Coya

Chef Saleh has created an amazing experience for foodies that is truly world-class. The flavours and techniques are a fusion of East and West with a refinement that you'd usually only see in the world's best restaurants. Can't recommend this experience highly enough! Bravo to Chef, Kit and the whole team at Coya! Thanks for hosting us on this memorable food journey.

Themed dinners give chefs an opportunity to bust outside the mundane repetition of reproducing their regular menu, and flex their creativity and skills. They’re a chance to woo diners onto the dark side of eating things they’re not familiar with; dishes that might not sell on an everyday menu. At Coya, on the back streets of Cromer (part of Sydney’s Northern Beaches), Chef Ashraf Saleh is flexing his formidable skills with a well-priced, six-course Game Dinner ($69/person). Before you turn up your nose and tell me you don’t eat camel, in Saleh’s capable hands, the intensity of game is gentled into easy-to-like, approachable creations. Dishes, like our opening venison nayeh, meld strong French technique with Arabic influences to come up with harmonious cross-cultural collisions. Seasoned raw venison is turned from a mould then topped with horseradish cream and chilli pearls that burst on the tongue with bright capsaicin. It’s surrounded by fluffy wasabi pea dust and garnished with a rice puff that reminds me of panipuri. What’s even better, this hybrid dish is as tasty as it is eye-catching. Showing a remarkable knack for plating, Saleh’s three Southern fried quail tulips sit upon an organic looking rice cracker seasoned with kale dust. Quail tulips – in case you were wondering – are quail legs with the thigh bone removed, and the delicate poultry meat wrapped around the drumstick bone in a tulip formation. Dipped into a little pot of chilli aioli, they're finger-licking good. The green dust has a clever gunpowder note that reminds me of cracker night when I was a kid, and inclines me to eat the whole rice cracker. Next Saleh shows the versatility of kangaroo by reimagining it as kangaroo brandade. Textbook crumbing and not even a hint of the iron-rich flavour that can be off-putting about ‘roo help to make these three well-sized croquettes impressive when you drag them through tangy raspberry and balance them with lemon. A big, savoury hit of roasted rabbit runs though the hare parcels, which are basically a riff upon the manti (Turkish dumplings) I enjoyed last time I was at Coya. The textural, chewy dumplings are nestled in a fluffy cauliflower velouté so lovely I’d have been happy just to eat a bowl of it. Basil oil and edible flowers that actually have a flavour, pretty up this bowl of Turkish-inspired comfort food. By the time we get to the camel that was probably making some diners nervous, the sunny little dining room is full of convivial good cheer. Holding court at the front table are Australian cooking legend, Janni Kyritsis and his former acolyte who cooked with him at MG Garage, Lauren Murdoch, now an award-winning chef in her own right. Tucked between a soft mattress of potato puree and a delicate top sheet of daikon, the tagine braised camel sits somewhere between beef and lamb. Long fibres of spiced meat remind me of rendang, and are easy to like against gently employed preserved lemon. We float back to the CBD on a super-tart passionfruit cloud that enveloped ice cream and tangy yoghurt. It’s perfect to clean up your palate after a game dinner that really belied my expectations about gamey intensity. There’s still time to book in for Coya’s next fancy feast that is taking place this Sunday, 26 May, 2019. This time chef Saleh is doing an entirely Vegan Tasting Menu ($59/head) that kicks off with vegetarian tartare, and ends the five savoury courses on mushroom shawarma before an intriguing chickpea take on dairy free dessert.

I really enjoyed my night out here with my wife recently. The quality of the food was great and for the price it is really good value. We will definately be going back to this hidden little gem on the beaches . My only suggestion would be to include an option for matching wines with the degustation menu.

Randomly located in Cromer Suburbia it's actually really delightful. The degustation menu is a no brainer with a great selection of beautifully presented and flavourful foods. Dessert was so good, and tasty, everything was cooked perfectly, with a great blend of tastes. The barramundi was a bit too salty for my liking but otherwise everything was great! The dishes came out with a little introduction and everyone got it all at same time (beauty of a degustation meal!) I saw some reviews about noise level and yes it was noisy (attended on a Wednesday evening and it was packed) but it didn't disrupt our group... be cautious though if you intend to eat in a quiet restaurant. Service was good and very friendly - this is a real hidden gem in the northern beaches.

Had been wanting to go here for a while and finally got the chance with friends last Saturday night. The food is nice and well presented hence the 3 stars. The service left a lot to be desired. We arrived on time at 7:30pm and our friends were running a little late. The waitress asked at 7:33pm where are they because they want to start serving. Our friends arrived a short time later less than 10 minutes after booking time. We then asked to have wine matching which we were advised we could confirm on the night. We were told we could not have it as there was not enough time. We decided to just go with a couple of bottles of wine at which time we were told they would let us do wine matching. We politely declined. The rest of the night we felt like we were not welcome. Cutlery was literally just thrown on the table with no care and the waitress missed explaining some of the dishes. I would not say don’t go to Coya as the food is lovely however myself and our 4 friends who are also northern beaches locals will not return and would certainly not go out of our way to recommend.

Recently spent a dining experience at this little venue in a row of suburban shops nestled in the quiet streets of Cromer in the Northern Beaches. Whilst dining with friends the food by chef Ash was delicious and creative, the attitude and behaviour however of the chef in this small establishment was childish and condescending disrupting our dining experience and on many occasions our conversation. The Gordon Ramsay of a off the grid restaurant. We came to dine on good food and conversation with friends, not deal with a insecure chef with anger issues. The toilet facilities were of a petrol station standard. As per the response ( as per previous) from the proprietor please don’t script a pleasantry or deniability response. This was the reality of our experience as patrons and will not be back.