Balmain's Turkish eatery Efendy to open offshoot at Barangaroo

Add Balmain's Efendy to the Barangaroo list, with the restaurant's owner Somer Sivrioglu confirming a spin-off of the Turkish eatery will open at the development early next year.

With Porteno chef Ibrahim Kasif opening his own Turkish-inspired place mid year at Stanbuli, in Enmore, Turkish cuisine looks set to finally get the sort of upgrade in Sydney that Greek has had in recent years.

Sivrioglu says his Barangaroo eatery, which will slide into a waterside position at the development, is inspired by "the new small and refined meyhanes [meze bar] of Taksim and Beyoglu in Istanbul".

The chef-restaurateur says Efendy will remain open as the "mothership" in Balmain, and the Barangaroo venue probably won't carry the Efendy moniker.

"It will be a smaller, more casual spin-off of Efendy serving traditional mezzes and pides, bread and slow-cooked claypot dishes from the big woodfire oven," he says.

The wine and beer will be Turkish.

While the local chips are falling in place at Barangaroo, with Mercato e Cucina and restaurateurs Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan all signed, the search for a big name international player continues.

Good Food hears New York and Hong Kong venues are high on the hit-list.