A new Thirroul tapas and cocktail bar has opened with the aim to offset the over-saturated cafe market in the suburb.
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The Old South is the result of hospitality mates Harold Agpoon, Aaron Soh and Jason Koh taking over Gidgets on Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
The trio from Western Sydney had been on the hunt for their first establishment for months and unexpectedly fell in love with the Illawarra.
Agpoon put the site’s potential on par with Manly or Darling Harbour but without the price tag, while noting the community was much “nicer and supportive” than many other Sydney areas.
Rather than continue as a cafe, they wanted to capitalize on the site’s liquor licence as “there’s only so much you can do from a unique point of view… with bacon and eggs”.
The result was a refurbishment with a charcoal oven. The menu includes grazing boards, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours, a whole leg of Morrocan lamb and Bircher Muesli spring rolls for breakfast.
“The end game is for us to own a few more,” Agpoon said.
The Old South opens Wednesday to Sunday, 8:30am to 10pm.