“I’m taking every colonial culture and putting it on one plate,” says Srian Perera of in Sydney. This worldly restaurant was born from the chef and ex-anthropologist’s culturally forward visions of Australia in the late 1980s, as expressed through food. The menu is as diverse as it is delicious, with flavours from Sri Lanka, Africa, India, the Caribbean, the Americas and beyond.
“Radio Cairo represents all the living people that have been colonised and the colonisers themselves. It just unites us and that was my aim,” he explains.
As the grandson of a government minister in Sri Lanka, Perera grew up exposed to a smorgasbord of cultures and cuisines. His family entertained over 50 to 100 international guests and politicians nearly each night during Colombo’s 6 pm to 6 am curfews in the 1960s and as a result, he learnt about the universal language of food early in life.
“What I ended up doing as a kid – because I couldn’t go out – was helping the six cooks in the house,” he says. “They had to feed the Europeans, as well as the locals so, by default, I learnt to cook a diverse variety of food.”
This hobby became Perera’s lifeline after the government coerced his family out of Sri Lanka in 1971 for political reasons. “My parents had barely stepped in a kitchen other than instructing cooks what they’d like to eat,” he says. “Arriving in Australia, I ended up as Mum’s chief assistant in the kitchen.”
Srian Perera, owner of Radio Cairo. Source: Radio Cairo
Radio Cairo is an amalgamation of Perera’s hospitality experiences, international travels and his social anthropology studies at the . He has worked everywhere from small pizzerias run by affable Italians (like in The Rocks) to the then five-star Menzies Hotel in the CBD. In 1986, he launched Mosman's Mosquito Bar, which melded Afro-Asian cuisines, then travelled through Europe for a year after closing it. Finally in 1992, he opened Radio Cairo in Cremorne, a suburb in Sydney's Lower North Shore.
Each dish at the restaurant has a story and the menu is as deliberately diverse as Perera’s ancestry: his family tree includes Sri Lankan (Wijeyekoon), German and Finnish Jew (De Worms) and English (Martin) surnames.
“Creole in New Orleans wouldn’t exist without French occupation in South India,” he writes on . “What would North Africa, Europe or Mexico do without cinnamon from Sri Lanka, the finest turmeric from India, cloves from Sumatra and Zanzibar,” it says.
Radio Cairo has been feeding diners since 1992. Source: Radio Cairo
The dishes at Radio Cairo are almost identical to the ones Perera first offered at the restaurant over 30 years ago. “I think I’ve changed three things,” he says. “Now, I have 300 specials that I rotate on, but people basically come for the same thing. Consistency is the key.”
A favourite among locals is the succulent South African lamb , which are marinated in spicy apricot, chargrilled on a skewer and served with mango sweet chilli sauce.
“This dish evolved from Malay coolies or so-called 'indentured' labourers (aka slaves) who made satay,” he says. “Afrikaans added brown sugar and apricot to an otherwise satay marinade, renamed sosatie.”
The dishes at Radio Cairo are almost identical to the ones Perera first offered at the restaurant over 30 years ago. “I think I’ve changed three things.”
One of Radio Cairo's signature dishes is the aromatic buzzard and sweet potato curry, a toned-down version of a dish he ate in a remote bush cafe called Café de Paris en route to the Wilpattu jungles in northern Sri Lanka. “One is never quite sure what meat is used: chicken or buzzard,” the menu reads. “That night we weren’t eating chicken – tonight you are!”
Another dish inspired by Perera’s travels is the barbecued jerk pork ribs, which combines sweet New York-style rib sauce with spicy Jamaican pimento jerk spice rub. Then there's the Cuban juju sirloin slipper steaks and Moroccan chermoula-marinated mechoui lamb fillets.
“People don’t exactly understand what I’m up to, but it seems to appeal to everyone,” Perera says and laughs.
Radio Cairo has been a neighbourhood institution in Cremorne for 30 years and counting – popular with locals from nearby Mosman and moviegoers from the which is across the street. Old cinematic movie posters and African masks adorning the walls are a subtle nod to these customers.
Barbecued jerk pork ribs, flavoured with sweet New York-style rib sauce and spicy Jamaican pimento jerk spice rub. Source: Radio Cairo
“At the start, all my diners were white Australians. Now, it’s a hotspot for all cultures,” the restaurateur says. “The best part is that everyone’s bringing their kids.”
Many of the staff are locals who grew up dining at Radio Cairo, and Perera believes that people return for the familiarity and connection they share with his employees.
“One couple met at the restaurant and had kids who ended up working for me as adults,” he says. “They knew the menu better than I did!”
From the bold-flavoured dishes to the eclectic decor, Radio Cairo represents the best of Australia. It’s a celebration of diversity, a melting pot of cultures and a reflection of Perera’s ethnic roots.
83 Spofforth St, Mosman NSW
Monday - Saturday 5:30 pm - 11 pm (kitchen closes 9.30 pm)
Sunday 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm (kitchen closes at 9 pm)
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