Utku Ayhan (Foxy Luu’s Byron Bay, Sefa Kitchen Sydney) and Nicolas Degryse (Gratia & Folonomo Sydney) have launched Sefa Kitchen in Byron Bay today.
The venue is the third and final installment in the owners’ Northern NSW operation, Nourishing Habitat. Sefa Kitchen joins Ayhan and Degryse’s Mediterranean-style Commune Canteen which launched in June, and Spanish wine bar Gitana in July.
Sefa Kitchen shares a name with its sister venue in Bondi, which Ayhan founded in 2012.
The restaurant forefronts Levantine and North African cuisines with an emphasis on legumes, dairy, grains, spices.
The offering is built around dishes to share, and the owners encourage guests to “dive in with their hands and get messy” (although plates and cutlery are available on request).
At the heart of the kitchen is a wood-fire oven and an open-flame grill, which inform the cooking process and imbue unique smoked flavours on much of the menu offering.
Dishes highlight seasonal produce, with the likes of tooba bread with saltbush za’atar and spiced butter; organic Spring Bay mussels with whipped tarama, heirloom radishes, and baby herbs; Jersey halloumi with local smoked bush honey, calendula, and pistachio; and crispy brussels sprouts with almond tarator, sorghum dukkah, and barberry salt.
The owners say the showstopper is the slow-roasted Baharat lamb shoulder with cauliflower purée, sumac onions, and pomegranate. And for dessert, a saffron panna cotta with date molasses, Persian floss, and mandarin biscuit.
The drinks menu is just as varied, with the likes of the Egyptian Hibiscus Spritz (hibiscus tea, vodka, ginger, prosecco) or the Musky Istanbul (house-made limonata, mezcal, and mint), which pays homage to Ayhan’s home in Turkey.
The three restaurants reside in Habitat, a community and sustainably minded village development that hosts an array of bars, cafes, fitness and shopping.
Sefa Kitchen Byron Bay will open Wednesday to Saturday, midday till late.
