Ethos Deli + Dining Room

Not content with simply running local eaterie, Young George, hospitality duo Susan Whelan and Meliss Palinkas, launched a sister space just meters down George Street in East Fremantle, again making great food with a focus on sustainability.

In an ode to the couple's love of New York City and its deli culture, hot pastrami sandwiches feature alongside plates also influenced by Meliss's Hungarian-German roots with a menu featuring the likes of Langos (Hungarian fry bread) and lox bagels.

Inside, the front counter is filled with jars of preserves, sauces and cheeses handmade by local artisans. The majority of which is made using local ingredients. A selection of charcuterie and deli meats, like pastrami, salami and pâté, produced by Meliss, is also on display, ready for plating.

Susan says the menu at Ethos is inspired by "that tie between a New York City deli and Eastern European immigrants because that’s how those delis were brought to New York.”  

A platter of triple cream brie, salami cotto and country terrine is perfect for a grazing lunch. Continental rolls filled with appenzeller cheese and four varieties of Meliss's handmade meats, matzo ball soup, and potato latkes make up the midday menu.

For dinner, dishes step up a notch with crispy pork jowl with Viennese creamed cabbage, apple and chestnut, and BBQ flowering cauliflower 'a la Polonaise' with egg, buttery crumbs, capers and parsley, just two examples showcasing Meliss's European heritage. Desserts like Oma's apple tart and New York cheesecake will end your meal on a sweet note.

Meat features heavily on the menu, however, vegetarians and vegans are well catered for with BBQ cauliflower, roasted pumpkin with burghul wheat, and cheese and potato pierogi's, showing that despite being labelled a deli, you'll find plenty of plant-based dishes to satisfy.

The menu is created based on what's available for the seasons, meaning no two days are ever the same. "Ethos was our opportunity to start a restaurant from scratch and do things our way," Susan reveals. And that, they have.

Their philosophy to minimise waste goes beyond the food, with the couple maintaining much of the original features of the heritage-listed building where Ethos resides.

Previously a shop during the early 1900s and then residences to numerous workers in the area, the original red brickwork gives this venue a sense of old-world charm. In contrast, the upstairs mezzanine dining area is understated, chic in styling, perfectly fitted out for a quick lunch with friends or romantic dinner.

Streetside, cafe-style dining set underneath the original awning offers diners the chance to soak in the sun with a morning coffee.

The name Ethos comes from the Greek word meaning "character", and this venue has character in spades combining New York-style deli culture with Eastern European flavours. And with its constantly evolving menu, it's exciting no matter how many times you visit. Plus, their online store means you can order goodies to pick up to take home with charcuterie and cheese platters, along with a few freshly baked bagels, making for the perfect picnic.

Photo credit: Shot By Thom / Thom Davidson