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Monday, September 30, 2013

Meredith Club at the Lithuanian Club, Bankstown

koldunai lithuanian dumplings with bacon and sour cream at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney

Rock on up to the Meredith Club in Bankstown – also home to the Lithuanian Club – and prepare for a carb-fest. Hot tip: loosen your belt after you sign in at the visitor desk.

It’s a community club so expect the usual stain-proof patterned carpet and robust wooden furniture. The décor might be a little lacking but that doesn’t stop the Lithuanian locals getting dressed up in their Sunday best. The joint is packed on a Sunday lunchtime – It feels like everyone and their grandma is here, with a few in traditional embroidered folk costumes, too.

koldunai lithuanian dumplings at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney
Koldunai Lithuanian dumplings with bacon and sour cream $12.50

Ignore the western menu (the usual rump steak, Atlantic salmon and warm chicken salad territory) and zero in on the Lithuanian specials. Start off with the koldūnai Lithuanian dumplings, 12 plump moon-shaped parcels filled with seasoned minced meat and boiled. Boiled dumplings might not sound exciting but it’s a different story when the entire lot are covered in sour cream and chopped bacon.

balandelis cabbage roll at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney
Balandelis cabbage roll with potatoes and mushroom sauce $12.00

Lithuanian food might have a reputation for being stodgy, but who’s complaining when there’s bacon sprinkled on everything? Balandeliai are that staple of Balkan cuisine, cabbage rolls braised until the leaves are pliable and the mince filling is juicy and tender. There’s a mushroom sauce over the top, potatoes on the side, and yep, a handful of chopped bacon for good measure, too.


cepelinai meatballs in potato dough at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney
Cepelinai meatballs encased in potato dough with bacon and sour cream $16

The biggest challenge is probably the cepelinai, two grey-brown footballs on the plate with a filling of minced meat inside. It’s the starchy, gluey potato dough on the outside that your palate might struggle to appreciate – even bacon can’t save this one, we’re afraid.


cepelinai meatballs in potato dough at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney
Inside the cepelinai meatballs encased in potato dough 

lietinai su mesa pancakes at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney
Lietiniai su Mesa pancakes with meat, bacon and sour cream $13

Pancakes will make everything right with the world again. Lietiniai su mėsa is a serve of two pancakes wrapped up with minced meat and served with bacon and sour cream. We think we’re starting to see a pattern here.

lietiniai su varske cottage cheese jam sour cream pancakes dessert at the meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney
Lietiniai su Varske pancakes with cottage cheese, jam and sour cream $13

Lietiniai su varške is the dessert version, filled with cottage cheese and raisins with sour cream and jam on the side. Damn. We were really hoping for more bacon.

meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney

meredith club lithuanian club bankstown sydney


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Meredith Club on Urbanspoon

Meredith Club at the Lithuanian Club
16-20 Meredith Street, Bankstown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9782 0079

Opening hours:
Wednesday to Thursday 12pm - 3pm
Friday 12pm til late
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

This article appeared in the September 2013 issue of Time Out Sydney in my monthly Food & Drink column Eat This! [Read online

Read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews


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17 comments:

  1. Lol, the words "bacon" and "sour cream" just keep on reappearing over and over again!

    Reminds me of Russian food. Hearty, heavy. Real Eastern European cuisine!

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  2. So much bacon action! Love it!

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  3. An interesting cuisine which I've not seen much of. But I sure did see a lot of bacon.. hahaha

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  4. Never before have I seen a meal so exclusively white and pink.

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  5. G'day! Really enjoyed your post today and love Lithuanian foods too!
    Our local Lithuanian club invites one and all to come sample and enjoy their real eastern European cuisine and like reading your post, I always enjoy food wise, learning something new!
    Cheers! Joanne

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  6. lol no bacon for dessert how sad

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  7. A side of bacon with that ;-) I have never seen this style of food before. Very interesting story :)

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  8. It's now clear why Lithuania are the 4th best country at basketball in the world... they're fuelled on an intense diet of bacon, cream and potatoes! Better send some of this stuff through to the Aussie team - they might start winning more games haha

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  9. How interesting - I've always wanted to try these small community cultural clubs around Sydney but never seem to get around to it. This looks like such a comfort meal. :)

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  10. I really want to try all the dishes you mentioned!Bacon goodness! :D

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  11. Lithuanian food in Bankstown... sounds odd. All the food looks very white :)

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  12. Um... wow! I love Eastern European food! Give me a plate of those dumplings and the dessert crepes any day!!!

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  13. Wow, that's a lot of carbs - but the dumplings look so good. Might avoid those meatballs if I ever do go... at first glance, they just look like actual potatoes!

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  14. They must, um, go through a lot of bacon here.

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  15. Lithuanian food is very like Latvian food, but that makes sense due to the location of the two countries. I am going to have to check this one out.

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