Simon Food Favourites: Kafta

25 September 2010

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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04 September 2010

Emads Lebanese Restaurant: $35 Super Banquet, Surry Hills (17 April 2010)

298 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Belly dance the night away

The long standing emads is perhaps not the best lebanese food around but they provide an intimate and cosy setting for groups to have a fun night out — especially when there's a belly dancer involved on Friday and Saturday nights. The Super Banquet will set you back $35 each and includes your classic menu items of bread, humous, babaganouge, tabouli, spinach pie, kebbe, falafel, lady fingers, lamb, chicken and kafta skewers, cabbage rolls, vine leaves, coffee and sweets. For the big eaters they'll love it but if you're not that hungry it will be a challenge to eat it all so perhaps order individual dishes to share — I certainly struggled finishing my fair share. The highlight of the night was actually the professional belly dancer whose energy brought a lot of life and laughter to the restaurant.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Belly dancing some nights, Reasonably priced, Cosy atmosphere and seating, Quick service

CONS: Food comes out quickly so hard to keep up before it goes cold, Coffee a bit grainier than what I've had in other places, Didn't see the babaganouge

MUST TRY: Ordering more interesting dishes from the menu

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