Category: Middle Eastern

The ultimate staple food for the twilight hours after party.

Tony’s Table

It took us quite a while before figuring out that Tony’s Table is a restaurant that we could try. You couldn’t really see the table setting from the outside as it was only a ramp down to the table area.

Their menu is on the premium price range with most main priced between $24 and $42.

If there are not many of you, I’d suggest the rice menu entree size with another dish should be more than enough.

Complimentary Lebanese bread and deep fried bread

Just like in any Lebanese restaurants in Australia, complimentary bread is unquestionable. Tony’s table treated us even further with the deep fried bread!

The dishes at Tony’s Table

Kebe Nayeh – $26 – Raw minced lamb mixed with crushed wheat, herbs and spices. Served with fresh mint and vegetables.

When we see kebe nayeh in a restaurant, we were always so keen to try. If you were wondering if I really wrote ‘raw minced lamb’, the answer is ‘yes’. It’s pretty similar in texture to Beef tartare. However, the mixture was different.

We ordered the dish with an extra garlic sauce on the side. Their kebe nayeh was so fresh and delicious. The complimentary fried Lebanese bread actually worked perfectly!

Siyadiyeh (fish) – $25 – Rice, infused with herbs and spices, and served with toasted nuts.

We actually didn’t know what it was. We just picked this from the list.

It turned out quite well. Since we chose the main size, the portion was quite large with a generous serving of fish, rice and nuts.

Mixed Grill – $30 – Two chicken, one kafta and one lamb skewer. Served with BBQ potato & side salad.

When we ordered the mixed grill, they were offering if we wanted to have a different combination than the menu. However, we stick to what was written.

The meat was very tender and juicy. They also provided a decent amount of sides with the mixed grill.

Knafeh – $15 – Baked fine semolina cream, topped with toasted bread crumbs, and served with rosewater syrup.

Knafeh… yumm!

They were very well made!

The final verdict for Tony’s Table

Having a restaurant pretty close to our home that serves awesome Kebe Nayeh… I can’t ask for more!

Do you think I should go?

The venue is very nice for a special occasion. Having said that, we did try to go there when the venue was booked for a wedding.

Rating:

Tony’s Table

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $30 – $40 per person

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 1 / 805 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill 2203

+61 2 8054 9598

http://www.tonysrestaurant.com.au/

Sep 20, 2019
Bakhtar Restaurant

Bakhtar Restaurant Review:

We went quite a way to the West in Liverpool this week. The original purpose was to catch the elusive Bearded Bakers’ Knafeh. Before we went there, we had to make a stop to have dinner. Our choice of restaurant is from the same region. The restaurant is called Bakhtar.

Entree

The restaurant gave us a complimentary entree, some kind of thick soup with noodles. They mentioned it was the special thing they do because it was the holy month of Ramadan. It was quite a rich soup and pretty tasty.

Mantoo – $11.99 – Steamed lamb mince dumplings topped with yoghurt and lentils

We fell in love with mantoo when we tried the dish at an Afghani restaurant in Five Dock. So, when I saw the dish on the menu that night, I was so eager to try. The mantoo at Bakhtar was very nice and very affordable. The portion was also pretty big for one person to have.

The Kebab Banquet

I didn’t manage to remember how much this would cost but eventually, the total cost for the five of us is less than $100.

The kebab banquet consists of three different kinds of rice, six skewers of meat (three of each: chicken, beef, and minced lamb) and some side vegetables. It was a feast! There was so much rice and massive pieces of meat on the plate. We were quite impressed with the bountiful of food.

We also ordered some stewed vegetables that we could dip into. So it’s kinda like a dipping soup vegetables.

The final verdict for Bakhtar Restaurant

Bakhtar Restaurant gave you a nice value for money meal.

Do you think I should go?

If you live around the area, Bakhtar is quite a decent place for a quick and cheap meal.

Rating for Bakhtar Restaurant:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $15 – $20 per person

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

Shop 8, 132 Macquarie Street, Liverpool 2170

+61 2 8798 2795

Bakhtar on facebook

Jul 6, 2018
Sahara by the Park

Sahara By The Park Review:

Sahara by the park is located just outside Westfield Burwood. They had the fine dining section as well as the takeaway ‘kebab place’ setting. This time around, we went to the fine dining area. The restaurant had quite a nice middle eastern decor.

Looking at their menu, it’s a mixture of Middle Eastern dishes with some ‘local’ flavours, like salt and pepper squid and mushroom chicken.

Babaganoush – $10.50 – Chargrilled eggplant w yoghurt, tahini and garlic

If you go to a Middle-Eastern restaurant, you must be familiar with the cold bread wrapped in a plastic bag. That’s usually what you expect, even in a high-end restaurant.

At Sahara By The Park, they have two kinds of bread, homemade Turkish garlic bread served alongside the dip and the communal table bread. However, unlike other restaurants, their table bread was so good! It was warm and fresh. Their garlic bread was an icing on the cake.

For the babaganoush, it was probably a tad too much yoghurt in the mixture.

Shish & chips – $10.50 – Choice of adana or chicken shish

This is coming from the kids menu. It is pretty much the same shish, but only one skewer.

Beef Ribs – $29.50 – Served with chips & salad or roast vegetables

It used to be called 1kg beef ribs, but they greyed out the 1kg bit. The ribs were super tender and juicy. It also came with a bowl of thin sauce.

Although it is no longer 1kg, the ribs were pretty good.

Chargrill Platter – $29.50 – Adana, chicken & lamb skewers served with bread, rice & salad

Chargrill platter is how we differentiate a good shish from the average ones. Their shish could probably be categorised amongst the best in Sydney. They were very flavoursome.

Iskender – $22.50 – Thin slices of marinated lamb, layered over a bed of diced pide bread, topped with authentic red sauce & garlic yoghurt

They were quite generous in the serving for the Iskender kebab. It was served hot on a double plate with over-abundance of meat.

Kunefe – $14.50 – Baked shredded filo pastry, layered w/ unsalted cheese & topped with syrup

One of the things I did not see a lot of in a Middle Eastern restaurant in Sydney is the dessert Kunefe. The kunefe in Sahara By The Park was so good and they put an extra ice cream with it!

The final verdict for Sahara By The Park

We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of food at Sahara By The Park. It started off with the amazing garlic bread and flatbread to the very nice filo pastry, kunefe. It was a very nice experience.

Do you think I should go?

Sahara By The Park is one of the highest scoring Middle Eastern restaurants in my blog. So, yes… you must go and try!

Rating for Sahara By The Park:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $30 – $40 per person

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

100 Burwood Road, Burwood 2134

+61 2 9747 4540

Sahara By The Park

Mar 5, 2018
Kazbah Restaurant

Review:

Kazbah restaurant is situated at the heart of Darling Harbour’s Harbourside shopping centre. In that place, there are dozens of restaurants for you to choose. One day, we felt like eating Middle Eastern cuisine and that’s why I am writing this review.

The restaurant has an extravagant atmosphere with dimly-lit, silky smooth vibe to it. Looking at the menu, we decided to go for a three-course meal with a simple entree. Middle Eastern main courses are normally pretty ‘heavy’.

Each of us ordered Char-grilled quail (half a quail) with pomegranate sauce. We also had Rocket and Grilled Haloumi salad. Nice and light entree, as expected.

Char-Grilled Quail, Pomegranate Sauce (each) – $6.00

Rocket and Grilled Haloumi – $10.00

Main Course

If you are new to my blog, I usually look for two things in a restaurant: something unique and a dish that the restaurant is famous for. Obviously our first main course fell in the first category: Camel Kafta. Presented in Shish Kebab style, the Kafta was grilled perfectly and I loved how the date sauce gave an extra taste to the meat. Synonym to the grand theme, the camel kafta was showered with generous serving of lentil and Tunisian ratatouille.

Camel Kafta, Brown Lentil Moujadara, Tunisian Style Ratatouille, Date Sauce, Crispy Fried Onions – $34.00

We ordered the other main, Lamb Shank, because of our curiosity. The lamb shank was stewed with prunes, carrots and kidney beans. Nevertheless, we are still trying to find a lamb shank dish as good as the one we had in Port Stephens.

Lamb Shank, Prunes, Carrots, Kidney Beans – $33.00

Dessert

Since my wife is a massive fan of Baklava, we must order one everywhere we go. For this one, this one was not too sweet and quite enjoyable. We also had Turkish Delight but it was pretty sweet.

Baklava (each) – $3.50 and Turkish Delight

The second dessert was rather extravagant and very pleasing to see, Date and Walnut Linzer Tart with carob mascarpone. Two tempered chocolates decorated both sides of the tart with little droplets of butterscotch accentuated the plate. However, I would not recommend you if you already had a full tummy. This dessert was incredibly heavy with a rich taste!

Date and walnut linzer tart with carob mascarpone, butterscotch cream – $14.00

The verdict for Kazbah Restaurant

Kazbah Restaurant delivered a nice Middle Eastern feel with well-presented Middle Eastern dishes.

Did you know?

There was one dessert that really stood out when we were there but we did not order. It was called Kazbah Bomb for Two. Flamed with Kurrant Vodka, this dessert should really excite everyone around you.

Also, for some reasons UrbanSpoon’s reviewers think that Kazbah in Balmain is a lot better than the one in Darling Harbour.

Rating for Kazbah Restaurant:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $50 for three courses

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

Harbourside Shopping Centre

Shop 284 / 2 – 10 Darling Dr, Sydney 2000

02 9555 7067

http://www.kazbah.com.au/

Jun 20, 2014
Almond Bar

Rating:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6 /10

Price Range: $15 – $20

Place: 8/10

Description:

Baba ghanouj: smoky eggplant dip

Lab’tar: combination of yoghurt and oregano, sesame, sumac and sea salt

Shawandarr: traditional roasted beetroot & yoghurt dip

Haloumi: grilled sheep’s milk cheese with olive oil, oregano & diced tomatoes

Scallops moghrabieh: tender scallops tossed in giant cous cous, shanklish (aged yoghurt cheese) & diced tomatoes

Mukloubi with chicken: layers of spiced rice, eggplant & chicken, finished with homemade yoghurt, almonds & pine nuts

Chargrilled lamb skewers: marinated in a special house sauce

Review:

Our friend’s colleague recommended us to Almond Bar. According to the recommendation, this restaurant was one of the finest Middle Eastern restaurants in town. When we got there, my first impression was: it’s a pretty restaurant with a lot of wooden decorations. Our maître d’ greeted us with warm welcome and showed us our table. The table was kinda small with pre-arranged menu and welcome snack.

Upon glancing the menu, we found a banquet-type food that consisted of assortments of dishes from the Mezza (share dish). We decided not to take it and opted to choose from the list of food on the Mezza list. Since Maître d’ recommended us to get between 4-6 dishes, we expected to have a small-ish dish.

We decided to have one starter and four Mezza on this occasion. The starter was Pita Bread and Vegetables with 3 dips: Baba Ghanouj, Lab’tar, and Shawandarr. It came with deep-fried and baked pita bread. This was the nicest dish of the night, especially Baba Ghanouj, it accentuated on the eggplant’s smoke flavour. The mezza that was sort of in-between dishes were the Haloumi Cheese. It was pretty small and the cheese was pretty bland.

Next one on was the Scallops Moghrabieh. This time, the presentation was not good. Since the lighting was yellow-ish, there was no clear distinction between the scallops and cous cous. To top it off, the flavour was, again, pretty bland with a little bit of seafood sensation in the scallops. By this time, we kind of felt let down by the food so far. The Lamb Skewers only helped to increase our faith in the restaurant a little. The lamb was nicely grilled and its sauce added an accent to its flavour.

Last one on the line was Mukloubi with Chicken. It was written in the menu as the ‘Chef’s favourite dish growing up’. We had a very high expectation on this signature dish. When the dish arrived, we were taken aback by its shocking presentation. It looked like fried rice, covered in gooey yoghurt and a sprinkle of almonds. The taste was even more challenging, considering that we have never had fried rice combined with yoghurt. I personally think that those two don’t go well together. It could have been better if the yoghurt was served on a separate bowl as an optional add-on.

The final verdict: It was a nice and quiet place to have dinner. The service was also good. The food was not particularly appealing and over-priced. In terms of flavour, it was pretty standard and way off of our tastebuds.The only consolation they had was the dips.

Did you know?

There are plenty nice-looking restaurants, but be careful not to choose some random ones without any recommendations or you might be disappointed!

Location:

379 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

02 9380 5318

http://www.almondbar.com.au/

Sep 26, 2010