Gaziantep Sweets — Restaurant in Sydney

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a professional in the food industry, just a Bloke who loves to eat, so please take my comments with a pinch of salt Last came here about 2~3 weeks ago, tried their "Dessert platter" dishes: 1) Kanafeh and the 2) Huge slice of Baklava with Turkish ice cream in it. Was really impressed during my first visit despite them serving the second dessert with Vanilla gelato instead as they ran out of Turkish. As I could not stop thinking of them, I decided to return today and indulge myself again. Desserts ordered today: 1)Fresh Kanafeh (Cheese version coated in some sort of noodle), 2)Rice Pudding (Served Cold), 3) Huge slice of Baklava with Turkish ice cream in it. (Can't remember the name T.T) Impression(s):

1. Kanafeh : Aesthetics: Probably shallow fried in ghee/butter till golden brown on the outside, seriously hope they did not use some vegetable oil (e.g. Canola, etc.). Good sprinkle of crushed pistachios as garnish along. Good colour contrast against the serving plate. Temperature: Served Warm Texture(s): Encasing noodle layer is crispy on the outside whilst the inner homemade cheese layer is soft and stretchy. Flavour profile: Good to find that it was not drowned in syrup (i.e. not too sweet nor plain). Some dessert joints flavour their syrup with rose water essence. Not too sure if they intend to follow suit. Taste pretty good to me right now. -Verdict: 5/5
2. Rice Pudding: -Aesthetics: Top might have been caramelised with a hand held blow torch like what they do for crème Brulee or baked in an oven as it was prepared in a little terracotta like ramekin? Nothing really much to comment on really. Please look at the attached picture. -Temperature: Served Cold. Would have preferred it served warm actually. The grains of rice in the pudding were a bit ?hard. I'm not the expert of Turkish desserts so maybe this is how it's done? -Texture: So you have the caramelised layer on the top, when you dig deeper in, there are these grains of rice embedded in a pool of custard like cream. -Flavour profile: Straight up dairy like creaminess sweetened with sugar +/- the ?smokiness from the caramelised top. Did it have any other layers of flavour? I believe some places add a bit of Cardamom or Cinnamon to such similar desserts? -Verdict: 3/5 3)Huge slice of Baklava with Turkish ice cream in it. (Can't remember the name T.T) -Aesthetics: The first layer of pastry followed by Ice-cream, pistachios then final layer of pastry were well defined. Generous sprinkle of crushed pistachios over the dish as well. -Temperature: Inner layer of ice cream was cold (Duh.) The pastry layers of the slice of Baklava were at room temperature. I'm just wondering if there is a way to serve the Baklava warm along with the Cold Ice cream for that added touch? Might cause the ice cream to melt excessively though. Shrugs -Texture: Pretty much as how you would expect it to be. The surround pastry is somewhat crunchy (being soaked in syrup does take away some of the crispiness). The Ice-cream adds the cold and creamy layer. Last two layers are like what you get Baklava, Pistachios and then more pastry. Again some places add a bit of rose water essence to their sugary syrup? It's a personal preference I guess. -Flavour Profile: Baklava with Ice-cream, period. -Verdict: 4/5 Summary: My favourite would definitely be the Kanafeh - You get a good mix of the crispy crunchy carbohydrate substrate (with oily goodness!) along with the creamy fatty milk protein from the cheese and earthiness from the pistachios sweetened by the syrup. Look at the picture(s), then go try it yourselves. You won't be disappointed. Suggestion(s) from the Clueless Bloke:
3. Provide the option of serving the Kanafeh with Ice cream on the side? 2) Provide the option of having the rice pudding served warm/hot? (Perhaps employ the use of gentle microwaving/double-boiling/bane-marie-ing?) 3) Provide the option of serving the giant slice of Baklava warm? (Reheating the delicate pastry whilst retaining it's original textures might prove to be difficult task? I...

The city of Gaziantep, renowned for its culinary prowess, is a haven for baklava enthusiasts seeking the pinnacle of sweetness. Among its esteemed offerings, Gaziantep Auburn stands as a beacon of excellence, crafting baklava that transcends mere confectionery to become an art form.

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In conclusion, Gaziantep Auburn's baklava is more than just a dessert; it's a celebration of tradition, craftsmanship, and the unparalleled beauty of Gaziantep's culinary landscape. With its exquisite taste, impeccable quality, and unwavering dedication to excellence, it's no wonder that Gaziantep Auburn's baklava is hailed as the best...

I’ve had Gaziantep sweets several times - whether it be take away or dine in as it is also a cafe. I’ve had visitors from overseas and decided to take them there for some baklava and tea/ coffee. When we walked in the shop was totally empty with roughly 6 staff members standing and chit chatting behind the counters . I made my guests sit down and walked to the counter. I’ve asked if they no longer had table service and one abrupt woman told no they do not table service. Which is so odd as every table has table numbers and they serve tea in Turkish tea cups and the sweets on porcelain or Corelle plates . Anyway I ordered 3 plates worth of sweets and ice cream for the children. I carried all myself to the table and felt very uncomfortable knowing 6 staff members are just chit chatting and have no care for us. We ate and drank and the shop started getting busy . As it was quite full we noticed they did table service to these new customers . When I approached one of the team members and said why they wouldn’t wait on us and table service her answer was “ we sometimes do “ excuse me????? This is a cafe with hot beverages served also how is this sometimes ? I also said it was easier to service us when we had arrived as no customer was in store besides us .She just walked away from me as she mentioned not to talk to her about this! No problem darling here I am now telling the whole web on how rude , abysmal and disgusting all you staff members were . I must add there was a lovely hijabi girl who was nice to me as I also bought some baklava to take home. Overall disturbing and embarrassing as I had visitors...