Iconic Hungarian restaurant set to be revived by culinary dream team
Marrickville's acclaimed Baba's Place and Stanmore's three-hatted Sixpenny have announced a partnership to revive the legendary Corner 75 restaurant in Randwick.
The news emerged following months of speculation, with sources indicating the collaboration began with a casual conversation between friends. When Corner 75, a beloved Randwick institution for over 40 years, was listed for sale in mid-2024, Sixpenny owner-chef Daniel Puskas, who is of Hungarian descent, was alerted to the opportunity.
Puskas subsequently shared the news with Baba's Place chef Jean-Paul El Tom and with the encouragement of El Tom's business partner Alex Kelly, he decided to pursue the venture.
Corner 75 is renowned for its rich history and unique character and is expected to undergo a revitalisation while maintaining its iconic charm.
The restaurant's distinctive decor, including a collection of framed football jerseys honouring Hungarian soccer legend Ferenc Puskas, is set to remain a key feature.
The reopening date for the reimagined Corner 75 is yet to be announced, but the news has already generated significant buzz amongst Sydney's discerning diners.
“I went in with Dan [Puskas] and it was crazy,” El Tom told the SMH. “The walls are exactly the same shade of red as the walls at Baba’s Place. The photo frames are the same. I get pretty excited about lots of things, but this really felt like it was worth getting excited about. It felt like an omen.”
Corner 75 will also see a change in ownership, with Paul Varga, who purchased the restaurant in 2012, announcing his retirement.
Varga, known for his warm hospitality, has been a fixture at the restaurant as has his sister Katalin who has overseen the kitchen, serving up Hungarian classics like chicken paprikash and nokedli dumplings.
“We have friends whose parents had their first dates there,” Kelly said. “The wonderful [late Hungarian-born football journalist] Les Murray was a regular. It’s a really significantplace. A lot of our conversation was about: ‘How do we legitimise ourselves when entering into a Hungarian stalwart, a big marker of the community?’”
Interestingly, Kelly has already begun work on a series of short films spotlighting prominent Hungarian-Australians, such as footballer Dez Marton and local wine expert Mike Bennie.)
Alice Tremayne, formerly of Attica has been tapped to join as General Manager and Wine Buyer. Carley Scheidegger, previously Head Pastry Chef at Fred's in Paddington, takes the helm as Head Chef.
The new menu will emphasise traditional Hungarian recipes, utilising high-quality ingredients. The restaurant will prioritise in-house production, including sour cream, strudel, and other key elements.
Highlights are expected to include Sommerlad heritage-breed chicken paprikash and made-to-order schnitzels. Scheideggeraims to introduce Hungary's renowned eszterhazy torta cake, served tableside on a trolley.
The menu will also feature a greater emphasis on seafood, with dishes such as confit tuna and barbecued fish served over lecso.
“I do think some of the older generations may hesitate to go there any more because these young kids are taking over,” says Puskas. “But we don’t want to say goodbye to them. Come and see what we are doing. If you want a big bowl of goulash, we’ll do that. If you want sausage on the lescoinstead of fish, we’ll do that too. We want Paul to be proud of us, to come into the bar and have a Unicum [a type of Hungarian herbal liqueur] and be part of it.”
Jonathan Jackson, 15th January 2025
