Sydney is a place spoiled for Lebanese food. There are so many places to enjoy this cuisine and some fairly close to us. However urged by M’s reliable food taste, we’re lured to somewhere a little further afield, in Greenacre. It’s a hot 33 degrees today in Sydney and all we can say is thank god for air conditioning on the drive. We are hungry, made hungrier by the knowledge that delicious food will soon touch our lips and settle in our stomachs.
It’s on a street lined with Arabic signs which M reminisces reminds her of a holiday to the Middle East. We’re visiting in the bright sunshine of midday and walking into the simply decorated restaurant we see crowds of not just Lebanese but other nationalities, all enjoying their food.
The menu is large with some pictures of the platters but of course we steer away from the fish and chips and calamari and chips and go for more traditional Lebanese fare. I leave the ordering up to M as she has been before and whilst we are waiting, we are offered a large plate of complimentary pickles, freshly sliced tomato and olives to go with the thick sheaf of complimentary fresh Lebanese bread stacked like crepes.
Complimentary pickles and bread
We’re pleasantly surprised at these additions, surely it must make one fuller and therefore order less. Still, we enjoy the plate of pickles and the salty olives, M and my husband particularly enjoy the zingy yellow chili.
Baba Ghanouj $6
It’s not long before our selections arrive. First come the dips, the smokey Baba Ghanouj is lovely, even though I usually find Baba Ghanouj too smokey to my taste this one is delicious with the oil, parsley and tomato in centre an inspired touch.
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October 2, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Inside the Ikea cafe
Ikea is one of those amazing places that everyone has visited at one time in their lives. I don’t get out to Ikea as much as before and I was rather upset when they moved from the closer by Moore Park out to Homebush. It was however impossible to get a park at the Supacenta on weekends and now that parking dilemma have moved to Homebush where we’ve trolled and stalked for 3 floors finally getting a park.
Slices of Daim and Almond tortes $3.95
We’re peckish this afternoon and looking forward to some Swedish food Ikea style. We go upstairs and find a large area packed with people sitting down and ordering food cafeteria style. We get our trays and set about choosing whatever looks good. Of course I am taken with the open face sandwiches as I loved these in Finland so I choose the meatball one (fortuitous it turns out, as we learn a little later that there is a half hour delay on the meatballs).
Portuguese tarts $2.50 and Lingonberry mousse slices $1.95
My husband likes the look of the lingonberry yogurt and in an effort to try as many things as possible without stretching our belts, we order the children’s version of the fish and chips (kid’s meals, all $2.50). There is also a salmon fillet with apple but the salmon look unappetising sitting in a bain marie of cloudy water so we give that a miss. We are told that there’s no meatballs with a 30 minute wait so we decline as I already have a meatball sandwich.
Our tray of food $14.40
We also try the Mazarin (a little Swedish cake) and the Daily Dish: chicken kebabs with butter sauce and couscous. As we have a kid’s meal, we can help ourselves to a complimentary piece of fruit, either an apple or a not so great looking orange. We choose the apple. I bypass the slices of Daim torte and the Princess cake as I’ve tried both before (Daim torte-not Daimey enough, Princess Cake-delicious!)
Kid’s Fish and Chips $2.50
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September 28, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Does it seem like to you that there are suddenly now numerous places to eat Malaysian /Singaporean food? It seems only a few years ago that there were only 2 or 3 restaurants. Walking through Chinatown and World Square, it looks like many more have sprung up. Not a bad thing, you understand of course. Quite good in fact for a Malaysian/Singaporean food lover like myself. A little further afield, tucked away behind Thornleigh station off West Pennant Hills Road lies a small restaurant that has been offering Singaporean and Malaysian Hawker style goodies for a few years now. At almost an hour’s drive away, it’s not exactly nearby to us so we made it a Sunday adventure to drive out to Thornleigh and check out some other foodie eats and enjoy the drive to the outskirts of Sydney.
Chicken and Prawn Laksa ($13.80)
Arriving at 6pm when it opens, we’re greeted with a welcoming sight. It’s rapidly filling with Singaporean/Malaysian clientèle (always a good sign for authenticity). We order a Roti Canai with Lamb curry ($11.80); Chicken and Prawn Laksa ($13.80) and a bowl of Chicken Rice ($2.50) and for dessert Ice Kacang ($5.50). Alice, who takes our order is friendly and happy to recommend dishes. The Laksa arrives quickly, within 5 minutes, and we dive in. There’s a mix of Hokkien noodles (my favourite) and vermicelli noodles (my husband’s favourite) as well pieces of soft chicken, large prawns, tofu cubes and fish cake. A scarlet orange pool of oil floats across the top and diving in to retrieve the long noodles risks a scarlet splash on your clothes but it’s well worth it. The taste is rich, creamy and subtle, not as pungent as some Laksa and the beautifully soft and toothsome chicken (from the Hainan chicken rice) is a particular highlight.
Roti Canai with Lamb curry ($11.80)
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May 22, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Cloud 9
Strawberry Mousse
Yes I know, I know, I’m so late to be posting about Adriano Zumbo’s Summer collection but in my defence, your Honour, I don’t really live closeby and I do find it hard to get here. However this time, I am ordering cakes for my birthday and of course where else would I get them but Zumbo.
Marry Me Ed
Piste As She Goes
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May 9, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
I was reminded of Pie in the Sky by a NQN reader Maria who also has her own great food blog Foodie Wanderings. She spoke of a Pie in the Sky near her in Melbourne which made me recall the one in Sydney, well the outskirts of Sydney, in Cowan. With a gorgeous view, we had driven past it on our way back from the Hunter Valley and various other excursions, always meaning to go in but never quite making it there.
This weekend, we thought we’d take a drive to Cowan for a change of scenery and a sample of some pie and view. It’s a day where the sun interchanges with rain and we hope that when we get there that we’ll have some sun.
We’re in luck today and whilst it’s not gloriously sunny, it’s still pleasant enough outside to sit outdoors and enjoy the view. There is a front kiosk as well as an inside area where you can order more substantial meals (pies with chips, Devonshire teas). There are 18 savoury pie flavours on offer today ranging from Steak & Kidney, Beef, bacon & Cheese, Curried Beef, Chicken & Asparagus, Chicken & Corn, Chicken Satay, Lamb & Pea and Lamb, Chili and Garlic as well as sausage rolls. They appear to be out of vegetable pies although their flyer does include them. The pies are all $4.50 and the sausage rolls $2.30. I choose a Lamb, Honey & Rosemary pie as well as a Beef Burgundy pie.
Behind the counter are fruit pies (all $2.20) in Apple, Apricot, Blueberry and Peach flavours as well as a new flavour, Apple & Rhubarb. I choose a Peach pie and a Blueberry pie.
Lamb, Honey & Rosemary pie $4.50
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April 23, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
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