In a very quiet neigbourhood, in the Sydney suburb of Enmore you will find some of the best Lebanese food on the planet. A true "temple of tabouli". This little restaurant packs them in and there are a lot of people that want to eat here. In fact, you get to choose which sitting you want when you book. (I would not risk just showing up!). Its either 6.30 or 8.30 pm. A big long communal table sits right in the centre of the restaurant with a few smaller tables surrounding it. The decorations are tasteful with a very nice colour scheme.

I love Middle Eastern food. It is a region very close to Greece and there are many similarities with both the cuisines. I tend to find though, that a lot of Lebanese food here in Sydney has a certain bland "sameness" about it. Emmas definetly changes all that. I was begging for more after each bite and morsel. It was fresh and it felt like I was eating at someone's house as opposed to a restaurant. I cannot rave about it enough. There were 20 of us and we did the share option. There was so much food and it came to about $30 a head and that included a tip. (the staff deserve it) So let me lead you on a photogenic journey of tempting tabouli and luscious lady fingers!



First up, fresh warm Lebanese bread ready to dip in olive oil and zatar. Zatar is a zesty herb mixture that is used very much in the Middle Eastern region. There are a number of variations of this as there ways to spell the word!!! It contains toasted white sesame seeds, thyme, salt and ground sumac. How simple. Cut flatbread. Dip in oil, dip in zatar and eat.



Next up in our feast, ladyfingers and a fried lebanese bread chicken wrap. Delicious. The lady fingers were crisp with a perfect hint of pomegranite molasses. Not a hint of oiliness anywhere. The fried wraps were crunchy and filled with tender chicken pieces accompanied by a yogurt dip. They were garnished with freshly sliced red onions and sprinkled with paprika.



The dips arrived but I was only quick enough to snap the baba ghanoush. This was creamy and smokey with the right amount of garlic and tahini. This was followed by lamb mince on skewers. These were a tad dry but still moreish. They were drizzled with yogurt and garnished with fresh beetroot.



And finally we were brought some fried halloumi. Aaahh! another comfort food here at Souvlaki For The Soul. As you can see from a previous post here. It was garnished with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and fresh lemon wedges.
After such a merry feast we could eat no more. Many desserts were on offer and from what I could see on the black board menu there were many favourites including that Middle Eastern specialty baklava. There was also an interesting take on Lebanese coffee with the added flavour of cardamon. Great food (actually the best I'd had in a long time), great prices and a fantastic modern take on Lebanese food. Go check it out for yourself.

Tags:restaurants Lebanese

This is the sight that greeted me at the very last Bitecub. A beautifully set up table eagerly awaiting the arrival of its hungry horde. And what a magnificent setting. Paul and our newly elected member Albert set the scene for a very competitive evening. Not that there's anything wrong with that!!! This was a Biteclub many were not about to forget easily.

I always arrive early when the hosts are busy organising all the last minute food preparation. It gives me a chance to snoop on the night's menu and take photos. Being the official blogger has its privleges! Paul and Albert had organised for everyone to eat outside on the very extended balcony. With the first signs of the "official" winter starting in Sydney everyone made sure to rug up. But the guys were organised and had upped the ante by providing woollen blnkets for the ladies. Perfect hosts indeed.



We began the evening with drinks and a sexy selection of mouth watering morsels. Otherwise known as little cocktail bites or canapes with character. We began with miniature toasts with mushrooms and parmesan and soft blinis with cream cheese and a roast capsicum tapenade. Gone in 60 seconds! Delicious.




Next in line came crostini topped with a spinach, smoked salmon and cream cheese roulade. Albert explained that he blanched english spinach leaves and rolled them with the a layer of salmon and cream cheese done with saran wrap. He toasted slices of crust french bread in the oven to get a nice crisp, crunchy crostini. The other crostini were served with taramosalata. Aaahhh! a very familiar dip here at Souvlaki For The Soul. Taramoslata is a greek dip in origin which uses fish roe blended with boiled potatoes or bread and mixed with olive oil and lemon juice. There's an old greek grandmother myth about the colour of the dip. The lighter the colour the better the quality. I assume this has got something to do with the fish roe. Albert's dip was a beautiful pale pink colour and seasoned to perfection. It was so good when it was spread on the crunchy crostini.




After a little break the guys brought out the main course. Lamb shanks. It was funny to see everyone clap when they arrived at the dinner table. A happy bunch of Biteclubbers all passionate about the food? Or too much Sauvignon Blanc? Either way it was spectacular. Monstrous sized shanks cooked in a tomato and red wine sauce accompanied with sour cream mashed potatoes and honey and seeded mustard baked vegetables. Boy do I enjoy eating in winter. Heavy foods like this are definetly made for the cooler months. We all deemed the lamb shanks a roaring success. And I must try adding sour cream to my next batch of mash. What a clever combination!



Dessert was next and the surprises just got better. Albert announced there was a choice of two tonight. Chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis or raspberry souffle. I hadn't had souffle for years. I've never really made it at home because there is a certain fear attatched with something so delicate. But I watched Albert prepare it and it looked really simple. Will have to give it a go soon. Anyway, I had the chance to try both of the desserts. The mousse was soft, creamy and not too "chocolatey". The raspberry coulis was a perfect match for the chocolate. Now lets talk about the souffle. Mmmmm...light, airy and very sensual. It was almost erotically hypnotic. (Is there such a description??) Sweetened to perfection with just the right amount of berries in every bite.



And before you could say "please sir...no more"...out came the petit fours with coffee. Chocolate covered shortbread. Did anyone say the word "competition"? Five courses later we were done. A beautiful spread. Paul and especially Albert had gone to great lengths to host a perfect Biteclub evening. They get an "A" for everything. A perfect setting, a well thought out menu and they were the perfect hosts. Well done. See you all at the next Biteclub.
Pete

Tags:Bite Club