There’s nothing better than ending a night out in Crows Nest than heading to Kürtosh house. Perfectly positioned along vibrant Willoughby Road, this darkened café stops passersby in their tracks as they gaze curiously through the large windows and watch the expert chefs effortlessly work the dough using a rolling pin type instrument.
Thin strips of dough are seamlessly wound around the pin before being carefully placed in the oven to bake with other pins of pastry goodness. Once baked this cylindrical pastry is then rolled in whatever toppings you desire. From chopped nuts and pistachios to cinnamon and chocolate, these sweet and savoury toppings create added flavour and texture and certainly tantalise the tastebuds and quickly draw the outside passersby and admirers in.
Kürtosh comes from the word Kürtoskalács, which is a traditional Hungarian pastry, also known as chimney cake. This pastry is sold as a street snack from carts throughout Hungary. Similar to a doughnut, Kürtosh is light and fluffy on the inside, whilst has a crispy and flaky exterior, comprising your favourite toppings.
Once inside, you are met by the sweet aromas of spices and sugary delights used in making and coating the Kürtosh, whilst my eyes are drawn to the long counters which display an array of slab cakes, chocolate and coconut balls as well as ever-so tempting slices of cakes.
We were here late Sunday evening, and fortunately for us the queue was relatively short. You can either dine in or takeaway with plenty of intimate and comfortable seating options to choose from. The darkened café creates a more relaxed dining experience and you can order drinks from the bar to go with your choice of cake from a variety of teas and coffee.
Unfortunately on this occasion there were no fruity type cakes or cheesecakes to purchase, mainly decadent chocolate fudge slices or other slab cakes. However we did order some chocolate balls as well as a Pistachio Kürtosh which is made to order.
All cakes are sold by the weight, making it very easy to order a selection of your favourites and it is very unlikely you will walk out empty handed.
Whilst we waited for our Kürtosh, we watched the expert chef work the dough and coil it around the pin before placing it into the oven to bake. It takes approximately 5 or so minutes for the Kürtosh to be made, depending on how many orders are before you.
Once rolled and coated in the pistachios, the Kürtosh is removed from the pin and presented to us ready for consumption…and it doesn’t take long for this wonderful pastry goodness to be devoured!
Besides Kürtosh house in Crows Nest, you can also get your Kürtosh fix at Randwick, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Wollongong. Open from 7am until 10pm weekdays and 8am until 10pm weekends, there’s plenty of opportunity to stop by.