Where Chefs Eat: Effies’ Head Chef Names the Best Tiramisu She’s Ever Had

Portuguese native Ines Vasconcelos arrived in Sydney fresh from working at Jolene, a bakery and restaurant in London’s buzzy inner north-east. During the day, it turned out bread made with flour milled in-house, and by night it served produce-led small plates, house-made pasta and natural wines.

Vasconcelos has found a kindred spot at Balgowlah cafe and wine bar Effies, where she’s now head chef. The northern beaches fave – a white-walled corner store with marble detailing and what might be “the most photographed window in Sydney” – has a local focus, a snacky menu and forward-thinking wines by Manly’s Winona.

Vasconcelos’s “chippies and pippies” is the crowd-pleaser – a fun, photogenic dish inspired by the Portuguese ameijoas a bulhao pato. “It’s still our bestseller,” Vasconcelos says. “It’s a rare table that doesn’t order that dish.”

The chef’s Mediterranean-leaning menu also features peixinhos da horta (tempura green beans); chardonnay lima beans; and some newer dishes created with Argentinian chef Felicitas Rosselli.

Here’s where the Porto transplant eats and drinks around her new Northern Beaches stomping ground, and beyond.

Go-to takeaway
“Dear Deer in Manly. I don’t get takeaway very often, but when I do, their pork-and-prawn dumplings and crushed-cucumber-and-garlic salad are hard to beat. Even better, grab it to go and head down to The Office to watch the sun set.”

Favourite bakery
“Staple bakery in Seaforth. I always get the gruyere and oregano croissant – especially if it’s hot. So delicious!”

Special-occasion restaurant
“Bar Copains. I get the pig’s head fritti, and any other specials.”

For a coffee
“Bacino’s mocha is the one I can’t stop talking about. My friends make fun of me, as I go there and order the same thing every time – a large oat mocha, and banana bread toasted with butter. They use real chocolate flakes on their coffee, and the mocha is pretty much 60 per cent melted chocolate and 40 per cent coffee. So delicious.”

Go-to burger
“I’m probably breaking the rules because it’s technically a breakfast muffin, but the sausage-and-cheese muffin at Serva in Seaforth – always with a fried egg – is my pick. Their house-made pickles, relishes and ferments add so much flavour, and you can tell a lot of care goes into everything they make.”

Best noodles
“Ryo’s in Crows Nest. I order tonkotsu ramen wherever I go, and theirs is so good.”

Sydney’s best pub
“The Newport. It’s hard to beat the setting, especially on a sunny afternoon.”

For a drink and a snack
“Busta. I order a Margarita accompanied by a cecina pancake with porchetta; the heirloom tomato bruschetta with macadamia cream and preserved lemon; and the roasted cauliflower with pesto and ricotta salata. If there’s room for tiramisu (which is the best I’ve ever had), that’s dinner.”

Go-to for a big group meal
“Frango in Petersham. They’re famous for their takeaway charcoal chicken. It’s as good as any of the charcoal chicken shops you find on every corner of my home town, Porto. If you go up the stairs, it’s like you’re transported to a traditional restaurant in Portugal. Their amêijoas à bulhão pato are delicious. That’s the dish that inspired the pippies and chippies at Effie’s. And of course the charcoal chicken – as juicy as can be – accompanied by a Super Bock (the best beer, if you ask me) or an Amarguinha (Portuguese almond liqueur) with lots of lemon and ice.”

For something sweet
I’m not much of a dessert person, so if I’m craving something sweet, it’s usually ice-cream. Two scoops from Messina always hit the spot. I usually get passionfruit and hazelnut.

Bucket-list restaurant
Masseria Moroseta in Ostuni, Italy. I’ve followed it for years and everything about it appeals to me. It’s the simple, seasonal food, the beautiful setting, and the way they celebrate long lunches and genuine hospitality over fine dining. That’s very much my kind of place.