Award-winning celebrity chef Justin North has co-launched Greek-inspired restaurant ‘Sofia on Cleveland,’ set within the heritage-listed hotel Bar Cleveland hotel in Redfern.
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Chef Justin, who is a collaborator at Sofia on Cleveland, revealed the owners have been planning the restaurant for years, but the pandemic has delayed its opening.
Like any good Middle eastern meal, the servings are generous and designed for sharing. Head chef Nathan Treleaven will show off his skills in creating Southern Mediterranean dishes, such as warm sourdough loaf, char-grilled eggplant salad, and grass-fed beef tartare.
As for mains, there’s a strong focus on grilled dishes, including Shark Bay king prawns served with garlic, chilli, parsley, and lemon butter; wagyu flat iron with king mushrooms; and cauliflower with rocket, parmesan, toasted pine nuts and salsa verde.
Desserts at Sofia include Ekmek, a baked kataifi pastry with vanilla custard and Chantilly cream, walnut syrup cake with mascarpone, and Visino, a sour cherry preserve with vanilla bean ice cream.
Wash it all down with delicious cocktails, wines, and beers all sourced locally and from Europe. If you’re not into alcoholic drinks, they also have a selection of digestifs, teas, and coffees available.
The name of the restaurant is an ode to owner Sophie Bousgas’ grandmother, who instilled in her a love of cooking.
It was also her grandma who first introduced her to the magic of extra virgin olive oil, which is dubbed as the “heart” of every Mediterranean dish. They use in-house extra virgin olive oil imported from their olive groves in Mani, Greece, which is processed using their local traditional method.
For this new venture, the Bousgas family and Chef Justin enlisted interior designer Tamara Prochnik and builder Heath Dyer to transform the space at Bar Cleveland into a welcoming, vibrant space.
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Sofia on Cleveland encourages locals to come and try their vibrant food and homely dining, at Level 2 of Bar Cleveland. Follow them on Facebook for more details.