Cafe Tanja
If it weren’t for the other diners at Cafe Tanja, you might feel as if you’re in a north African home. Knick-knacks extend from embroidered cushions to a framed Zinedine Zidane football jersey (the Algerian connection) and, like any good hosts, Sanah Djebli and Nadim El-Zein are characters in the small dining room. This is one of the city’s few places to get North African food: briny chicken tajines with more olives than a Turkish picnic; Algerian-style fried eggs spiced with cumin; and brittle brik pastry concealing potato, egg and cheese.
638 Crown Street, Surry Hills, instagram.com/cafetanjasurryhills
Com Ga Ba Nga Hoi An
The name Com Ga Ba Nga Hoi An gives a strong clue as to what’s on every table here: Hoi An-style com ga, the combination of gently poached and shredded chicken with sunshine-yellow turmeric rice. Order the special, and it’s a whole-bird affair, complete with a saucy braise of liver, giblets and yolk, plus papaya salad to cut the richness. Also try springy rice noodle soup, cao lau, and crisp snail rolls.
2/82-84 John Street, Cabramatta
Gumshara
Mori Higashida moved Gumshara down the road in 2023, and the queue at his ramen bar only seems to have grown larger. Join the line and experience the unadulterated pleasure of his “number three” tonkotsu ramen, featuring incredibly giving slices of pork and an optional seasoned egg that’s essential, really, for all its jammy deliciousness. The dried fish-enhanced tonkotsu manages to pack in even more umami, and don’t forget extras from the self-serve table.
9 Kimber Lane, Haymarket, gumshara.com