Nestled amongst an unassuming stretch of local shops sandwiched between a news agency and a charcoal chicken shop you’ll find, Neri's Hummus Bar. A Friday-only operation that specialises in one thing—you guessed it, hummus.
Neri's Hummus Bar is the newest creation from tahini and hummus business, Tahini Neri. The wholesaling business produces one of the best ranges of plain and flavoured tahinis, hummus, and harissa pastes. Starting from humble beginnings husband and wife team Neri and Rikki starting selling their products wherever they could, "we started in 2018, just making fresh hummus and tahinis, selling it on Sundays at farmers markets and outside Baker Bleu", says Rikki. Now you'll find Tahni Neri across the country in delis, food stores, even top Melbourne diners including 5 & Dime Bagels, Alimentari, and Northside Challah.
Neri, who was born in Israel developed his hummus and tahini craft through his childhood years, working side by side with his grandmother who emigrated from Yemen. Growing up living in a Kabutz (a shared community with communal kitchens and dining) Neri learned and perfected the tahini-based recipes.
The one-day-only operation kicks off Friday at 9am and is open till 3pm. There is no menu, the only thing for sale is the hummus bowl—which comes with hummus, a dollop of tahini, boiled chickpeas, pickles, red and green harissa, falafels, and warmed pita. Neri jokes that the shop's concept is like Seinfeld's famed soup nazi, "all we offer is one thing, people ask for a menu, we don't have a menu, we just have a $10 hummus bowl", Neri laughs.
The idea came by accident. The factory's staff room which is located on Centre Road was visible from the street where a former local bakery sign was still up. After several knocks on the door and inquiries from customers to get their hands on supplies, the pair decided to open up shop each Friday. The hummus bowl is a customary meal for Fridays, Neri explains, "in Israel, on a Friday you go to market, buy some groceries, you either start or end it with a hummus plate".
Neri’s Hummus bar is an opportunity to get it straight from the source—everything is gluten and dairy-free, vegan-friendly and Kosher certified. The low-frills shop also stocks a wide range of tahinis, hummus, pitas, and pickles, so you can store some at home as well. With only one thing on offer, it's bloody easy to know what to order. Don't be surprised if they sell out though.
Have you seen the Bentleigh bakery run by two French Michelin-trained pastry chefs?
Image credit: Annika Kafcaloudis