Plenty of restaurants draw a crowd, not because of their cuisine but because of their star-studded clientele. At trendy Bang in the Surry Hills neighborhood of Sydney, a message atop the menu announces that the place is a “favourite of celebrities.” But that does not mean diners are in for great people-watching at the risk of a lackluster meal.
“The line is meant to be tongue-in-cheek,” said Nicholas Gurney, who opened the restaurant last January with Tapos Singha, its chef, who is a Bangladesh native. “Since it’s not the sort of place where celebrities flock, we thought it was funny.”
Lucky for these two, noncelebrities have flocked for the real attraction: the A-list dishes put out by Singha that celebrate the street food of his youth. He always adds a twist, as in his favorite, inspired by the spicy omelets he ate as a child: a duck egg version with blue swimmer crabs, green chilies, grape tomatoes and garlic chives. Or a wagyu tri-tip curry with chive flowers and shatkora. The rind of that last ingredient, a citrus fruit from Bangladesh, gives the dish a slightly sour flavor.
Staff uniforms are equally distinctive.
“In Sydney, the trend is for waiters to wear white T-shirts and neutral aprons,” Gurney said. “But we wanted to counter that with a more unique look.”
And so, servers scurry from the open kitchen to the cluster of two dozen or so tables in T-shirts emblazoned with the image of a Bengal tiger. The animal’s colors carry over into the design of the high-ceiling dining room as well, which is accented with black, white and orange.
Tables are close enough that it’s most fun to order by simply spying what’s on someone else’s plate then asking the waiter about it. This approach will likely lead to a dish of Bang Bhaji: supercrisp kale fritters that don’t crumble on the way from plate to mouth as so many do. (The secret is chickpea batter.
From there, it is best to keep peeking around until you spot your next course. And if it just so happens to be the likes of Russell Crowe at a nearby table, you may be too busy focusing on what he’s eating to notice that there is a bona fide Australian celebrity in your midst.
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