Tucked deep in a Sydney business district laneway is Flyover Friterie ...... a window counter out of which is dispensed some of the most beloved street food snacks from the Indian subcontinent, along with cheery smiles and hot cups of chai.
The menu is so mouthwatering and enticing that I challenge anyone to walk away because they've actually discovered that the food is....vegan. You'd not miss any of your non- vegan hankerings with the tastes on offer. Crunchy and creamy, spicy and sour, sweet and hot. The explosion of tastes inside your mouth will carry you so far away as to not want for anything else... except maybe some delicious hot chai to wash it all down with.
We found the place in Temperance Lane like a treasure hunt, turning a corner, and happening upon the neon pink marks on the ground, leading past casually scattered stools to the Friterie window.
The Weeknd was playing on Spotify and there was a cheery, safely distanced bustle as the steady stream of city workers rocked up for their daily fix.
Ordering is not hard with the short menu. Warning: you'll want all of it.
The fritters though- they are the mainstay and what they are is this: in India, they would be called a bhaji or a pakora. Much like tempura, they are all kinds of vegetables dipped in a delicious chickpea batter and DEEP FRIED. Served up in paper cones, with the required ultra-delicious tamarind or green chutney topping, or a clever accompaniment to a creamy khichri (porridgy-like lentils or grains, gently flavoured with spices. Here at the Friterie, the menu offers different flavoured khichris, veggies-in-season pakoras, and rotating street style salads each week. The menu may be small, but you'll never be bored.
The khichri varieties at Flyover Friterie are the sort you'd want to send out for on any of these occasions: when you're feeling blue, when you're a little unwell, when you're needing a little comfort, or if you feel like you just need to be well nourished. In fact, you'll wonder why it isn't available at every corner so you can run over quickly every time you feel like it. The warm and creamy deliciousness of slow cooked grains and pulses flavoured just right are like a soothing balm in your stomach.
The next time you're racing around in the city, do yourself a favour and give your tastebuds a lively little holiday. Whether its a quick snack piled into a paper cone or a more hearty pao burger, you'll be dreaming about your next Friterie feast.
1 Temperance Lane
Sydney CBD, 2000
Laneway off 389 George Street
Hours: Tues-Fri 10.30 am to 2 pm