The team behind popular North Sydney eatery Glorietta has been busy. Not only has it been serving its typical menu of pizza and pasta throughout lockdown, but it’s also launched a second venture out of the same kitchen: Chicken Paradiso. And it wants to make all your fully vaxxed picnics more delicious.
“We’ve had the concept in our back pocket for a while,” Aaron Crinis, owner of Glorietta and Chicken Paradiso, tells Broadsheet. “We love the idea of a small menu of must-have items, full of flavour and the ultimate comfort food. Food that makes you reminisce of childhood moments and travel adventures.”
King of the menu is wood-fired chicken, which comes as a whole chook or a half, with labneh and chipotle. There’s also buttermilk chicken with a big side of maple syrup, and a sturdy fried-chicken sandwich with slaw and pickles on a house-made milk bun. On the side, shaker fries (with a vinegar salt) and pecorino-sprinkled corn on the cob. They’re all the creations of the Glorietta team, which enlisted the helping hand of consultant chef Adam Holt.
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SUBSCRIBE NOW“Naturally, everything is made fresh and from scratch,” says Crinis.
“The chickens are brined in Adam’s secret recipe, then either rolled in secret spices and fried, or roasted and finished in the wood-fire oven, to give that caramelised and charred killer combination.”
The dessert menu comprises three treats made by pastry chef Emily Burton, who’s worked at Bentley, Monopole and Grumpy Donuts in Sydney, as well as Michelin-starred London eateries such as Social Eating House and Portland Restaurant. The most indulgent is probably the chocolate brownie, which is extra delicious with a scoop of gelato from Newtown’s Mapo, available in pints in salted caramel, chocolate, and stracciatella.
That said, Emily’s double choc-chip, cheesecake-filled cookies run a close second. Then there’s a baked lemon tart featuring super-flaky pastry.
It’s all perfect picnic fodder. But no chicken-packed picnic is complete without a refreshing drink to pair it with. To that end, Glen Wheeler, Glorietta’s bar manager, has put together a menu of “vacation” drinks. The Boozy Iced Tea is a blend of sweet tea (half English breakfast, half Earl Grey blueflower), peach liqueur and fresh lemon juice, spiked with Wild Turkey rye whiskey.
The Margarita comes traditional (Espolon Blanco tequila, Triple Sec, fresh lime juice) or Spicy with the tingly hotness of fresh jalapenos. Plus, there’s a traditional alcohol-free lemonade.
Crinis originally imagined Chicken Paradiso as its own hole-in-the-wall spot – and is currently searching for a permanent space to make this a reality.
Orders for pick-up or delivery are available online only. Delivery available Thursday 5pm–8pm, and Friday and Saturday 5pm–8.30pm. Pick up available Wednesday and Saturday 4pm–8.45pm, and Thursday and Friday 4pm–9pm.
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