KAZBAH - POTTS POINT, SYDNEY

Kazbah
15 Bayswater Rd
Potts Point, Sydney

Kazbah Potts Point, or Kazbah Souk, is a hidden treasure in Sydney's famous and ever changing Kings Cross or Potts Point area. Once a place full of nightclubs and bars, this area is now sprawling with restaurants, chic bars, and is quickly becoming a popular food hub. Although the name Kazbah is well known in Sydney, Kazbah Potts Point is a new addition to the Kazbah Group. We arrived at 15 Bayswater Road and after going down some steps a very impressive floor space was revealed. As soon as you walk in the foyer you will find Kazbah Bakery, boasting some traditional Middle Eastern sweets and, further in, a stylish restaurant space. Staff greeted us upon arrival and we were offered a drink in the exclusive bar lounge which is tucked away behind the restaurant - what a beautiful and intimate space!

We had never seen a cocktail served with a macaron before but this vodka cocktail called Poussin was amazing and the macaron was totally delicious. Great suggestion from the bartender! The Pomegranate Mojito was a great twist on a classic cocktail and very refreshing. By the time we finished our cocktails, our table was ready so we moved on to a glass of 2013 Petirrojo Carmenere a lovely wine from South America - Chile in fact - while we studied the menu.

Our waiter Peter asked us if we needed any help with the menu and we were so impressed with his knowledge that we decided to let him recommend a selection of dishes for us.

We love figs so agreeing to the Fig Salad wasn't a hard task and it was a smart one too because it was spectacular. The creamy feta and peppery rocket brought out the freshness of the figs so well, it was a great starter for the evening.

Next up, some Octopus. This one was perfectly cooked and the lemon balm mashed potato was so tasty, we were scraping it off the plate. The crispy fried green leaves were like chips, only crunchier.

Numerous eateries offer a citrus cured Atlantic salmon but the pomegranate citrus salad served with the one here at Kazbah Potts Point is a taste sensation. The vanilla cherry tomatoes added a surprising hint of sweetness too.

The crispy fried baby Barramundi here at Kazbah is exactly that - Crispy - and we like crispy!

The tahini cream with garlic parsley was a smooth and creamy addition that went so well with the crispy fish.

We previously didn't realise we liked tahini so much. However, after trying it here it's a must eat from now on as long as it tastes this good all the time!

Peter also recommended we try the char grilled sardine fillets with chilli, parsley, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. We certainly didn't regret that decision. The chilli added a hint of spiciness to a classic dish like sardines. We were very impressed! Next we tried a smoked duck breast like never before. It was served with a fresh pomegranate dressing that made it taste slightly tangy but very fresh. The accompanying sweet potato chips were light and crunchy.

Our waiter let us know our main dish would be about 10 minutes so we took the opportunity to explore the deli-like shopping area and admire the stylish decor (perfect timing as we needed a short break from all that delicious food). We bumped into head chef Quim Hernandez on the floor and we were fortunate enough to say hello and have a quick chat. Quim (El Bulli trained) talked to us about the menu and his Mediterranean take on Kazbah's more traditional Arabic cuisine. We certainly love the menu.

As we said goodbye to Quim, our main dish arrived.

The Casablanca Royale - a tagine with slow cooked lamb shoulder covered in orange blossom sauce, harrisa yoghurt and preserved lemon - is something we will not forget very easily.

The perfectly slow cooked lamb fell away from the bone effortlessly, and was served with fluffy and well seasoned couscous.

Our dessert was just as impressive. 

The Chocolate Bunyols had a creamy chocolate ganache centre that oozed once you pierced them and the cinnamon ice cream can only be described as great. 

We had never had cinnamon ice cream before and we have to say, it was delicious. What a great flavour with ice cream - who would have thought!

Our dessert was teamed with a spectacular 2011 Vidal Ice Wine from the Niagara Peninsular in Canada. Kazbah has a very impressive wine list overseen by talented sommelier Stuart. We also tried their Turkish coffee which was served with house made Turkish Delight.

By the end of the night we were very full but our experience at Kazbah Potts Point was nothing short of amazing. The food is outstanding  and the service is excellent - everything you would expect from a venue associated with the Kazbah group. Kazbah Potts Point is open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. Kazbah bakery is open 7 days a week from 6am.

We certainly will be back.

The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Kazbah. Special thanks to owners Zahi and Penny Azzi. Big thanks also to Daniella Leona for arranging this visit.

MECCA BAH - BROADBEACH, GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

Mecca Bah
3 Oracle Bvd
Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland

Mecca Bah is such an exotic venue - in fact it's what you would probably be expecting from the name.

It's a very spacious place with a variety of different areas - with seating inside, outside along the pretty boulevard or in their large covered inside/outside area at the rear of the restaurant.

We chose the inside/outside area as it was a beautiful sunny day and it just looked so nice there.

Mecca Bah is of course Middle Eastern food and their brand and group has grown to now have venues across a number of cities in Australia.

It's obviously providing food and venues that people like.

It was just so pleasant sitting there watching the world go by and eating delicious food.

It's open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and stays open late so there are plenty of available times to visit.

Make sure you take a look around too - there are so many artifacts and ornaments there adding to the feel and experience - it's lovely.

It was midday and that meant it was time for a drink - actually it was opening time at 11:30am but near enough!

Sir had a tasty Casablanca martini which he thoroughly enjoyed and Mlady had the slightly sweeter Turkish delight martini which hit the spot for her!

We then started to eat - and boy was there a lot of food to try - we only got to a small portion of the extensive menu.

First up was the Moroccan potato cakes filled with goats cheese and pine nuts. These little beauties were a favourite of Mlady's - crunchy on the outside and soft and full of flavour inside.

Pastry and meat are made for each other aren't they? The lamb sfiha was a winner with Sir - but he loves meat and he loves pastry. It was not a heavy starter - made from open pastry with spiced lamb, tomato and mint and lemon. Delicious!

Next was some tangy and tasty hummus topped with spiced lamb, pine nuts and herbs served with Lebanese Za'atar bread. It was a bit more complex than your usual hummus - and the extras certainly went well.

We both like haloumi but we loved this variation - baked haloumi with pomegranate, mint salad and lemon.

Of course lemon is a must with haloumi but this version had even more tang with the pomegranate and mint - the addition of the pomegranate and mint was great.

Next up was Mlady's highlight of the meal (she's the healthier one of us obviously).

It was a pretty and colourful salad of mixed quinoa, roasted pumpkin, snow pea tendrils, asparagus, fetta cheese with a spicy apple balsamic dressing.

Of course Middle Eastern food means meat on a skewer. This was not like any other presentation we'd had previously either.

The Baharat spiced lamb shish came with bell peppers and onions and was served with Lebanese flat bread, tomato, cucumber, fresh herbs and fragrant pilaf rice.The meat was on a skewer  hanging over a dish of hot coals with a mesh grill on top. You then simply slid the meat, onions and peppers onto the grill and slightly "toasted" them a bit more. There was also some fragrant wood chips and sawdust to sprinkle onto the coals - adding even more flavour and creating a lovely "show".

Dessert for some people is the best part of any meal. For us it is certainly important - almost essential in fact!

We had a lovely platter with interspersed sections of cheesecake and ice cream. It was orange blossom cheesecake with pomegranate, raspberry and honey syrup served separated by scoops of vanilla ice cream.

We then finished everything off with some rich and thick Turkish coffee.

The showmanship of the serving process makes it all even more interesting - and lets not forget the sweet Turkish Delight that came with it!

We slowly sipped on a couple of "dessert martinis" to complete the feast! Mlady's slightly sweeter tooth was quenched with a marshmallowtini - garnished with petite marshmallows. Sir had the quaintly named baked apple pie - and yes it did taste exactly like this!!

Mecca Bah is an exotic escape right on the Gold Coast. The decor is of course Middle Eastern - and nicely done. Service is fast and friendly and the food and drinks are a treat. The biggest challenge is what to choose - the menu certainly has heaps of variety!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Mecca Bah and Platinum Restaurant Group. Special thanks to Mecca Bah Gold Coast Manager Stan for spending time with us. Thanks also to Caitlin, Cathy and Domenica for looking after us so well. A big thanks to Fallon Gomesz of the Platinum Restaurant Group for inviting us.

SUNDWEESH - SYDNEY

Sundweesh
Popping up across Sydney

Ever had a Sundweesh? We hadn't until the other day and didn't know what we'd been missing! It's basically a fresh tasty Middle Eastern bread-wrapped packet of goodness. Started by the lovely and lively Manar, we popped in to try them for the first time at their stall at the Smooth FM Chocolate Festival recently. They were delicious and we're so glad we got to sample them!





















There were four varieties of Sundweesh available on the day we went - and we were lucky enough to try them all.Baroness A was with us and she grabbed the special of the day - prawn with slaw and peri mayo. She eagerly devoured it and was suitably impressed with the flavours and quantity! These suckers are filling! Mlady and I shared the three others - kafta with tabouli and hummus, grilled chicken with peri peri slaw and finally falafel with tabouli and hummus. Each had their own distinct flavour combination and they were all excellent. My favourite though, was the juicy kafta version whilst Mlady found it hard to share the grilled chicken Sundweesh.

Sundweesh are appearing much more regularly at festivals and events, but they also cater for corporate functions as well. They're easy to eat (everything wraps up inside the bread), very tasty (with plenty of filling varieties and sauce options) and affordable.

Sir and Mlady (and Baroness A) tried Sundweesh as guests of Sundweesh. Many thanks to Manar for inviting us to try her tasty creations!

 

SULTANS TABLE - ENMORE

Sultans Table
179 Enmore Rd
Enmore

Sultans Table is great. You eat like a King and its dirt cheap. Wow. We loved it. We ate with T & D, Z, N and J - great company and a great meal as well.

There was so much food and when you can feed, fill and satisfy seven people for only $113 its got to be a winner.

The large mixed dips is a great start for a group. For a meagre $20 you get nine different dips - and good quantities of each of them too. The garlic dip (front right in picture) was great - but certainly lingered! The chilli dip (middle right) had a real kick and the beetroot dip (middle left) was tangy and almost sweet.

The bread is a must with the dips - but order plenty because the quantities of dip mean you will use lots of bread. At only $3 per basket its cheap though so its not a problem.

The zucchini fritters were nice but different people in our group liked them more than others. 

The pides were delicious. The spinach pide had egg, cheese and spinach in it. The quantity and quality was amazing. They arrived piping hot and were delicious.

 The peynirli pide was even better. The combination of cheeses (including haloumi) with egg was sooo nice.

The iskender kebab came highly recommended by N and J so we ordered two for our group - and we were glad we did. Again absolutely delicious - the thin slivers of juicy meat blended beautifully with the bread and drizzled with yoghurt was a real winner.

 We capped it all off with a mixed grill. This was a meatfest topped with slices of pitta. The chicken was browned nicely but soft juicy and tender inside. The lamb was marinated beautifully and again so tender.


Sultans Table was so good. The service was a bit slow at times but they were very busy and so friendly it really didn't matter. The place is a bit deceptive - from the front it looks like a take-away - but the seating is tucked away at the back in a nice enclosed courtyard.

TAZE - CANBERRA

Taze
21 Genge St
Canberra City 2601

We all know how Specials Boards at restaurants are meant to work. They
broadcast a deal and all of a sudden passers by are lured inside, tempted by the food on offer, the price or a combination of both.


Well let me tell all you restaurateurs something - it works on me!

I was passing Taze and their board announced that gozleme's were only

$9.00 this day - and you had a choice of two varieties. Now $9.00 isn't a rock bottom price for a gozleme, but Taze is a decent restaurant so I went in. 

Usually they have a supply already made but today they had already run out so they made mine fresh - which was even better.

 

The picture is a bit deceptive - this was huge. It was nearly 30cm long and was packed with filling - spinach, egg and onion. The flavours combined really well, as expected because its a standard combination of filling. I've had plenty of gozleme and this was clearly one of the best ever. The filling was great but the actual wrapping was superb.

I've eaten a few meals at Taze - mostly dinners - and its always delivered a great experience. This was my first take-away experience and I'll certainly be back for more.