The traffic circle that is Randwick’s The Spot is typically a hotbed for yet another Thai cheap-and-cheerful eatery. But next time, when you stagger out after a Popcorn Taxi film gala at the Randwick Ritz, we’ve got another kind of informal eats for you.

Kurtosh is a one-of-a-kind pastry house for Sydney, combining some rare (for these parts) Eastern European treats with Israeli nibbles and comfort cakes – and all of it sold by weight. That’s a beautiful thing if you just want a sliver, or are dead-set on a bingefest. If you’ve got portion-control issues, best phone a friend.

A highlight is the eponymous kurtosh, a sweet bread born in Transylvania but adopted by Hungary. You can watch them being made on the marble benchtop behind glass: spiralled around wooden spools, placed into a rotisserie-like oven engraved with “Sweet Dreams”, and covered in nuts, hundreds & thousands, or a traditional sprinkling of cinnamon. The result is crispy on the outside, fluffy on the underside, and OMG-satisfying in your insides.

Running the glass-fronted dual shopfront is Israeli-born Ben Haikin, who’s built the business with his father and brother Tom – the latter the head honcho of Australia’s Max Brenner chocolate shops. The family are also behind Erskineville’s popular shakshuka and schnitzel café, Shenkin.

Kertosh’s ordering system is tailor-made for creatures of variety. Maybe have a sliver of ‘Mum’s Chocolate Cake’, then a dark-chocolate crescent of rugelach (pictured), and some Israeli burekas (puff pastry filled with three-cheese or potato, or as a tomato-and-olive ‘pizza’). The European-style cheesecake is Ben’s pride-and-joy: it’s light, airy and eggy. All of it is prepared by Jean-Marc Masset, who doubles as the baker for Max Brenner.

But Ben’s top passion is coffee, which means the Mecca Espresso beans are served with plenty of care and latte-art flair. So with Lior on the sound system, grab a macchiato and a wooden stool and enjoy the chilled vibe along a tree-lined outlook that’s just seconds, but a world away, from the car fumes of Perouse Road.

Where: 20B-20C St Pauls St, Randwick
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-10pm | Sat-Sun 8am-10pm
Phone: (02) 9399 8412