Overview
As Melbourne's hospitality scene starts to reboot and doors reopen across the city, another groundbreaking player has entered the food scene. In fact, it's Australia's first zero-carbon street food kitchen and it's made its home in Federation Square.
Named Atiyah and run by Therese Helou and her son-in-law Ben Armstrong, the Lebanese kiosk made its debut on Monday, November 2. Not only does the minimalist venue serve up a menu of top-notch Lebanese eats, but it's doing so without a carbon footprint. Atiyah's 100-percent renewables-run kitchen is the first of its kind in this country, with an on-site rainwater filtration system, solar panels, a Tesla battery and a generator powered by waste cooking oil.
Sustainability has been the focus for every element, from the ingredients through to what the final product is served in. Carbon-neutral, compostable packaging is used and all of Atiyah's food waste is transformed into nutrient-rich soil for local community gardens.
Flying from the kitchen, expect to see a range of traditional dips and manakish (handmade flatbreads) grilled to order with various sweet and savoury toppings. Pick from the likes of za'atar with salad, akkawi (an Israeli cheese) and sesame, and a gluten free and vegan choc-hazelnut dessert number. There'll be served alongside the likes of Two Boys Brew kombucha poured from a keg.
When you take a peek at the menu, you'll also notice numbers showing the carbon emissions being saved with each dish and drink. Not only is this food doing good things for the planet, but you can actually calculate the difference being made with each bite.
Find Atiyah at Federation Square, corner of Swanston and Flinders streets. It's open from 11am–9pm daily.