Rowda Ya Habibi: Lebanese Banquet, Newtown (9 Sept 2010)

101 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Cheap lebanese banquet

When a family run business has been going for 33 years they must be doing something right. The service counter looks very much like a take away shop but there's lots of seating out the back for large groups as well as upstairs where you can sit on a cushion in your own private room — although I find it quite uncomfortable to sit for any length of time. The reasonably priced Deluxe Mazza Banquet ($25 per person) comes with your typical banquet dishes you'd expect which won't leave you hungry. The Baba Ganooj and Hommos are decent but perhaps not the best I've had. The Tabouleh is maybe a little of the dry side tonight but still fine when mixed with the dips. You'll also receive the more substantial dishes of Ladies Fingers, Shis Kebab and Garlic chicken. I judge a Lebanese restaurant by their Falafel and these had a nice outer crunch but they're not as flavoursome as say Jasmins or even Lebanon & Beyond for that matter. If you've got a sweet tooth then containers of Turkish delight ($5) are available from the downstairs counter to take home. I've heard if you find the elusive yellow turkish delight their really good — unfortunately none were available. The no-nonsense service was a little hard to get used but the dishes were efficiently prepared and served quickly.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Plenty of seating, Take away available, Decent amount of take away choices, Vegetarian friendly dishes, Reasonably priced

CONS: No-nonsense service, Uncomfortable seating upstairs when sitting on a cushion with no back support and leg room, Toilet only had cake of soap

MUST TRY: Apparently the lemon turkish delight

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Deluxe Mazza Banquet $25 per person

Baba Ganooj, Hommos, Bread

Tabouleh

Ladies Fingers

Shis Kebab

Falafel

Green beans

Garlic chicken and rice

Downstairs dining room at the back

Seating in front of the service counter

Counter display

Sweets display — Turkish delight ($5)

Toilet only has cake of soap available

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Lebanon and Beyond: Lebanese, Randwick (3 Sept 2010)

187 Alison Road, Randwick NSW 2031
http://www.lebanonandbeyond.com.a

Phone: (02) 9326 5347

Popular Lebanese in Randwick

With the new renovations complete Lebanon and Beyond is at least 3 times larger now but you'll still need to book a table, especially on a Friday and Saturday night when they always seem full. To keep the ordering simple you could go for their Chef's or Vegie Banquet for only $28 but if you're a bit more adventuress then pick you own dishes and you might end up paying about the same and hopefully trying a few more things if you have a large group of 8 or more. Our dining party of 7 ended up paying $25 each and we probably over ordered by 1-2 dishes because the portion sizes were fairly generous. The complimentary appetiser of flavoured corn kernals, pickled cucumber and olives will get your taste buds started while perusing the menu. The moist Tabbouli ($17 large) is a must with a Mix Dip Plate ($20 large) of hommous, babaganoush and labne. The babaganoush could be more smokey and robust in flavour for my liking but all goes well with the Lebanese bread as a starter. The crispy shelled Lady Fingers ($12) are presented differently to what I was expecting but makes them even more appetising. My search for Sydney's best Falafel ($10, 5 pieces) still resides at Jasmin's in Punchbowl but they're freshly cooked here and fairly large — I tend to prefer slightly smaller falafels so there's more balance of the outer crunchy shell with the inner minced chic peas.

The Bahtra ($17 large) of warm potato salad is enormous and we should have ordered just a small, even for 7 people. Spinach Pies ($12) are cut like the lady fingers but the tables preference was the lady fingers. Kafta ($18, 6 pieces) was fairly moist and tasty as hoped and Garlic Chicken ($20, 6 pieces) comes with garlic sauce which isn't as strong as what you'll find at Summerland in Bankstown. I really enjoy the dressing on the fresh side salad it comes with. Eggplant cooked with mince lamb ($16) comes with pine nuts and spices in a chef's special sauce. It's quite delicious and one of my favourites on the night. Lebanese-Cabbage rolls ($14) are pretty juicy and filled with rice, mince meat and spicers, cooked in a special lemon based sauce. With little room left I probably didn't appreciate the Shawarma ($20) as much as the others did.

For dessert the Turkish Delight ($4) will get you two pieces of a sugary hit and the Backlawa ($3) is nice although they don't quite match the Efendy versions I prefer. The large bowl of Bouza ($8) containing three generous scoops of Lebanese ice cream looks strangely similar to Neapolitan ice cream with the added joy of crushed pistachios. To finish you can't go wrong with the Cinnamon tea ($2.50) or Orange Blossom tea ($2.50) which is clear and funnily looks just like hot water. The Lebanese coffee ($2.50) is somewhat bitter, slightly gritty and pretty strong as expected. Service was friendly and surprisingly efficient for such a large restaurant located in 3 separate rooms. Toilets are located in the central hotel corridor which separates the dining rooms.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice renovations, Decent portions, Friendly and efficient service, Reasonable prices when sharing dishes in a group

CONS: Very popular so book ahead, Street parking can be limited but it's free

MUST TRY: Tabbouli, Lady Fingers, Eggplant cooked with mince lamb

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Complimentary appetisers

Tabbouli: Lebanese traditional salad consisting of parsley, tomato, onion, crushed wheat, mint in a lemon and olvie oil dressing ($17 large)

Lebanese bread

Mix Dip Plate: Combination of hommous, babaganoush and labne ($20 large)

Lady Fingers: Delicious pastry filled with mince meat, pine nuts and tasty cheese, fried and served on a bed of lettuce ($12)

Falafel: Spicy balls consisting of minced chic peas and fava beans, special herbs and spices, deep fried and topped with tahini sauce, tomato, parsley, pickles and paprika ($10)

Bahtra: Warm potato salad sautéed with onion and garlic, spices and coriander, in a lemon dressing ($17 large)

Spinach Pies: Delicious pastry filled with spinach, tomato, onion, carrot and fetta cheese, fried and served on a bed of lettuce ($12)

Kafta: Chargrilled mince lamb with parsley, onion and spices. Served with salad and tahini sauce on side ($18)

Garlic Chicken: Chunks of skewed [skewered] chicken breast, marinated and chargrilled. Served with garlic sauce and salad ($20)

Sheikh El Meishi: Eggplant cooked with mince lamb, pine nuts and spices in a chef's special sauce. Served with rice ($16)

Malouf Bel Lahme: Lebanese-Cabbage rolls filled with rice, mince neat [meat] and spicers, cooked in a special lemon based sauce ($14)

Shawarma: Thin strips of lamb, marinated and chargrilled with onion and tomato, topped with tahini sauce, parsley, pickles, tomato and paprika ($20)

Turkish Delight: Two pieces of rich nougat choice of rose or almonds ($4)

Backlawa: Traditional sweet consisting in layers of fillo pastry, filled with crushed nuts and topped with crushed pistachios ($3)

Bouza: Three scoops of Lebanese ice cream topped with crushed pistachios ($8)

Cinnamon tea ($2.50)

Orange Blossom tea ($2.50)

Small cup of Lebanese coffee ($2.50)

Bill $175 for 7 people, $25 each, complimentary chiclets

2nd dining room

Through to 3rd dining room

Wall feature

Light decoration

Designed for comfort?

Alison Hotel corridor between dining rooms and through to toilet

Seating

Salt and Pepper shakers — so cute!

Qantas teaspoon?

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