Sydney’s little slice of the Upper West Side, Lox Stock & Barrel is a New York style deli that bakes its own bagels, rye and challah bread. The menu features classic Jewish dishes such as homemade brisket pastrami alongside Bondi-friendly options (think kale salads and sprouted quinoa toast).
Sydney is in desperate need for a good New-York style deli so when news of Lox Stock and Barrel hit the foodie-press, I promptly texted a fellow bagel-lover: 140 Glenayr Avenue.
Lox and bagels are to New Yorkers what meat pies are to Aussies. They're part of the national identity and with such a cult-like status comes high expectations. As a New Yorker- wannabee, I was delighted when Brown Sugar brother-and-sister-duo Neil and Lianne Gottheiner, expanded their operation and opened Lox, Stock and Barrel. The name, not only a tribute to the NYC delicacy, "lox", known in Australia as smoked salmon, is also a cheeky take on Guy Ritchie's award winning British crime film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
The menu is a mix of standard Bondi café offerings (ancient grain porridge and pumpkin salad) together with Jewish classics (challah and homemade brisket pastrami on rye). A panzanella salad is nondescript however a roasted cauliflower and chickpea dish, served with almonds and a tahina dressing is a standout. There are four varieties of bagels that are boiled onsite every day which taste just like they do in NYC; moist, dense and perfect when topped with some cream cheese, capers and smoked lox.
Does Lox Stock and Barrel fill the New York deli gap? It certainly isn't as cheap and it's not exactly a grab-and-go kind of place. Instead it melds together a unique crowd of black comedy fans, lox-and-bagel aficionados and Bondi hipsters – and perhaps this odd sortie is something that fits more with our Aussie psyche.
Features :
