Myra Karakelle left the corporate world to open MLK Deli in Surry Hills after realising the satisfaction she got from feeding people was unmatched at work. Lucky she did, because her bright blue deli on Campbell Street was an immediate hit. Just over a year later there’s a number two – with water views.

“It’s insane,” Karakelle tells Broadsheet. “When we saw this site we thought, ‘what a beautiful, beautiful space to create something in’. We have a big corner, it overlooks the bay – you can literally sit and look at the water. It’s all wraparound windows that open up, it lets the sun in. It’s everything that you could dream of. We said yes straight away.”

Before it opened on Saturday, there was a Friday that proved the true power of a soft opening. “Everything went wrong! We’ve had internet for a month, it stopped working that day. The printers were all set up the day before, they broke down that morning. The deep fryer we put in didn’t want to fry. Everything just didn’t work. Everything worked on Saturday, Sunday, so that was beautiful – it was soft, but it was like a kick in the throat.”

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All the bad juju spent, the opening weekend was a hit. The Kogarah Bay corner joint was packed with newcomers and Surry Hills regulars alike, most waiting for the two hefty favourites: the Reuben-like Risky Brisket and MJ’s Chicken, with Uzbek-style chicken thighs.

“Every day, every week, every month, always those two,” says Karakelle. “You know, we brine [the brisket] with our own brine, keep it in the shop for seven days before we cook it, we use our own rub, we smoke it ourselves. Everything is done within our control and within our parameters, and that’s what makes it so unique.”

It's an approach the team is supersizing at its new south-side joint. Along with an all-halal menu – including a meatball sub (using Karakelle’s mum’s lamb koftas), the eponymous MLK (with stracciatella, pesto, olives, pistachios and mortadella) and a veggie-laden number – the team has made room for a deep fryer (hello hash browns) and a dry ager, especially for dry-aged smashburger nights.

“We just want to do it with that limited batch of meat that we have dry aged in-house. There’s just something a little bit more special in doing the work yourself.”

Make sure you save room for whopping slices of the sellout cinnamon focaccia, the house-baked halva brownies, and the twice-baked brown butter choc-chip cookies.

Will MLK stay a tidy pair? “Maybe just one more thing,” Karakelle hints. “The crown of the MLK saga, the HQ.”

MLK Deli – Kool Kogarah
4a Wyee Street, Kogarah Bay

Hours:
Tue to Fri 6am–2.30pm
Sat & Sun 8am–2.30pm

@mlk.deli