It would have to be a meal fit for a queen. Queen Viv to be exact. She was celebrating a big birthday and I wanted to find somewhere suitable for her majesty. Across the oceans, the Queen was having her jubilee but my focus was Queen Viv’s celebrations. Many years ago we had all dined in the sandstone building where Embers sits and we all had good memories of our time there. Now, almost 15 years later, we are back.
You may have walked past it countless times as the signage is very subtle-I know I have. The logo for Embers glows as a subtle, small discreet sign. Inside, it is dark, very dark indeed with small tea lights glowing on the tables. Murals of men and women smoking hookahs adorn the walls and there is also a bar to the right. The food is said to be modern Lebanese cuisine with a twist on traditional offerings. Former Rockpool chef Simon Zalloua is in the kitchen and he is of Lebanese descent. We take some recommendations on what to order and warm up.
Shanklish and tomato sambusek w preserved lemon salsa (4) $13
Not long after, our food starts arriving. Shanklish is a Lebanese cheese that fills these half moon pastries. The pastry is lovely and short and the inside filled with melted cheese and tomato. There is also a lamb version of these on the menu.
Crispy brussel sprouts, baba ganoush and chickpeas $12
Miss America intones that “if brussel sprouts tasted like this when I was young, I would have eaten more.” Indeed the humble and much hated sprout is experiencing a bit of a revival at the moment and here, it is enormously appealing indeed. The sprouts are lightly crispy, almost caramelised on some edges and served with baba ganoush eggplant dip and whole chickpeas.
Cauliflower chickpea and pomegranate salad $16
This dish was strongly recommended to us and it didn’t disappoint. The cauliflower was just the right texture, soft but not soggy and wet and the chickpeas and pomegranate seeds and tangy pomegranate molasses lifted the cauliflower and gave it a nice acidity.
Scorched ocean trout w spiced tahini and fennel $19
The sashimi style ocean trout was given a light torching to burnish it on one side and was served with a spiced tahini and paper thin fennel slices. Quite different from the Lebanese dishes we had tried in the past, we all adored mopping up the last of the spiced tahini sauce. One thing from traditional Lebanese meals would have been great would have been the abundance of bread for these sauces (although you can order some bread and it is complimentary).
Lamb dumplings w warm yoghurt and beurre noisette $18′
Arriving in a small red covered tagine, the hand made lamb dumplings come four to a serve. The filling has a surprising sweet element to it with lamb and onions and it is blanketed in a sauce of warm yogurt which is then covered in a browned butter sauce which you stir through the sauce. Again, some bread or some rice would have been fantastic to have with the sauce along with a spoon to help eat it
‘Chiche Taouk’ chicken w walnut tarator and watercress tabouli $36
They explain that the chicken for this dish is brined for six hours and then marinated in a shisk taouk marinade for 24 hours. The result is a divinely tender and moist half chicken set atop some Lebanese bread. It comes with walnut taratour which is a delicious dip or spread, watercress tabouli as well as some radish and cauliflower pickles. Whilst we adored the flavour of the dish, Queen Viv and Mr NQN did find it difficult to eat. It was suggested to us that we put some chicken into a piece of the Lebanese bread although the pieces underneath the chicken were too wet to wrap anything in so we ordered some extra bread. But deboning the chicken proved difficult for some in the dark and poor Queen Viv bit into her chicken, found a bone and the contents of the wrap fell on her dress. Miss America and I fared better but Mr NQN found it hard to debone the chicken in the dark.
Carob glazed beef cheek w freekah grapes and sheep’s milk labne $28
The carob glazed beef cheeks was tender and only needed a fork and spoon to pull it apart. It was soft and served with sliced grapes, freekah and a sheep’s milk yogurt labne sauce. The carob flavour was light but distinct enough to impart an interesting richness to the beef cheek.
Rose jelly sahleb cream and sumac strawberries $14
Dessert time! They had kindly put in some sparklers for Queen Viv who refused all offers for a song. No matter, the dessert was a beauty. In a glass, the bottom layer was rosewater jelly, then a layer of thick sahleb cream (sahleb or salep is the flour from ground orchid tubers) and on top of this was a layer of sumac flavoured strawberries which have that distinctive lemony sumac flavour to them. There was also chunks of sable biscuit and dried rose petals which perfumed the dessert prettily.
Tahini and dried persian fig brulee $14
The tahini brulee is something that we’ve never tried before but after a spoonful of this beautifully nutty creme brulee with the silky creamy texture, it is something that I’ll want to try replicating at home. It comes with a thin toffee top and halved dried persian figs and little candied chickpeas. As for the birthday girl, Queen Viv is pleased at the choice of restaurant and with a click of her heels is off home with her birthday present.
So tell me Dear Reader, who is your favourite royal and why? And do you like dark, moodily lit restaurants or ones with more light?
And because it’s Wednesday, here is a new Wallpaper Wednesday wallpaper! It is the sticky orange, vodka and chilli cake from last week 
xxx
Embers Mezze Bar
52 Oxford Street Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Tel: +61 (02) 8354 1100
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35 Comments | Add your own
amazing. one beautiful dish after another. What a dinner!
I love the look of every single dish! I adore chick peas and Brussels sprouts, and that beef cheek looks amazing. Another one to add to the “Lorraine said we should try this place..” list!
They are the tastiest looking Brussels sprouts I’ve seen…got to agree with Miss America on this one
This is definitely jazzed up Lebanese! I love Lebanese food and make it quite often at home…but nothing like this…looks wonderful. My fave royals…Harry and Wills of course. I am not much for dark restaurants, they hurt my eyes and you can’t see the food. But bright restaurants feel cold…so in between is good.
I am a huge fan of Lebanese cuisine do this bar seems very appropriate for me to visit (and devour)
and awesome post!
A wonderful celebration for Queen Viv
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
My Archie brought home one of those smoking thingies when he flew back from overseas. He has it in his room. Honestly! The food looks lovely and they sure do go to a lot of trouble with the chicken – brining it and marinating in but then serve it on soggy bread in the dark so you can’t tell bone from gristle? Maybe the lighting could be turned up a fraction. I don’t like brightly lit restaurants like McDonalds but I don’t want to feel like I need to turn on the torch in my i-phone either xx
You dine at these totally amazing places. I love Lebanese cuisine. Right now I could give a lot to have a sample here. But I am too much of a miser, and don’t have a lot to give.
Loved the food, the pictures, and the whole nine yard. You are so descriptive, your words so rich. Love your style.
Happy Birthday Queen Viv! I looks like you had a feast fit for a queen. I loved Princess Di when she was alive. She was such a beautiful lady!
My favourite royal – ‘our’ Mary, crown princess of Denmark of course!
The romantic in me prefers darkly lit restaurants for mood and ambience, but if I had to take photos of food, a bit of light would come in handy for sure.
Carob glazed beef cheeks? Oh my oh my! How scrumptious! The food sounds lovely indeed, but that must be the pick for me .
I don’t mind mood lighting, but only because that way no one can see how much food I’ve put on my plate
Your pics came out great in what looks like a dark space! Really like the idea of that cauliflower, chick pea and pomegranate salad.
Very interesting meal Lorraine
What would you call this? Spanish? It’s stuff that I haven’t had before hehe
My favourite Royal would have to be Queen Elizabeth or the royal family from Monaco because I love Grace Kelly YAY!
My fave royal is Princess Mary, as, like me, she is from Tassie! I prefer restaurants with more light as they are better for photos, plus I like to see what I ame ating and also my dining companions.
oh oh oh! OH! Brussels sprouts and cauliflower salad and TAHINI IN CREME BRULEE and rose desserts! Oh yes, I want!
I don’t get out to Middle Eastern restaurants enough… This looks divine, especially the Brussels sprouts!
Oh my, ALL of this is so mouthwatering. What absolutely interesting,fascinating, appetizing dishes: every one of them
! The cauliflower and brussels sprouts are a special drawcard! Of coincidences: some three decades ago an Irish gf married to a Lebanese gave me my first cookery course in this fascinating Middle-Eastern cuisine; you brought me together with the excellent spice mixes from Sami’s Kitchen. Am telling no lies: have ‘chicken tawoook’ cooking for lunch at the moment!! And yes, I DO love moodily lit restaurants [light my home somewhat like that too 
!] and my fave royal has to be Her Majesty. I respect people who do their job properly and work hard: she has all her life! And as Senior Prefect I still well remember leading the school assembly in ‘God save the Queen’.
Looks fantastico! My next pilgrimage to Embers Mezze Bar…
I’m a classic case of “I’ll Have What She is Having” – a feast to the eyes and a pilgrimage for the tummy…thanks..
Happy Birthday to the wonderful Queen Viv and what a celebration you all had. I must apologise for not having a favourite royal. I’ll try to do better with the next question.
sounds like a bit of Ottolenghi going on here too. So delicious!
Couldn’t be less interested in real life royals. Can I vote for Count Jasper from Violet Needham’s books?
That food looks absbolutley delish and would be even better if you could turn up the lights a little!
Delicious evening thankyou, darling. Reading your post reminds me how exceptional most of the dishes were.
i like restaurants with lots of windows. lots and lots and lots of windows
Oh I like Wednesday Wall Paper day! what a great idea hehehe. Also, great review thanks for this, I always struggle to find places I want to go to in Darlinghurst (I’m an inner west girl through and through) but this place looks great!
What a lovely meals! I am all about well lit restaurants. I want to see my food in full light.
The Queen and I don’t mind Phillip, I think he has a sense of humor.
That food looks amazing!
everything looks so delicious! especially the pomegranate and the rose jelly sahleb cream. looks like a garden
Oh my, the food at embers looks amazing Lorraine. I’m definitely noting this one down to try next time I’m in Sydney. Those shanklish look so good.
I don’t mind a darkly lit restaurant, but not so dark that you can’t read the menu! That’s annoying.
I think the Queen does an incredible job. She apparently has over 400 appointments a year she attends plus lots of other meetings. That’s a heck of a diary. Prince Philip is hilarious too. I have put Embers on my must do list for my next trip to Syders. It looks gorgeous.
This is such a cool place! I never had fig brulee. That sounds really good!
All the dishes look wonderful, but the scorched ocean trout definitely has my attention. Love how a light flick of a flame adds that slight smokey flavour.
Wow! The food is spectacular and truly fit for a Queen! Amazing flavors and truly creative. Oh to be in Australia…
Lorriane, I have nominated you for the FoodStories Award for June. When I was thinking about who to nominate, I couldn’t think of a better person that you.
http://www.thelady8home.com/2012/06/13/foodstories-nominee-for-june/
Good luck
These dishes look and sound absolutely mouth watering since you do such a bang up job describing them. I do like a dimly lit restaurant, but need a little bit more light to be able to read the menu!
I think my favourite royal is Price Harry, but I have no idea why!
It reminded me that someone told me my birthday this year was my “Silver Jubilee” I was mortified!
I hope the Queen had a fantastic birthday!
Some really interesting looking dishes here. I was one of those rare kids who liked brussel sprouts so I think i’d love these fancy ones
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