Recipe: The Apollo’s Saganaki Cheese with Honey and Oregano

For co-owner and chef Jonathan Barthelmess and his business partner Sam Christie, The Apollo in Sydney’s Potts Point represents the food of their heritage. The menu brings together traditional Mediterranean fare with the top-shelf experience of its team.

The popular kefalograviera saganaki (“sagakani” refers to any dish prepared in a small frying pan) is little more than melted cheese and honey. As Barthelmess says, “Who's not going to like it?” While often compared to haloumi, it’s very different. The honey is important (he recommends Attiki from Greece), but the thing that's make or break is that the cheese is hot while you eat it. Which is why The Apollo serves it in the pan, like a salty island surrounded by golden, greasy, sweet juices.

It’s the perfect combination of salty, sour and sweet. And now, you can make it yourself at home.

The Apollo's Saganaki Cheese with Honey and Oregano
Serves four
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 x 125g triangles of kefalograviera cheese
100ml good-quality honey
2 pinches of fried Greek oregano
The juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the cheese until golden - you won't need any oil here.

Flip and cook until golden on the other side.

Drizzle with honey, scatter over the oregano and squeeze some lemon juice.

Serve immediately in the pan.

This is an extract from The Broadsheet Sydney Cookbook, which contains 80 recipes from the city’s best restaurants, cafes and bars.