Mezza Grill: Lebanese Banquet, Mona Vale (16 Oct 2009)

Shop 2, 1767 Pittwater Road, Mona Vale NSW 2130

http://www.mezzagrill.com.au

Banquets mean full tummy

I have a HUGE problem with lebanese banquets — I feel HUGE after eating them! Mezza Grill seems to stand alone with no competition on the Northern Beaches so they certainly have a niche market if your looking for a lebanese restaurant. Our table ordered the $35 banquet plus 4 skewers each of the kafta, shish kebab and shish tawouk. Everyone was totally full after trying to get through all the food which usually happens at banquets like this. It can be very overwhelming when so many dishes are brought to the table at once that space becomes a premium — a tiered serving rack would have been much appreciated, or larger tables, or breaks between the dishes so one can clear some dishes to make room for others.

My favourite dish of the night was the Ladies Fingers — they were actually quite oily but tasted so good and the pastry was nice and flaky. My favourite place for falafel is still Jasmin in Punchbowl and for entertainment and freshly cooked bread you can't go past Summerland in Bankstown although the decor downstairs at Mezza Grill is much cosier and authentic. The belly dancer tonight was very good and a true crowd pleaser. Reviews seem quite mixed on Eatability about the service so something to be aware of but our table was looked after OK — perhaps it's related to how busy they get on some nights.

Tabouli: Freshly chopped parsley with tomato, cracked wheat, mint, shallots, olive oil and lemon juice

Maghmour: Eggplant cooked with onion, tomato, garlic and spices

Labne: Dish of fresh yogurt with paprika and lightly topped with olive oil

Baba Ghanouj: Blended dish of grilled eggplant, tahini sauce, garlic & lemon

Batata b-kisibra: Potatoes Grilled with coriander and mixed spices

Sambousic: Freshly made pastries filled with meat, onion and herbs

Kebbe: Egg shaped burghul wheat and meat shell filled with minced lamb, onion & herbs

Arnabeet Mikley: Cauliflower lightly fried & served with tahini sauce

Falafel: Patties of crushed chickpeas, parsely, onion and herbs

Ladies fingers: Lebanese version of spring rolls filled with lamb & onion

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Kafta: Skewers of grilled lamb mince blended with onion and parsley
Shish Tawook: Skewers of marinated grilled chicken
Shish Kebab: Skewers of marinated grilled beef

Garlic sauce — lethal romance killer!

Bread

Almaza Pilsener Beer $8

Plates-a-plenty

Bill

Belly dancer and dining area

Light feature

Private dining room

Hookah water smoking pipes

Wall decoration of oversea trips

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