Latest news with #MixedBusiness
The Age
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
The family-run bar our critic would be stoked to have on his own street
If you're an inner-west local who's into hummus, falafel and house-made sausages, you likely already know Emma's intimately. The tight-packed space is invariably pumping with at least three generations of regulars, thanks to competitive prices, BYO and minimum-fuss, flavour-charged food. I once had a girlfriend who lived in Stanmore and, more or less, lived off Emma's lamb and pine nut-filled lady fingers for six months. Mixed Business is a 'prequel', not just because it celebrates George and Emma's original shop: the family also used to live here. The bathroom – handsomely decorated with caramel tiles and an Arabic For Your Eyes Only poster that I dearly need for my own Roger Moore collection – was Anthony's childhood bedroom. His own kids – George, 22, and Charlie, 20 – now help run the bar. It's more spacious than Emma's below, but still feels homely, thanks to dozens of Sofy family photos and frames straight from the 1988 Copperart Christmas catalogue. There's wood panelling, vinyl chairs and custom-made ashtrays that function as bowls for mixed nuts. Bartender Jimmy Pollestad has put together an approachable drinks list of classics, highballs and house cocktails, such as an amaretto and arak spritz. Pop in for a martini and a plate of olives and cucumber, or wrangle dinner out of a short menu doing its own Aussie suburban thing and separate to the carte downstairs. A fried chicken sandwich is made on soft, good-on-ya-mum white bread and spread thick with toum, annually voted the world's most garlicky garlic sauce for the past two centuries. Puffy, crunchy, salt-and-vinegar potato scallops are nostalgia made manifest; fries come with a deeply delicious curry gravy you'll feel inclined to dip your sandwich into, too.
Sydney Morning Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The family-run bar our critic would be stoked to have on his own street
If you're an inner-west local who's into hummus, falafel and house-made sausages, you likely already know Emma's intimately. The tight-packed space is invariably pumping with at least three generations of regulars, thanks to competitive prices, BYO and minimum-fuss, flavour-charged food. I once had a girlfriend who lived in Stanmore and, more or less, lived off Emma's lamb and pine nut-filled lady fingers for six months. Mixed Business is a 'prequel', not just because it celebrates George and Emma's original shop: the family also used to live here. The bathroom – handsomely decorated with caramel tiles and an Arabic For Your Eyes Only poster that I dearly need for my own Roger Moore collection – was Anthony's childhood bedroom. His own kids – George, 22, and Charlie, 20 – now help run the bar. It's more spacious than Emma's below, but still feels homely, thanks to dozens of Sofy family photos and frames straight from the 1988 Copperart Christmas catalogue. There's wood panelling, vinyl chairs and custom-made ashtrays that function as bowls for mixed nuts. Bartender Jimmy Pollestad has put together an approachable drinks list of classics, highballs and house cocktails, such as an amaretto and arak spritz. Pop in for a martini and a plate of olives and cucumber, or wrangle dinner out of a short menu doing its own Aussie suburban thing and separate to the carte downstairs. A fried chicken sandwich is made on soft, good-on-ya-mum white bread and spread thick with toum, annually voted the world's most garlicky garlic sauce for the past two centuries. Puffy, crunchy, salt-and-vinegar potato scallops are nostalgia made manifest; fries come with a deeply delicious curry gravy you'll feel inclined to dip your sandwich into, too.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Beloved family-run eatery opens nostalgic small bar in old childhood home
While there'll be a tight cocktail list, and even the occasional Lebanese wine, Anthony said Mixed Business isn't exclusively alcohol fuelled: 'We'll serve stovetop Lebanese coffee, it isn't just a bar, it's a community [venue].' The local neighbourhood has a strong pull for the restaurateur and bar owner. Growing up 'above the shop', Anthony recalls being able to roam the area 'until the street lights came on'. Despite eventually moving nearby, there are times he misses life above the shop. 'There was always something happening, noise,' he said. George Sofy, who died in 1987, would trust regulars at the shop in the 1970s and '80s to run up a tab, often without knowing their name. 'He gave them nicknames, like Blondie.' There were a couple of complaints in the early days about the smell of garlic wafting out of Emma Sofy's kitchen, but her culinary skills and eye for detail are still a big part of the business. Anthony likens Emma to a secret shopper. Likely to turn up at any time, with her eye on every detail. Now, Emma will have to add upstairs to her tour.
The Age
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Beloved family-run eatery opens nostalgic small bar in old childhood home
While there'll be a tight cocktail list, and even the occasional Lebanese wine, Anthony said Mixed Business isn't exclusively alcohol fuelled: 'We'll serve stovetop Lebanese coffee, it isn't just a bar, it's a community [venue].' The local neighbourhood has a strong pull for the restaurateur and bar owner. Growing up 'above the shop', Anthony recalls being able to roam the area 'until the street lights came on'. Despite eventually moving nearby, there are times he misses life above the shop. 'There was always something happening, noise,' he said. George Sofy, who died in 1987, would trust regulars at the shop in the 1970s and '80s to run up a tab, often without knowing their name. 'He gave them nicknames, like Blondie.' There were a couple of complaints in the early days about the smell of garlic wafting out of Emma Sofy's kitchen, but her culinary skills and eye for detail are still a big part of the business. Anthony likens Emma to a secret shopper. Likely to turn up at any time, with her eye on every detail. Now, Emma will have to add upstairs to her tour.
