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News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Wild': Owner of viral Sydney cafe responds to shock decision
When Myra Karakelle decided to leave her marketing job and law degree behind to open a sandwich shop in Surry Hills, Sydney, she never expected the deli to become a viral sensation. 'The corporate world just wasn't really rewarding or gave me any satisfaction,' Ms Karakelle told So, after Covid prompted her to make a career change, she set her sights on opening a 'hole in the wall' sandwich shop, something intimate and local. And her gamble paid off. Since opening in March, MLK Deli quickly outgrew the quaint vision she had for it. 'We definitely didn't think it would be a 'destination' spot where people would travel just to try our food,' she admits. 'The original plan was just to serve our community – but it was incredibly rewarding and uplifting to see such a positive response'. On weekends, people from across Sydney and even Australia line up to try their famous sandwiches, with 'wild' queues often snaking down the street. Much of this buzz, Ms Karakelle says, is thanks to the now-legendary Risky Brisket sandwich, which catapulted them into the Instagram and TikTok foodie spotlight. The sandwich became a viral hit thanks to its generous 170-180 gram portion of grass-fed brisket. 'It's a labour of love,' she laughs. 'We brine each slab of brisket for six to seven days, then on the day of serving, we start early at around 5am, rub it with our house spices, smoke it for a few hours, then cook it further'. To assemble the sandwich, they add melted Swiss cheese and some sauerkraut, and serve it with a side of pickles and salt-and-vinegar chips. It costs $22.90, and if that seems steep, it doesn't seem to scare off many customers. 'We go through about 15 to 20 kilos of brisket daily, and on crazy days, we sell around 250 sandwiches until we run out,' Ms Karakelle explains. When demand exceeds supply, fans flood Google reviews and social media to rant about missing out. And that's exactly what happened this weekend – all because the deli couldn't put the famous sandwich on the menu on one of the days. 'The brisket came out of the oven and didn't meet our quality standards,' she says. 'We had used a different supplier due to current beef supply issues, and it just wasn't tender enough'. Despite knowing they could 'get away with' still using the brisket by adding extra sauces or slicing it thinner, Ms Karakelle says that wasn't an option for her. 'These are all shortcuts and just not the right thing to do,' she said. When fans came to the counter disappointed, some quickly took to the internet to vent. 'My phone was blowing up, people were spamming us, and we were getting all these one-star reviews,' she recalls. 'I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me' – it broke my heart'. Wanting to address the backlash in one go, she decided to make a TikTok video explaining what had happened. 'Even if some people hate us, at least they can understand why we made that decision. It wasn't because 'We don't know how to supply our shop properly,' as some suggested – it was an issue of quality,' she explains. Support flooded in from commenters and fans. 'You actually chose to be a responsible business and not serve a bad product?! Please don't apologise! You did the right thing!' read one comment. Another added, 'I'd much rather that than be served something rubbish! Good on you for taking pride in what you serve'. Despite the tough couple of days, Ms Karakelle is hopeful that the ordeal will only further promote their high standards to customers. 'If this can serve as a reminder of how we operate, then there's a lesson in that. Like all the bad things, they happen for a reason,' she says.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Owner of cafe behind 'viral' sandwich responds to backlash over shock move: 'It could have been worse'
A cafe owner has hit back at disgruntled customers following backlash over her decision to stop selling a menu item they're famous for due to a 'quality' issue. MLK Deli owner Myra Karakelle said she made the difficult decision to pull Risky Brisket off the menu on Saturday after it failed to meet her high standards. The Surry Hills cafe, which opened in March 2024, has been attracting huge crowds daily, with many travelling far and wide for its signature sandwich - The Risky Brisket, which consistently sells out. The rye ciabatta is packed with lashings of six-hour slow-cooked smoked brisket, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and the deli's signature MLK House sauce - served with a side of pickles and salt and vinegar chips. Despite offering eight different sandwiches on the menu, customers were furious after visiting the cafe on Saturday - only to find that the fan favourite Risky Brisket was unavailable. 'The reason for that was because the brisket that we had prepared did not pass our quality test,' the owner said in a video. 'It was not good enough to serve to you. It was not good enough to take your money for and it was not good enough to put our name to... But I promise you it would have been worse if we served you a cr*p meal.' Myra said she wasn't aware of the poor quality meat until after completing the full seven-day preparation process - brining, cooking and then smoking it. 'It generally takes up to six hours every day to slow cook it. Our mornings start from 5am - this consists of smoking the brisket then transferring it to cook,' Myra told Daily Mail Australia. 'On average we sell three slabs of brisket a day, which equates to approximately 15-20kg. We keep each slab of brisket in brine for six to seven days before the day of cooking so it's a lengthy process.' When it came time to serve on Saturday, the employees realised the meat was 'not tender enough' and Myra said she couldn't risk letting customers eat something she thought felt like 'chewing rubber'. 'I asked the team to not sell three slabs of brisket that we had prepared that day. It was very difficult and I'm sure we disappointed a lot of people,' she said. 'I am really sorry for that, but I think I would have been much more sorrier if we had taken your money and served you a meal that was not good enough. 'We put our integrity to it and we also wouldn't want to do that just in general. I understand it was very frustrating and I'm very sorry, but I think I would have been much more sorry if you had a s*** meal.' Despite her reasonable explanation, some customers took their frustration online - leaving one-star reviews for her cafe on Google. 'The customer reactions were wild and not what I expected at all. One person even heavily criticised us on multiple platforms, comparing us to KFC running out of chicken,' Myra told Daily Mail Australia. 'We received one-star Google reviews for not having it. Albeit we are susceptible to one-star reviews even when we sell out. 'It's incredible how much our customers love our brisket, but their frustrations when they can't have it are just as intense. We will always strive for quality over quantity/sales. 'That is out of respect to our brand and also out of respect to our customers. I really hope that can be understood.' Myra said she felt it was important to address the issue as she didn't want to disappoint her customers, especially those who had travelled far for the sought-after sandwich. 'Everyone deals with frustration differently and I completely understand why it would have been annoying to come all the way to Surry Hills and not get something that you were hoping to have,' she said. The owner said they run their business out of a 90-square metre shop with limited space so they don't have a central kitchen or a cool room. 'We are only able to brine, smoke and cook certain amounts of brisket every day,' she explained. 'I wish we had a bigger space... It would mean that we would be able to produce bigger volumes, but we are not a big fast food chain. We are a very small shop in Surry Hills and we are a family business, so please bear with us.' Myra said the issue arose after her cafe received a 'cut of meat that was a different brand' than what they usually get from their supplier. 'It wasn't flagged as a problem but unfortunately it did not behave the same way that our usual cuts of brisket does,' she explained. However, she confirmed the venue has since switched back to its usual high-quality meat so she expects the problem won't happen again. She said The Risky Brisket sandwiches are constantly selling out so she urged customers to arrive early to avoid missing out again. 'Thank you for selling it out, but we cannot produce more. We physically from a logistics point of view, we cannot produce more,' she said. 'We do not have the space, we do not have the means and we just don't have the possibility. So we cook as much as we can every single morning. She added: 'I just needed to jump on and to clear the air for anyone who came in and couldn't have the Risky Brisket or was frustrated or dealt with it differently, I am sorry, I am sorry, but I would have been sorrier if you had a cr*p meal.' Dozens of loyal customers jumped to the cafe's defence, with one saying: 'Thank you for taking pride in quality of the food you serve. Sorry you felt the need to explain it. People need to chill and come back another day.' 'You are the best of the best on the sandwich game! I'm so sorry for any hate or negativity you got. You don't deserve it! Can't wait to see you soon,' another said. 'You owned it. You dealt with it. Beautifully handled, you'll always have our business,' one shared. 'These things happen, you don't owe people an explanation yet you still gave it.. Just shows the type of person you are. Love your business, love your food and love you! Keep pushing, there is always going to be people that complain about something, can't always please everyone,' another added.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Police renew appeal for information over 2005 disappearance of Sydney man Simon Knight
Police are appealing once again for information 20 years to the day since Sydney man Simon Knight disappeared from a Surry Hills hotel. Mr Knight was 32 when he was last seen at a Crown Street hotel on the morning of July 21, 2005, with few clues leading detectives to what happened to the aspiring chef. He was soon reported missing to police by his parents after not showing up to a shift at a Newtown cafe later that same day. Despite a reward increase from $100,000 to $250,000 in 2020, no information has shed light on Mr Knight in the years since he vanished. On Monday his father Bob Knight gave a heartfelt plea in a bid to help find his son. "The family is still waiting, we're hoping one day we will get the answers and closure. "So please if you know anything, please get in touch with the police or Crime Stoppers." While Mr Knight's case was not part of the inquiry, it was referenced in the NSW legislative council's 2021 final report into gay and transgender hate crimes between 1970 and 2010. The report stated when his parents first reported him missing, an officer told them: "Gays go missing all the time … he'll turn up." It added a 2013 magazine article quoted a police officer from Redfern claiming that "despite conjecture that [Mr Knight] may have contracted HIV, he was believed to be alive and well". A coroner in 2015 concluded that Mr Knight was believed to be dead, though the circumstances are unknown. When his parents were granted permission to see the review into his case at Kings Cross Police Station in 2019, they were only given 15 minutes before "they felt the attending officer getting impatient so they left", the report stated. "Later on we've had good support, in regard to that in the early stage, yes that was the case," Mr Knight's father said. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Police Minister Yasmin Catley said his disappearance had shattered his loved ones. "His disappearance has left a devastating void in this family, the disappearance of a loved one leaves a void in every family and this family is no different," she said. "And there are no answers as to what happened to Simon on that night. This family have been grieving now for two decades, 20 years, it's a long time. "It may be the case with the passage of time you feel more comfortable coming forward." South Sydney Police Area Commander Chris Hill said the items Mr Knight was last seen with — a camera and a bike — have never been found. Sharing memories of her brother, Mr Knight's sister Francis said the loss had been "massive". "Simon and I were your typical siblings, we fought all the time we also had a lot of fun," she said. "The loss of him has been massive, he's never met my girls. "I'd love to just fight with him again … we lost such an important person in our life. A little bit of the fun went with him as well."
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
NSW Police launch fresh $250k appeal for information on missing Sydney chef Simon Knight
The family of missing Sydney chef Simon Knight has delivered a fresh appeal for 'answers' 20 years after the young man disappeared. 'Our family are still waiting, hoping one day we will get answers and closure, so please, if you know anything, please get in touch with the police or Crime Stoppers' Simon's father Bob Knight said on Monday. A $250,000 reward has been offered for any information leading to the discovery of Simon's whereabouts or disclosing the circumstances of his disappearance. Simon, a chef, was last seen at a hotel on Crown St in Sydney's Surry Hills on the morning of July 21, 2005. When the 32-year-old did not arrive for his shift at a cafe in Newtown later that day, he was reported missing to police. Despite extensive investigations at the time, and over the years, Simon has never been found. A second coronial inquest in 2015 found that it was likely Simon had died, the police said on Monday. His body has never been located and the circumstances of his disappearance are unknown. At the time of his disappearance, Simon was described as being of caucasian appearance, 183cm tall, with blue eyes, a fair complexion, red hair and facial hair. When he was last seen, it is believed he was wearing a dark green T-shirt and blue jeans. Sydney detectives continue to investigate Simon's disappearance under Strike Force Glenlea. Police Minister Yasmin Catley said Simon's family needed answers. 'Losing a loved one is devastating, but the not knowing makes the loss so much harder,' she said. 'Today we appeal to anyone who might have the smallest piece of information, which can help police bring answers about Simon's disappearance for the Knight family.' South Sydney Police Area commander Acting Superintendent Christopher Hill said police believed there was someone out there who knew something about Simon's disappearance. 'To support this search for answers, anyone who may have held onto information since Simon's disappearance is urged to come forward,' Superintendent Hill said. 'We are keen to speak with anyone who lived or frequented Crown and Oxford streets, Surry Hills, in July 2005, particularly if they knew Simon and have not yet spoken to police. 'Any piece of new information – no matter how seemingly insignificant – could be the key to solve this case and help provide much-needed answers to Simon's family about what happened to him.'
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
The ‘naked dress' trend has suffered a PR problem
OPINION There are certain fashion trends that, no matter how often they appear on the red carpet, always seem to teeter on the edge of cliché and trying too hard. Naked dressing, with its catchy, oxymoronic name, is one of those trends. The phrase encompasses everything from sheer fabrics, risqué cut-outs, and garments made entirely of strategically placed beads, or, in the case of Zoe Kravitz at the 2021 Met Gala, sexy chain-mail. Since Kate Moss rocked that see-through slip dress with little black briefs in 1993, celebrities from Rihanna and Beyoncé to Emily Ratajkowski, the entire KarJenner clan, and perhaps most infamously, Bianca Censori, have all tried their hand at the daring fashion statement. But for me, there's always been something about this sartorial choice that seems a bit … well, obvious. Let me preface this by saying that if the 'free the nipple' movement had only one fan, it would be me. Sometimes I even wish I could pull off the look myself, but I am nothing but a mere mortal – and cosplaying as a near-naked celebrity while walking the streets of Surry Hills on my lunch break might get me arrested for public indecency. That said, while I've wholeheartedly supported the spirit of this trend, I've wanted to speak to the manager about it a few times. Because as much as I believe it's empowering in theory, the execution often feels off, and overly sexual just for the sake of it. Too often, the looks focus solely on shock value, with bare boobs and bums front and centre. Again, I don't mind showing off your boobs. Honestly – there's something deeply satisfying about women reclaiming their bodies and dressing however they please, especially when it unsettles men who still think they get a say. But when I look to celebrities for fashion inspiration, their bare boobs are just not going to make the cut on my Pinterest board. The trend is stuck in a cycle of, 'Who can create the most out-there look'. The problem is, when everyone jumps on the bandwagon and takes their clothes off, there's only so far you can go. We can't keep stripping forever. I wish celebrities would start trying to incorporate the subtle art of a chic nipple into everyday outfits – in a way that the average Muggle can actually attempt to emulate. Of course, celebrities don't owe us anything – except the exact details of what they asked their plastic surgeons for – but it would be nice to be able to get some fashion inspiration from them again. Because right now, the naked trend has hit a wall. That is, until a recent photo landed on my WFH desk this morning, and I thought, finally, there could be some hope. Brooks Nader, the Sports Illustrated model who is currently having a moment after being papped at the Sanchez-Bezos wedding, has somehow made the naked trend fashionable, and dare I say, elegant. Yes, she has a body that fits society's beauty standards, and her perfectly perky breasts are easy to transform into something stylish (bigger boobs haven't had that privilege historically), but I think credit should be given where it's due – and she's nailed it. While she's built her reputation as a glamorous cover girl, it would be easy for her to take this trend in a sexualised, male-gazey direction. Instead, through various stylistic choices, she's elevated it to what it always had the potential to be: something truly chic. Part of Nader's genius is in her choice to wear a maxi dress with long sleeves and a high neck, deliberately covering everything except her chest. The on-trend yet timeless polka dot dress is flowy but tailored in all the right places. Unlike nude-coloured dresses, the navy softens the overall look, making it less overt and more quietly sophisticated. Of course, her hair, makeup, and accessories all contribute too. Her balayage hair is full, bouncy, and blow-dried in an '80s supermodel kind of way. Her glowing skin also adds to the effect, while chunky gold earrings finish the vintage-inspired look. And we can't forget the sunglasses at night. It's a move that could easily feel try-hard, but here, they're the perfect finishing touch, adding a hint of mystery when her outfit otherwise leaves little to the imagination. Finally, just in case you're still not convinced this is a fashion masterpiece, her pilates princess posture is the final piece of the puzzle that ensures she pulls the look off. While it's easy to dismiss the naked trend as attention-seeking or tacky, I urge you to give it another go. I reckon we're just starting to see its evolution.
