Brendan King says his nanna never cooked while he was growing up, and instead always remembers his grandpa in the kitchen, preparing spiced tandoori wings and fiery pork vindaloo. Derrel’s – the new late-night Indian diner by Public Hospitality (also Maybe Sammy, El Primo Sanchez) and Baba’s Place Creative (a new hospo creative agency by the Baba’s team) – is named after King’s grandpa, and is a nostalgic ode to his food and the dishes that King loves to cook and eat himself.
Prior to Derrel's, King sharpened his knife skills at Baba’s Place in Marrickville, a venue that’s big on celebrating Sydney’s suburban multicultural cuisine. The fact that Derrel’s is inspired by King’s time growing up in an Anglo-Indian household feels like a natural, delicious progression.
The colourful, retro-looking space – found on Parramatta Road in Camperdown – features a bright-pink counter, menus printed on Woman’s Weekly covers from the ’80s, vintage upcycled furniture and a framed Roy Keane Manchester United Jersey on the wall. We dig it.
And when we say Derrel’s is late-night, we mean it – the eatery is open until 2am on the weekends, and King wants it to be the place people stop by for their end-of-night salty fix.
Derrel’s succinct menu includes snacks; kathi rolls (Indian-style wraps); curry plates served with rice, roti, lime, onion and chutneys; plus sides, sweets and drinks. We love the sounds of the tandoori chicken wings made from King’s grandpa’s recipe; the “chip putty” with added butter chicken gravy; and veggie curry with a side of coriander and green chilli chutney. Pair that with a “thumbs up spider” or a mango lassi, and we reckon you’ll leave pretty stoked.
