Cookie Dough, Pop-Up Taquerias and Burgers: The Micro-Trends of Sydney’s 2021 Lockdown

More than three months into Sydney’s lockdown and one thing is clear: this city continues to love a food trend, despite not entering a restaurant since June. When stay-at-home orders first kicked into gear in June we embraced cookie dough and the pop-up taqueria. And since then, we’ve seen multiple trends rise, fall and stick around: bake sales, fine diners flipping burgers and DIY meal kits to help us feel productive. Some might have staying power, others might just be temporary. But all have helped us through the last few months in a delicious fashion. Here’s just a few of the trends that’ve made us sit up and pay attention.

Cookie dough
During the world’s first lockdown in 2020, home bakers from Italy to New York and Sydney flaunted their sourdough starters and showed off their focaccia designs. And while we may have embraced our ovens and mixmasters during the first couple of locked-down weeks this time around, home baking soon lost its sheen as we realised we were in this for the long haul. Enter cookie dough: the perfect way to feel productive with minimal effort and maximum deliciousness.

“I think it comes back to that feeling of comfort and nostalgia,” Pepe Saya’s Georgia Somerville tells Broadsheet. The Sydney butter company launched a butterscotch-miso cookie dough earlier this year, but it went gangbusters during lockdown. “The smell of fresh cookies and the simple process of baking something (even if the hard yards are done) can make these strange times feel that bit better.”

When Bondi’s Bennett St Dairy announced during last year’s lockdown it was selling cookie dough to make its popular cookies at home, it sold 100 kilograms of the stuff in two hours. And plenty of others have piled onboard the cookie dough express: Hartsyard (double-chocolate); Chargrill Charlie and Anna Polyviou (who sold limited-edition Biscoff and triple-chocolate dough earlier this year); and Butter Boy.

Lobster rolls
Sydney used to be a town with very few lobster rolls. Some restaurants would put them on the menu when the crustaceans were going cheap, but it certainly wasn’t a menu regular. During lockdown they’ve been a hit. They’ve become a semi-regular weekend special at Bondi’s Fish Shop – during its first three days on the menu, it sold 500 of its Maine-style rolls (made with celery, mayo and spices), with subsequent drops also selling out. (Follow along on its Instagram to find out when its next batch is available.)

“I knew it would be a hit simply as there’s really not many available in Sydney at the moment,” head chef Joel Bennetts tells Broadsheet. “It’s such a limited product here and people are feeling nostalgic from overseas trips where they may have had them ... they also look super sexy.”

Similarly, Redfern wine bar Bart Jr has found success with its lobster-loaded brioche rolls – they started as a special but are now available every Friday and account for 20 per cent of the bar’s revenue. And ex-Lotus head chef Big Sam Young absolutely loves a lobster roll – his often come topped with other luxe ingredients such as caviar.

Taquerias
At the beginning of lockdown Sydney was inundated with pop-up taquerias – wine bars offering Mexican-inspired menus, cafes launching taco spin-offs and popular Mexican diners opening “dark kitchens” to expand their reach. Take Quick Brown Fox Eatery, which started operating Buen Taco, a pop-up taqueria, from its cafe space in early August.

“Mexican is really versatile and we wanted to launch something that had broad appeal,” Ben Calabro, co-founder of Buen Taco and Quick Brown Fox, tells Broadsheet. “My partner, Anna, and I also really love tacos so it made sense to throw our energy and time into something we had a personal connection to.”

He also nods to the popularity of the birria taco – a beef quesadilla served with a side of consommé for dipping – which has had a spurt in popularity thanks to Tiktok and its Instagrammable appeal.

“For a pop-up you want an offering that drives people to you and the birria taco does that,” he says. “For us, the birria taco wasn’t the reason why we launched Buen Taco but we knew it would appeal to people.”

In Glebe, No 92 GPR’s Mexican-born chefs have channelled their heritage into a Mexico mi Amor, a special takeaway menu of burritos that it runs parallel to its usual modern-Australian snacks. Plus, Surry Hills cafe Paddock has been taken over by pop-up Tacos Muchachos, Tequila Mockingbird has expanded its reach by opening “dark kitchens” that deliver across the city, and Ricos Tacos has launched a bricks-and-mortar space serving outstanding breakfast burritos.

Sweet deliveries
Back before the words “unprecedented times” became a duo of words we never wanted to hear again, we often reserved sweets for special occasions – birthdays, breakups, uniquely difficult Tuesdays. But now we’ve realised how easy it is to get a whole cake delivered to our homes, we have no good reason not to bust out a slice on a Monday morning.

“I think after last year’s lockdown Sydneysiders already knew what to expect – people are separated from their family and loved ones and we know a random act of [kindness] can make someone’s day,” says Alex Cadger, the owner of The Blonde Group, a catering company that started delivering personalised cakes during lockdown. “I do definitely think that dessert deliveries have really taken off in Sydney – they have become the ultimate lockdown ‘Instagrammable’ gift.”

Cake artist Stacy Brewer, meanwhile, started sending out “Fuck Covid-19” cakes early on this lockdown, while Babycheeks Beignets launched right as we were forced to stay at home. Black Star Pastry also began delivering its beloved cakes (currently on pause until October 1), while Sheraton Grand’s famous high teas switched to an at-home format.

Burgers
Neil Perry’s doing it. Dan Pepperell is too. And the team at One Penny Red. We’re talking about flipping burgers. More specifically, burgers in lockdown. In a time of daily mundanity (apart from the brief adrenaline of an 11am press conference), there’s something thrilling about enjoying a burger made by a fine-dining chef. Perry’s been serving American-style burgs from his yet-to-properly-launch Double Bay bistro Margaret, while the buns Pepperell’s been flipping at Potts Point’s Bistrot 916 have made it onto Providoor alongside crispy hashbrowns. Meanwhile, Summer Hill’s One Penny Red’s doing a grass-fed beef burger for just $16. And nearby Sixpenny’s fish burger has been a smash hit for inner westies.

Bake sales
Wherever we turn during lockdown it seems we spot a bake sale. Sixpenny’s line-drawing bake sale was revived after last year’s lockdown, Dulwich Hill cafe The Fold brings classic Sri Lankan flavours into cakes and pastries, and Franca’s boulangerie has also been popular. Plus, Roman diner Marta’s 2020 pop-up bakery was so popular it became a permanent weekend staple – and this time around it’s open on weekdays, too. More recently, CBD deli Fabbrica has opened a Saturday bread shop, selling sourdough loaves, house-made sausage rolls, cinnamon buns and tarts.

“Fabbrica Bread Shop is something we’re actually very serious about and really have been since we opened at King Street,” Fabbrica co-owner Matt Swieboda tells Broadsheet. “Our baker Ani Bhosekar is such a talent, it’s just that the bread and pastries sort of got lost in the mix as everyone went nuts for the pasta packs. The Saturday bake day is something of a test run for when we open up a full-blown bakery early next year, fingers crossed.”

Swieboda said opening weekend went a “little too well”, as people lined up for more than an hour for their focaccia fix. He promises going forward there’ll be twice as much of everything.

“As life has become a little challenging for many people during lockdown, baked goods have come to represent something approaching pure joy,” says Swieboda. “A box of Nutella-filled bombolini is the food equivalent of an episode of Ted Lasso – a moment of pure optimism in the dark.”

DIY
A bit like cookie dough, DIY meal kits give us the satisfaction of home cooking with a fraction of the effort. Our love affair with the concept began with Pub Life Kitchen founder Jovan Curic’s home-delivered burger kits – our national editor fell so hard for them she devoted an entire article to them. Vic’s Meat Market is also doing a tops version that comes with the potato buns used at US chain Shake Shack. And food truck Chebbo’s is delivering outstanding “smash” burger kits across the city – they come with step-by-step instructions for getting the perfect crispy edge on your patty.

But it’s not just burgers getting the DIY treatment. Ramen kits – from the likes of Chaco Ramen and Rising Sun Workshop – have meant we can have noodle soup at home on command. Taco kits are also making a mark; Ricos’ taco Tuesday sets are ready to heat-and-heat, while Carbon’s kits have 26 corn tortillas and a range of fillings that’ll keep you fed for days. Other varieties we’ve spotted? Build-your-own hotdogs, DIY pho and the building blocks to make your own banh mi.