East Mediterranean Eatery on Pirie Street is serving up a healthy take on the corporate work lunch
When we ask co-owners Shay Kelley and Sam Scott about their hospitality backgrounds, Shay replies: “I feel like I’ve dragged Sam into this,” and laughs.
“Next to none,” Sam says and laughs along.
“Next to none, besides being a foodie,” she replies.
Unlike Sam, Shay has been in hospitality her “whole life”. She’s managed a range of different ventures, Levant Eatery – the previous business inside this space – being one of them.
“That’s why it’s a very similar menu,” she says.
Shay says she “worked quite closely with [the owners of Levant Eatery] for about six years” which is where she got the Mediterranean inspiration for what is now East Mediterranean Eatery.
“I learnt a lot about the food, and it’s probably my favourite cuisine,” Shay says.
“I think we both really like those Mediterranean-inspired meals – that’s where the inspiration came from, and then just put our own little touch on it and changed it slightly.”
Part of the food offering
The menu, it’s “fun street food [that’s] fast and fresh”.
“Especially when you’re working in this area and you want to go and get lunch, [we wanted to create] something that you’d be happy to eat every single day,” Sam says.
“What you’re putting in your body is good for you – it’s good food, it’s not an occasional thing.
“You don’t say ‘I’ll get that on Friday once a week’. We want people to think ‘I can continue to go back there’.
“That’s how we wanted to put our menu together.”
They understand people are “more health conscious at the moment” and considered this when designing the menu.
“I think especially now, people are a lot more willing to invest a lot more attention, especially into what they’re eating,” Sam says.
“That’s how we are with our meals, and I think it’s something that we are proud to serve as well. We live by those values, and we want to put that out into the community as well. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable serving things up [that weren’t],” Shay says.
The main menu items are the pita pockets, stuffed with fillings like beef and Greek yoghurt, chicken and hummus and grilled vegetables and halloumi.
East Mediterranean Eatery is also offering bowls with a range of meats and vegetables.
The beef pita pocket
Shay says the “sauces are a big part” of their food offering.
“The East is our signature dish – that’s the chicken pocket. You’ve got the chicken and the fries and the salad and a bit of warm bread,” Shay says.
“That’s a real yoghurt-ey, lemony, zesty sauce, and that’s the East sauce.
“And then contrary to that, we’ve got the beef pocket which is paired with a chimichurri sauce. We’ve got the pomegranate one as well, which is a really sweet, tangy sauce, and that’s beautiful as well.”
“They’re all quite catching sauces. They’re very flavoursome. If it was too much of it, it’d be a bit overbearing. But I think everything’s paired well with the proteins and salads,” Sam adds.
Inside East Mediterranean Eatery
Sam and Shay have also catered to the corporate crowd by being a quick, grab-and-go style venue.
“I think it’s a great location. With foot traffic, we’re right in the heart of all the office spaces,” Shay says.
“But the benefits operationally are that you know what time lunch is – it’s all crammed into that one hour of chaos – and then it’s done”.
“It’s fairly consistent as well. It doesn’t dip. I’ve worked in places that are more seasonal.”
Sam says Pirie Street is a community and everyone talks to everyone and he hopes word-of-mouth will help the business.
“I think if people are enjoying the product, then the word will travel around just because it’s that tight-knit community,” Sam says.
Although much of the interior has remained from Levant Eatery, Shay and Sam wanted to “freshen it up”.
“We added a whole lot of pink which is fun and eye-catching. It’s funny, I hate pink personally – I don’t like the colour, but everyone said that walking down the street the umbrellas outside just really catch everyone’s attention,” Shay says.
East Mediterranean Eatery is located at 70 Pirie Street, Adelaide and is open from Monday to Friday from 7am until 3pm.
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