Mr Gatsby is a man who has a knack for choosing great up and coming places and when he suggested Almond Bar, I knew a) it would be good and b) it would be new. It’s a Middle Eastern restaurant focusing on an area that your tongue or stomach doesn’t often travel: Syrian cuisine and I’m curious to see how it compares to other Middle Eastern Cuisine. Mezze is like Tapas for the middle eastern region and whilst it’s seen as an accompaniment, here they serve it as a shared main. Started by two sisters, it’s in the former location of Ristorante Riva and features rich brown woods, pistachio greens and warm lighting.
We take cues from Helen Greenwood’s review of Almond Bar and choose some of the dips as well as a tasting plate that allows us to try a few different things at once.I wouldn’t recommend this for the share phobic although they can certainly be accommodated. It’s missing the point of the mezze on offer. It’s meant to be shared.
Mint Tea
We are greeted with an assortment of almonds, there are sesame coated ones, spicy ones, cinnamon coated ones and salty ones. I also order a Mint Tea which on this cloyingly hot day seems a little illogical but it’s said to be a highlight and it’s strong with fresh mint leaves.
3 dips with bread and vegetables $18.50
We start off with the 3 dips with bread and vegetables. We chose the chilli hummus, a Muhamurra red dip which is a slightly tangy and slightly spicy dip which has chargrilled red capsicum, chilli, walnut and pomegranate. The dip in the centre is a kibbeh nayar which is a dip that I’d seen on Food Safari one evening which is a very typical Syrian dip made with raw mince.
I had seen them make this raw lamb dip mixed with bulghur and they had said that the main things were freshness of the meat (obviosuly), using a meat with little to no fat and mincing it twice to achieve the smooth texture. Mild tasting and good, it’s a curious texture indeed and coats the tongue much like a creamy item would. I particularly like it when combined with Muhamurra red dip.
Damascus Tasting Plate $20
We have an array of 5 items here including the baba ghanouj which is incredible – it’s smokey but utterly creamy and I’m hard pressed to recall better. The other items are Sambusic a deep fried pastry with a blistered outside and a sweet filling of lamb, pine nuts and onion; Kafta which is ground lamb with spices and parsley which tastes very livery to both of us; two orbs of crunchy roughly textured but delicious felafel and lastly the fried cauliflower which is lovely and aromatic.
Mukloubi with chicken $17
Said to be the chef’s favourite dish when growing up, this is a plate overflowing with spiced rice, with slices of grilled eggplant, small pieces of chicken and topped with homemade yogurt, almonds and pinenuts. The overwhelming aromatic used is cinnamon which lends it a “sweet” quality but it isn’t sweet in taste so it’s a little tricky on the tastebuds and mind.
Chocolate almonds
We finish off with some complimentary chocolate almonds (there were more but Mr Gatsby ate some haha!).
As I left, around the corner I saw this marvellous Vintage store called Mrs Press which also sells new clothes. These hats were to die for no? Perhaps something I’ll ask Mr NQN for for Christmas…
So tell me Dear Reader, what is on your Christmas wishlist this year?
Almond Bar
379 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9380 5318
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm, Fridays from 12noon
Closed Mondays
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34 Comments | Add your own
I absolutely love almonds so the name alone would be enough to make me want to go there. I’m a good sharer, except when it comes to chocolate
For Christmas I would like a new handbag and Belinda Jeffery’s Mix and Bake = no new Nigella book this year.
Another lovely review. Not much colour though {in the food}. All just shades of brown.
As for Christmas – I would like a new lens for my camera, and a few other bibs and bobs… but I am not sure what will happen. We stick to a $100 budget, and we don’t really ‘need’ anything.
I am just looking forward to a break. I get six weeks off, as does Hubby. I don’t take any time off during the year, so I so eager to rest and relax.
I hope Santa brings you a hat. x
What a fantastic restaurant! Your description of the baba ghanouj is amazing, I feel like I can almost taste it! I love the hats in that store…I hope you get one Lorraine!
Mmm…I love plates of mixed dips, tasting plates, antipasto, ploughman’s etc etc etc.
This place looks right up my alley!
Great story, great pics…I’m hungry and I’ve just finished breakfast!
this is definitely my favorite type of ethnic cuisine. the chili hummus and mukloubi both sound incredible. kudos to the great gatsby.
Oooh saw this on food safari too. I love sharing food whether its antipasto, tapas or mezze (allows me to try a little of everything).
I would like to upgrade my pots and pans so for christmas I would love vouchers for a homewares or department store or Peters of Kensington.
Raw lamb dip looks interesting. Dunno if I could eat it though if I looked at it for too long! Syrian cuisine looks interesting. Thanks.
what an interesting place to visit
Syrian cuisine sounds very excotic! Don’t you just love the variety of food that can be found in Sydney
I just adore your restauarant reviews.
Hmmm I am thinking somewhere called almond is not good for someone with a nut allergy! But the food sounded yummy at least.
Hoping Santa brings me tickets to Opera Australia’s production of Pirates of Penzance! Other than that hoping for something special and its our first christmas together as a married couple!
The cinnamon rice sounds really interesting. It’s great going to a place that’s set up for sharing, that way you can taste everything.
The food looks fabulous, and I am giong to miss Sydney restaurants so much when we move next month.
For Christmas – we are not doing presents due to the impending relocation to London, so all I want for this years Silly Season, is to share good food & wine with people I love, create happy memories and and relax in the knowledge that we have it so good here in Australia.
Wow, Syrian cuisine – it looks amazing. And although I am not fortunate enough to have visited Mrs Press, I have bought an evening gown online from there – the silver Siren dress, and it is va-va-va voom – I love it! The lady who runs the shop was so helpful when I was corresponding about delivery (I need to get the dress ASAP for an event). I don’t have a Christmas wishlist – I have found the easiest way to get what I want is to buy it myself, then I am never disappointed.
Oh I loooove Middle Eastern food. Look yummy. We ate at a Indian restaurant for Thanksgiving.
We go for the unusual.
You would look cute in that orange, yellow, pink hat. Hope you get one. You probably already have shoes to match.
I’ve been meaning to go to Almond Bar for a while now but every time I go it’s busy busy busy and my dining companions have given up on waiting – what a shame. Great review Lorraine!
What beautiful hats, especially the yellow one with the pink bow, perhaps they will also be on my Christmas wishlist this year…
Oh, that food sounds divine! That mince dip looks really intriguing and I was almost drooling at the fried cauliflower and baba gahnouj!
Christmas? I’ll be with people I love and adore along with plenty of food and drink…I don’t need anything else. Although if Santa happened to leave that fabulously whimsical flamingo creation in my stocking then I wouldn’t say no.
mmm yum. im trying to work out what restaurant i want to go to for my birthday this year… this might be the front-runner!
i’m dying for a fuji instax camera! please santa!
Wow. On the surface this looks hideously overpriced. Did you feel it was value for money?
Wow that food looks so unique and delicious! Thanks for sharing
Another great review, Lorraine. Syrian food looks interesting…not sure about that raw mince dip though… LOL But I’d have a go at trying the other items you had on the table!
Hmmm…the top thing on my Christmas list…a job! I’m desperately in need of a 3 day-a-week job, but I can’t seem to get anywhere with interviews & applications! It’s super frustrating…so, yes, that’s the number one wish this year
I have heard of kibbeh nayar before on food safari, and I just thought what an interesting “dip” with raw mince and everything! I think I wouldn’t be game enough to try it out, but am very curious about its “coats your tongue” texture. Hmmm…. Oh! And the hats! Oh my goodness Lorraine… I think I’m inlove with the last one (black hat)!
This would be my daughter’s ultimate dream restaurant – she is such a huge fan of almonds!
Hm – Syrian cuisine – how intriguing! The raw lamb mince dip looks very adventurous – would love to try it! And those hats are soooo you darling!
Looks like a lovely place to have a cacual lunch, I love fried cauliflower.
Does Mr.NQN read what your readers write lol
All three hats are cute, I’m sure any one of them will look tres bien on you
My Christmas wish list ,hmmm possibly a lazy weekend away, being pampered head to toe and eating delicious food , I don’t think I’m asking too much seeing my birhtday falls on Boxing Day.
Whoa — that mouklubi with chicken dish is a mountain of food. Love all the textures in it. But then I love Middle Eastern food. What a great feast!
Ciao Lorraine
first of all thank you for your comment about my post on the Italian Festival…and so sorry for the late acknowledgment…I have just noticed it now while checking old post…
But good to get it, so I could discover your website and blog, which is brilliant!
Bravissima!!!!!
ciao
Alessandra
Love all the assorted almonds you had. And then the pita and dips? Wish I could have been there. Was surprised at the raw lamb- guess you’d have to be really careful with that. Fun evening! And ending with those wonderful old hats was great. We just don’t wear hats enough anymore.
1. What gorgeous hats! You have to get one!
2. The light fixtures in Almond bar kinda remind me of the hats! Surprised you didn’t mention them
OMG…amazingly beautiful!~
Enjoy!
Hiya,
I just saw this restaurant on an ad on Lifestyle Food this morning – I think they won a ‘I Love food’ award. But I had to leave for work and didn’t catch where it was. Or maybe I was distracted by the mezze. Mmm Mmm, looks so delicious!
Err … not meaning to be picky, but Almond Bar has been around for a couple of years now .. I guess ‘new’ is relative!
Christmas wish? That my beloved would get some sense and realize that putting in that application for emigration from Ireland to Australia is of the utmost priority!
Always have to share Turkish and the like
Hi Amy-Sounds like a very reasonable Christmas list to me!
HI fat mum slim -Thankyous o much! Hehe I didn’t notice that but that’s true! Oh yes camera equipment is a great idea. We’re the same, with the things that aren’t so big we just buy them. How wonderful for you and thankyou!
x
Hi Faith-Thanks so much! I loved that restrained smokiness
Thankyou so much!
Hi Highlands Foodie-Hehe cool!
I get like that when reading blogs too 
Hi grace-Yes I’ve noticed that you love this cuisine
Hey maybe you ought to visit here! 
Hi sandra -Hehe snap!
Sounds like a great idea! I need to do the same 
Hi joey-Hehe no it was nice, I promise you!
HI snooky doodle-Thanks!
Hi YW-I do! I absolutely love that about Sydney
Hi Blond Duck-Why thankyou!
Hi Jo-Hehe this is true!
Aww that sounds like a very special Christmas! 
Hi Arwen-Yes I love sharing so that I can try everything!
Hi Elisa-Oh no!
But London has some great places too (I wonder if it’s as ethnically diverse food wise though). Great idea!
Hi Cakelaw-Oh really? How fantastic!
It sounds lovely! Hehe me too, I always buy my own and hubby gives me the money 
Hi Shirley-It sure is!
That’s an interesting idea! Thankyou and yes I do! 
Hi Jay-Oh no really? I guess it’s quite small. Thankyou so much! Yes one of us should get it!
Hi Kirsty-It was! Haha yes that flamingo hat is so cute!
Hi A Girl Called E-Oh cool! I hope you like it
Hehe I hope Santa hears you 
Hi Simon-Hideously overpriced for Sydney? No not really.
HI Lisa-You’re welcome!
Hi Liv-Thankyou! Hehe that’s ok most don’t go for that but I had to try it
Ahh sounds like a great idea! 
Hi Trisha-Yes it was the most unusual sensation! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten an item like that and I’ve had steak tartare etc. Ooh good choice!
Hi 5 Star Foodie-Hehe how cute!
Hi Forager-Hehe good so I have one raw lamb mince dip eater!
Hehe thankyou!
Hi Matilda-Aww shucks thankyou! Yes he does
So good on you! 
Oh yes well in that case it’s de rigeur for you!
Hi Carolyn-Me too, I’m crazy for Middle Eastern food!
Hi Alessandra-Hehe no problems at all!
Thankyou so much!
Hi Barbara-Yes I’d only really order it at a good establishment-food poisoning is not a fun thing at all! Thankyou! I agree-more hats should be worn
Hi Y-Hehe thankyou I couldn’t agree with you more
Ooh I didn’t notice that!
Hi Pam -Thanks so much!
Hi Toni-Oh that is great for them! Hehe it was lovely
Hi gobsmack’d-Haha ok ok. Now that is a new one for Santa I bet!
Hi Fiona-Absolutely!
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