Cafe Freda's Pop-Up: Racha's Syrian Kitchen and Welcome Merchant

Overview

Since opening on New Year's Eve 2020/21, Cafe Freda's has become the bustling restaurant, neighbourhood bar and creative space Sydneysiders hoped it would be following the closure of its beloved predecessor. Five days a week, the Taylor's Square venue serves up selections from its ever-changing menu and hosts local musicians, artists and DJs. However, this Sunday, June 20, something special is going down with the next iteration of Cafe Freda's Sunday chef pop-ups — and it's all for a good cause.

This installment of the series is a collaboration with Sydney-based Syrian food caterer Racha's Syrian Kitchen and Welcome Merchant, an organisation that works with refugee and asylum seeker entrepreneurs to support their businesses in Australia. The pop-up will help support Racha's Syrian Kitchen and raise money for Welcome Merchant, so you can order a range of a la carte goodies or splurge on the set menu ($65) guilt-free.

Those that elect for the set menu will start with kishqeh, fatoush salad and kebet selek made with finely ground potato, sauteed swiss chard, onion, garlic, pomegranate and walnuts. The two choices when it comes to the main meal are a chicken shwarma plate and fattet magdous, an eggplant and fried pita bread dish, which will be followed sha'ebeyat made with handmade filo pastry filled with thick fresh cream or walnut.

Above Cafe Freda's at the Abstract Thoughts gallery, Welcome Merchant will also be presenting a group exhibition titled Finding Self from 2pm–6pm. Four artists, Emmanuel Asante, Nadia Obeid, Najla Sbei and Raneen Shamon, will present works exploring the construction and deconstruction of cultural identity. Dylan Berg will be on hand for the exhibition, playing tunes from African and Middle Eastern regions.

Images: Cassandra Hannagan