligot with rum concoction Alison...Sounds extreme! But due to the local fondness for booze and potatoes, kinda makes a lot of sense! Tripe is good, but I prefer the chinese style, here it's always a tad too salty. If you both are ever in the Aveyron I would be delighted to show you some local delicacies. Bon appetit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this review. I work in Auburn across the road from Mado and am so addicted to their baked custard and sour cherry maras. Check out the Kisir salad in the dips selection as well... like tabouli only better!
ReplyDeleteTried the salep today - a hot drink made from orchid tuber flour and milk - and it is the most gorgeous treat. Only $4 and beautifully presented with ground pistachio on top.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful, we need to have a trip back here soon.
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