By Daniel Brace
I woke up with a headache. It was a bit much to make lunch for work, so I headed out instead to a little cafe in Sunshine called SalamaTea كافه سلامتى.
SalamaTea is a small cafe opposite Sunshine Station, owned by the handsome Hamed Allahyari who has quickly won over hearts and palates with its hearty home-made Persian fare. This is the sort of food Hamed ate growing up in Tehran (Iran), at home, with friends, or in the cafe culture that has existed in the Middle East for millenia.
Arriving in Australia in 2012 as a refugee, Hamed knows first hand how hard it can be to start life in a new country. That’s why he created SalamaTea as a registered charity which trains and employs refugees, new migrants and asylum seekers to help them become thriving community members with social confidence and financial independence.
For lunch I had the Ghormeh Sabzi, a lamb stew with Persian dried lime, kidney beans and herbs served with saffron barberries rice, a big pot of freshly brewed sour cherry tea and tiramisu.
Everything on the menu is worth trying. I took my Dad here for brunch one Saturday morning and we had platters of fresh dips, bread and other dishes to share like the Fesenjun, a sweet-and-sour slow-cooked chicken stew in walnut-pomegranate sauce. With a few sherry glasses of house-made moonshine to wash it down.
I’ve heard Hamed talk about his philosophy about cooking. I have his cookbook (easy to follow recipes such as the Tahchin, a pan baked rice cake with saffron chicken filling, now a staple weekly cook-up at my place) and it’s no surprise that Hamed’s love of Persian culture is winning over fans like me and a huge number of Instagram followers.
Looking out into a drab winter’s day, while tucking into a nourishing lamb stew, sour cherry tea steaming away in front of me and tiramisu to finish (Maroon5 playing in the background was an inspired touch), knowing that my lunch was helping someone get a new start in Australia, it’s no wonder I completely forgot about the headache.
SalamaTea21 Dickson Street
Sunshine, VIC 3020
info@salamatea.org
0476 038 689
Cafe everyday from 9am to 3pm
Restaurant every Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 5:30pm to 9:30pm
