First look: Simon Kardachi goes Greek with new city restaurant Omada
Within the monolithic interiors of Simon Kardachi’s new joint, the restaurateur hopes you’ll come together and break bread, devour gyros and sip on house-made ouzo. CityMag gives you the first look inside the Currie Street dining room, which opens today.
It’s organised chaos when CityMag passes through the enormous deep, sky blue front doors of Simon Kardachi’s newest restaurant Omada.
Stepping out from the lunchtime rush in the early summer heat on Currie Street and into the striking interior of the restaurateur’s much-hyped new venture, it feels like being whisked away into a simulacrum of Athens or the Greek Islands.
Not that this writer has ever been to Greece before, but the monolithic and minimalistic interiors felt instantly relatable but thoroughly modern. There’s no kitsch Acropolis columns or painted urns; rather, cool-toned wood, cream tables and a generous use of natural light from Leigh Street elevate the space and maintain the aura the team has gone for.
The team worked once again with Adelaide interior design studio Studio Gram on the fit-out. It’s the latest partnership between the restaurateur and the studio, which also constructed beautiful worlds for Kardachi’s Latteria, Fugazzi and Osteria Oggi.
But with the dining room swarming with last-minute contractors buzzing about adding finishing touches and staff – like ex-Fugazzi head of bar Tommy Hoff, who now controls the Omada bar, and head chef Andrew Ferrara (formerly of Leigh Street Wine Room) – the site feels less European getaway and more Yiayia’s house on Greek Easter.
“I just want people sitting down – bums on seats,” Omada co-owner and restaurant manager Jenna Eerden tells CityMag in one of the two brown-leather clad bar nooks at the front of the space.
“I’m so not made to build a restaurant. I just want to have people sitting down.
“There’s a high when you see people sit down and eat your food in your venue with a big smile on their face. That is what this is all about.”
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Jenna will get her wish today when Omada officially opens its doors to customers. While the full menu won’t launch until February, eager foodies can get a taste of the offering over the next two months with snacks and drinks to begin.
She says when diners come in, they’ll sit down and break bread with one another. An apt start, considering Omada roughly means “a coming together of people” in Greek.
They’ll enjoy dips with the house-made pita or koulouri – the latter a Greek bagel of sorts made with toasted sesame seeds, doused in honey and baked in a wood oven.
From there, entrées will be served before moving into the large-format mains; think lamb shoulders to share and, eventually, a mixed-grill plate.
“We’ll be breaking down whole animals,” Jenna says.
“You’ll have lots of different cuts of different things that you can try and it will change; maybe there’s heaps of lamb neck one day and a few chops, or maybe there’s heaps of chops and no shoulder. It depends.”
The menu is “pretty meat heavy”, she said, but “there’s also a lot of seafood and a lot of things that can be shared.”
The seasons will be reflected in the tasting menu too, with lighter, fresher seafood to shine in the summer and hearty meats in the winter.
CityMag anticipates the desserts will be a highlight for Omada, with sorbets and baklava to reign supreme. But it’s the crème kataifi that got our mouths drooling.
“It comes out almost like crispy noodles – like Dubai chocolate – but that’s on the bottom, and then it’s got set custard in the middle and that’s roasted with nuts and honey,” Jenna said.
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“Then you put the custard on top, fresh whipped cream on top of that with crunched up nuts all over the top.”
It’ll be served tableside in squares by waitstaff, similar to how Fugazzi serves its tiramisu.
“My waistline is going to go so far out, but that’s okay because it will all be worth it for kataifi,” says Jenna.
Behind the menu is Andrew Ferrara. He’s half-Greek, half-Italian and is the “heart of the kitchen”, part of which is on full display at the very back of the dining space.
“He will be putting on quite the show,” Jenna said.
“When you go to family dinner mum or Yiayia have their backs to you because they’re cooking – but you’re talking to them, you’re mingling, you’re chatting. It’s like being in a dining room. It’s so fun.”
The drinks list is another star of Omada. With the bar in Tommy Hoff’s safe hands, expect a vibrant cocktail list – flirty, fun and thoughtful.
At the centrepiece of the list is house-made spirits, made by Hoff: lychee vermouth, mastic liqueur, pistachio liqueur, clear coffee liqueur and more.
But the ouzo and tsipouro service – selected from across the Greek islands – will be a standout for those wanting to try something new.
The spirits will be available in a range of 200ml bottles, which can be selected by diners and served in a little ice bucket. It’ll stay chilled so you can top yourself up throughout the session.
This is accompanied by a wine list that’s half local and half Greek.
“You may have heard of one Greek varietal and remember this amazing holiday you took in Greece when you were 18: ‘I’m living my best life all over again’,” Jenna said.
“We want people to feel at home, like they are at Yiayia’s house, but it’s a restaurant.
“It’s really paying homage to tradition in terms of the techniques and produce, but it’s not your classic taverna-style experience.”
Omada opens today at 46 Currie Street. Connect with the restaurant on Instagram.
