Review: Olive & Mint

Rest me in a bed of couscous

A plate of Moroccan food is something of a unicorn in greater Sydney. The closest thing most people have come to this elusive cuisine is an unused tagine collecting dust in the musty living room of a friend’s parent’s house - gifted by a wacky uncle who once travelled the world in their prime.

Olive & Mint is a relatively new cafe schooling us on some fascinating flavours and techniques from The Kingdom of the Western Place.

1. Beef de Essaouira

Beef de Essaouira is a dish of stewed beef on a cushion of couscous. What makes this are the auxiliary parts - the caramelised prunes, roasted capsicum, peas and almonds. It’s a meld of nutty, toasted impressions chased by darker slow-cooked touches. The turmeric chicken inspired by the southern coastal city of Agadir is more aromatic and characterised again by beautiful caramelisation. This dish has a fruitier backdrop provided by the raisins and reduced onions, with sweet notes from something else unknown.

Both of these menu items are fucking delicious. The protein, vegetables, fruits and grains are cooked across a warm spectrum of flavours and spices that provide nostalgia in an unfamiliar terrain. The food tastes like a meal cooked in a family household, and when I commented this, the friendly owner indeed revealed it is his mother working her magic back of house. The best part is that this isn’t leveraged as its selling point - it’s not excluding non-hipsters as other joints do. Olive & Mint let’s the food do the talking and educates the public on Moroccan cooking without the pretentious BS. No cap.

2. Chick-in-Agadir

Their mint green shopfront lies amongst an astoundingly diverse and quality strip of food businesses. Your food choices are paralysingly difficult within these few blocks on Illawarra road. From head to tail:

Greek cafe/grocery

Halal Thai

Manoush

Greek sweets

Ogalo

Vietnamese bakery

Classic fruit and vegetable shop

Yeeros

Arab/Mediterranean/South Asian store

Cafe

Japanese

Italian

Mystery fish and chips

Vietnamese

South Pacific

Local butcher

Halal Malaysian

Marrickville Pork Roll bread HQ

Pork roll

Moroccan cafe

Enigmatic sushi

Greek bakery

Cafe

Cafe

Few places in the world could match this awesome gastronomic mosaic in such a small area. What else can you ask for? You can start your day with a world class coffee and mull between a bánh mì, some kourabiethes and baklava, a smoked fish pie or Moroccan stew to name just a couple of options. Bone Apple Tea. Welcome to the 2204 life.

Ibis tip: Keep some gold coins in the pocket!