A
briskwalkaroundthe
blockcanworkwonders
forcreativityandmorale.
OrinNomad’scase,a
strolluptheroad.Thetribehas
migratedtoa temporaryhome
attheex-Longrainsiteafteran
electricalfirebrokeoutat their
originalFosterStreetdigsa few
doorsdown,andit seemsthe
freshairandchangeofscenery
is exactlywhattheyneeded.
Thebrightandunpretentious
fit-outwithitssubtlewarehouse
vibehasmovedwiththeteam,
ashastheMediterranean-skewed
share-stylemenu.Intoday’sdining
climateyou’d behard-pressedto
finda menu that wasn’t designed
Fromabove:
Nomadheadchef
JacquiChallinor
(fromleft)and
co-owners
Rebeccaand
AlYazbek;
saltedkingfish
croquettes.
Opposite,
clockwisefrom
topleft:pickled
eggplant,
pomegranate
androastedolive
seeds;kingfish
ceviche;olive-
oilice-cream
sandwich.
Achangeofscenerybringsfresh
flavourstoa Sydneyfavourite,
writesKARLIE VERKERK.
Nomad
by nature
toshare. Butif it’s goingtomake
senseanywhere,it’s here.The
flavoursareassuredandtheserves
honest. Thisis thesortoffood
youwanttogetstuckinto.
Takeforexamplethemodest
dishthatis flatbread,a Nomad
staple.Sprinkledwithza’atar
andaccompaniedbya generous
portionofsilkycannellini-bean
hummusandcuminbrown-butter,
youreallydon’tneedtoordermuch
more.Although,I suggestyoudo.
Perhapsstartwiththefried
olives.Themeatygreenorbsare
stuffedwith’nduja,thencoated
inbreadcrumbsanddeep-fried
untilwonderfullygolden. They’re
salty and spicy and everything
youwantina one-bitesnack.
Orthekingfishcrackling:a neat
pileoffried,crispskindustedin
a punchyspicemixofsmoked
paprika,fennel,cumin,coriander
andblackpeppercorn.If this
doesn’t getyourtastebudsfiring,
nothingwill.
Sustainabilityis at thecore
ofheadchefJacquiChallinor’s
cooking,andherapproachis
refreshinglyun-preachy.On
theplate,it translatestolocally
sourcedproduce– someis even
grownorforagedbystaff;besure
tocomplimentwaiterCameron
ontheoreganoandelderflower.
Minimalfoodwasteis another
positivetakeaway.You’ll findthe
trunkofthekingfishfromthe
aforementionedcracklingusedina
zingyceviche,whilethesweethead
meatis fashionedintocroquettes.
Stepawayfromthetableand
you’llseemoreearth-friendly
practices in action. In the kitchen,
WORDS GEORGIE MEREDITH (SONORA). PHOTOGRAPHY PETRINA TINSLAY (NOMAD).
40 GOURMET TRAVELLER