I was born in 1986 above my parents’ Turkish sweet shop on Sydney Road, Coburg. Mum and Dad came from Konya in 1979; the shop ran until 2014 (Dad’s knee gave out and the lease wasn’t worth fighting). I trained in marketing, ran a small consultancy for ten years, and now I split my time between client work and writing about the food strip my family has eaten on for forty-five years. I know which kitchens my grandmother will eat at and which she will quietly refuse.
What I write about. Sydney Road’s halal and Turkish-Lebanese food strip with the credibility of someone whose extended family has been customers, suppliers, and competitors for thirty years. Pide quality on the 2km strip from Bell Street to Brunswick Road. Iskender (the contested one — my answer is contested for a reason). Sweet shops, baklava — who’s still making it themselves vs who’s buying in. Halal-family Sunday lunch in Coburg, three-generations approved or not. The history layer most food writing skips: who used to be where, what closed when, what the strip looked like in 1995.
How I work. I confirm hours by walking past. I confirm halal certification by photographing the certificate. I do not write about venues outside the inner-north suburbs I visit weekly. I quote owners and cooks with permission, in their preferred language with translation. I cite the year I’m reviewing in. I take my mum or my grandmother to anything I’m scoring as family-Sunday-lunch material — if they refuse to return, that’s the verdict.
Where you’ll find me. Sydney Road from Albion to Bell, most days. Coburg Mosque on Friday. Bridges Reserve on a Saturday afternoon. Coburg Library when I need to write something. The 19 tram, both directions.
Conflicts of interest. Three of my cousins still operate food businesses on or near Sydney Road. I disclose them by name in any piece that touches them and recuse from comparison rankings that include them. My consulting work is in retail (not hospitality); I have no commercial relationship with any restaurant or food brand and accept no comped meals.
Sample headlines I’d write:
- “Sydney Road’s Turkish bakeries 2026: a 2km audit (with my dad)”
- “Halal-family Sunday lunch in Coburg — five spots three generations agree on”
- “Where to actually get a good iskender in the inner north (controversial answer)”
Articles by Kemal Aydin are based on first-hand visits paid in full. Three family-operated venues on Sydney Road are disclosed by name and excluded from comparison rankings. He accepts no sponsored content.