Is the ‘pure, unwavering hype' about this bustling new gyros spot deserved?
Behind the blue-and-white tiles fronting the stainless-steel kitchen, Timothy Cassimatis is locked in. Every step, every move in his career, has been deliberate, made to get him to this point: mastering butchery at Vic's Meat and Whole Beast Butchery, running the kitchen at Barzaari, launching a catering business during COVID, fine-tuning recipes and preparing feasts for friends and cousins.
All this, along with his own research and the knowledge that comes from growing up in a family with Peloponnese roots, have been poured into his first restaurant. Line up for takeaway, order a gyros, and Cassimatis has interrogated every aspect of the stuffed bread.
The pita, made on a sourdough starter, is rolled by hand and baked in the wood oven to order. The tzatziki incorporates some of the 60 to 70 litres of yoghurt Cassimatis makes each week, fermented for 16 hours with a culture brought from Greece, then hung until it's thick. Order pork, and it'll be a mix of shoulder and belly, brined, marinated in whey, onion and spice, then spun over coals for five hours. Pickles, rich in aniseed, are made in house.
I've torn open fresh gyros on the street front. I've spread them on picnic rugs with friends. I've ferried them home to my neighbour. At their best, they're living proof that there's no reason takeaway food can't be given the same level of care as anything a fine-diner can offer. When they're good, they're very good. But then some days, the sauces have been applied too liberally, the pita (early on, at least) have been too flat, too biscuity. The fava and mushroom version? Inspired, but overly mushy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
14 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Bain Capital seals Virgin's ASX re-listing as fundies commit to raise
Virgin Australia is ready to list on the ASX after Bain Capital's bankers secured commitments for the $685 million hours earlier than they had first expected, bring forward a bid deadline for the deal to this morning. Street Talk understands Virgin Australia has obtained commitments from institutional investors across Australia and Asia Pacific, sealing Bain's big payday from the airline it bought out of administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The private equity giant has been chewing over the return of Virgin to the ASX for two years, and has finally hammered down a deal at a $2.3 billion market capitalisation and $3.6 billion enterprise valuation.
West Australian
15 hours ago
- West Australian
Virgin Australia returns to sharemarket with a bang
Virgin Australia has returned to the sharemarket after a five-year hiatus with a massive $685m initial public offering on Wednesday, and it could influence the future health of the Australian economy. In the biggest IPO of the year, the Bain Capital-owned airline has decided to return to the ASX amid a rise in domestic tourism and spending. The offer will almost halve Bain's stake in the airline from about 70 per cent to 39.4 per cent. Qatar Airlines, which recently invested in Virgin, will reportedly keep its 23 per cent holding. If successful, Virgin's listing in the market will be seen as a sign of a bright future for the Australian economy, as investors signpost the potential for the nation's consumer spending to recover. If it fails, it could point to the opposite. So far, all signs point to a successful IPO, as domestic travel demand recovers and the two recent RBA rate cuts ease the pressure on Australian households. Qantas has been trading at a record high, and the ASX itself has been overwhelmingly up despite swings. 5.1 million passengers were on domestic commercial flights in Australia as of March, a figure sightly below the same time last year but more than four times the numbers in mid-2021. Despite Virgin's voluntary administration in 2020 following Covid-19 travel restrictions, after which it was acquired by US private equity company Bain, it now corners 34.4 per cent of the domestic market share as of March 2025. It is not lagging much behind Qantas, which holds 37.5 per cent, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The death of other budget airlines such as Bonza and Rex has only boosted these two major players. Virgin is also planning to resume long-haul international flights made possible by its partnership with Qatar. The airline is conducting its IPO using a front-end book-building method, where investor bids are submitted before the prospectus receives approval from Australian regulators. According to the term sheet, institutional investors were able to their bids up to Thursday, with the stock expected to begin trading on June 24. Virgin's IPO will be the largest in Australia following the DigiCo Infrastructure REIT launch that raised $2bn in December before a 30 per cent downturn in share price. Experts say the Virgin IPO could offer investors a unique entrance into the Australian airline market, but it has its own risks. 'Virgin Australia's planned return to the ASX via a $A685m initial public offering is the first major IPO of 2025, and one to watch closely,' eToro market analyst Josh Gilbert said. 'The IPO, priced at $A2.90 per share, gives the airline a market cap of $ It follows the on-and-off IPO over the last two years when the airline sector has moved from strength to strength, with companies around the world announcing record profits and seeing shares rally. 'Under Bain's direction, Virgin Australia has streamlined operations, focusing on profitable domestic routes, and achieved record underlying earnings of $A439m in the latest half year. 'Essentially, it's a very different airline than it was in 2020 and it is far more attractive to investors. Having only one real competitor in the landscape, Qantas, makes the offer uniquely appealing.' However, the investment could also be a major risk. 'Investors may view Virgin's IPO as an opportunity to gain exposure to Australia's duopoly airline market at a compelling valuation that will trade at a discount to Qantas,' Mr Gilbert said. 'Although the airline sector has had a great few years, investors should be mindful of its razor-thin margins and cyclical risks, particularly if demand slows amid slowing consumer spending.'
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Perth Now
Why you should care about Virgin IPO
Virgin Australia has returned to the sharemarket after a five-year hiatus with a massive $685m initial public offering on Wednesday, and it could influence the future health of the Australian economy. In the biggest IPO of the year, the Bain Capital-owned airline has decided to return to the ASX amid a rise in domestic tourism and spending. The offer will almost halve Bain's stake in the airline from about 70 per cent to 39.4 per cent. Qatar Airlines, which recently invested in Virgin, will reportedly keep its 23 per cent holding. If successful, Virgin's listing in the market will be seen as a sign of a bright future for the Australian economy, as investors signpost the potential for the nation's consumer spending to recover. If it fails, it could point to the opposite. The performance of Virgin's IPO could reflect the sentiment surrounding the future of the Australian economy. NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: Supplied So far, all signs point to a successful IPO, as domestic travel demand recovers and the two recent RBA rate cuts ease the pressure on Australian households. Qantas has been trading at a record high, and the ASX itself has been overwhelmingly up despite swings. 5.1 million passengers were on domestic commercial flights in Australia as of March, a figure sightly below the same time last year but more than four times the numbers in mid-2021. Despite Virgin's voluntary administration in 2020 following Covid-19 travel restrictions, after which it was acquired by US private equity company Bain, it now corners 34.4 per cent of the domestic market share as of March 2025. It is not lagging much behind Qantas, which holds 37.5 per cent, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The death of other budget airlines such as Bonza and Rex has only boosted these two major players. Qantas and Virgin have been boosted by the death of competing airlines, preserving their own market shares. NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: NCA NewsWire Virgin is also planning to resume long-haul international flights made possible by its partnership with Qatar. The airline is conducting its IPO using a front-end book-building method, where investor bids are submitted before the prospectus receives approval from Australian regulators. According to the term sheet, institutional investors were able to their bids up to Thursday, with the stock expected to begin trading on June 24. Virgin's IPO will be the largest in Australia following the DigiCo Infrastructure REIT launch that raised $2bn in December before a 30 per cent downturn in share price. Experts say the Virgin IPO could offer investors a unique entrance into the Australian airline market, but it has its own risks. 'Virgin Australia's planned return to the ASX via a $A685m initial public offering is the first major IPO of 2025, and one to watch closely,' eToro market analyst Josh Gilbert said. Experts are watching the major IPO closely. NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: NCA NewsWire 'The IPO, priced at $A2.90 per share, gives the airline a market cap of $ It follows the on-and-off IPO over the last two years when the airline sector has moved from strength to strength, with companies around the world announcing record profits and seeing shares rally. 'Under Bain's direction, Virgin Australia has streamlined operations, focusing on profitable domestic routes, and achieved record underlying earnings of $A439m in the latest half year. 'Essentially, it's a very different airline than it was in 2020 and it is far more attractive to investors. Having only one real competitor in the landscape, Qantas, makes the offer uniquely appealing.' However, the investment could also be a major risk. 'Investors may view Virgin's IPO as an opportunity to gain exposure to Australia's duopoly airline market at a compelling valuation that will trade at a discount to Qantas,' Mr Gilbert said. 'Although the airline sector has had a great few years, investors should be mindful of its razor-thin margins and cyclical risks, particularly if demand slows amid slowing consumer spending.'
