I Don't Eat, I Devour

 I found out about this little neighbourhood gem from a series during Sydney's lockdown, where a bunch of Sydney hospitality heavyweights were interviewed about the food spots that inspire them. Kepos Street Kitchen, the tiny, unassuming Middle Eastern eatery tucked away among the leafy streets of Redfern, was named by the owner of Nour (one of my favourite restaurants - read my review here ).  Fish burger, $22 Vibrant and beautiful, yet somehow still utterly simple and unfussy, this is perhaps one of the best fish burgers I have had in a long time. The fish part of the burger is more like a fish cake (the soft kind, not the bouncy Thai-cuisine kind), crumbed and fried until golden, the fish completely mashed rather than flakey and seasoned to perfection. The bright magenta and green pickles were pleasantly tart but sweet, cutting through the grease of the patty. The fresh dill - generous sprigs thereof - was an inspired touch.  Smoked Salmon Salad, $24 I usually never or...

"Walk in only" - in this day and age, you've got to have strong confidence in your pulling power to stand by this policy. Normally, these three words strike fear into my overly-prepared little heart, but I have long been curious about this charming, unpretentious corner spot opposite the Enmore Theatre, and I decided to brave it with a couple of friends.  Charcoal chicken plate, $16 The charcoal chicken plate is really a deconstructed charcoal chicken pita pocket. It is served with tender, smoky chicken breast pieces, salad, tomato chutney, gorgeously tart pickles and fragrant toum. The toum is creamy and very, very good - almost as good as the famed one at El Jannah.  Koshari, $16 One of my dining companions is a wonderfully well-travelled ex-Emirates flight attendant. When she discovered this dish on the menu, she was delighted. Since having tried this dish of rice and chickpeas in Cairo, she had been craving it. Though not as good as the one in Cairo (I am informed), t...

Ever since a friend told me about Cubby's Kitchen I've wanted to try. So, in celebration of getting off work at a decent hour and living a relatively responsibility-free existence, I spontaneously grabbed a friend and off we went to explore Cubby's Kitchen. This is the most spontaneous I have been in a long time. Usually, I have already studied the menus and reviews closely and thus know exactly what I want to order, but not this time. We just looked at the menu and hoped for the best. And we did get the best.  Smoked Labne, $15.5 Labne is a strained yogurt that is wonderfully creamy, as one would expect - but what is delicious about the labne at Cubby's is its deep, woodfire smoke flavour, which added to the sourness of the yogurt. Paired with some pistachio, toasted sesame seeds and chilli oil, it is a great start to the meal, but because of the generous serving of accompanying pita, be careful or you'll be full before you know it.  Ladies fingers, $16...

I have been to Kazbah a couple of times - once in Potts Point  for breakfast, once in Darling Harbour . I much, much, much prefer the Potts Point location, though I think it had since closed down. There is still another location, however - the Balmain location, to which I have not been. The tourist-friendly Darling Harbour precinct simply does not gel with my aesthetics, and eating, for me, is partially about aesthetics. Often, when we eat out (and particularly when we're eating at anything other than the cheap-eats price-point), we're not simply eating food, we're eating a lifestyle, an aspiration. One somewhat charming aspect of the Darling Harbour location is that there are a row of tables on the deck where shisha is smoked - the fragrant smoke giving an impression of a particularly buzy Middle Eastern local hang. There is also belly dancing performance on a weekly basis - fun fact, I have once studied under one of their regular performers, Rachel - and she is the re...

Oh my. Where do I even start. I know, I will start with the cocktails. The cocktails are Nour are all beautifully presented, many with a distinctly Middle Eastern twist  through the addition of certain spices and ingredients. They are not very alcoholic, but just. look. at. it. Tamuru Passion, $24 This bright, tart and oh-so-easy-to-drink number is a delightful combination of Stolichnaya vanilla vodka, Fiorente elderflower, Passoa (which is a passion fruit liquer), passion fruit and Tamarind. Then, right in the middle is a shallow dish made of ice filled with champagne granita. Yes. I know. Falafel crumpet, $8 each Falafel, that staple of Middle Eastern cuisine - crunchy and golden outside, fluffy inside. Nour just had to go the extra mile by making it a crumpet, and then topping each with lightly pickled onion, tahini, parsley and soft-boiled quail egg. That runny, oozy yolk is just perfection.  Chicken shawarma, $10 each This was our absolute favourite ...

Emma's Snack Bar, a pocket-sized Lebanese eatery, is filled to the brim every night with Enmore locals. They boast a delicious, traditional menu full of beautiful middle-eastern deliciousness; and a short, cute but mysterious wine list - rather than being able to pick your bottle, you pick a tasting note - do you feel like a "fruity and friendly" white, or a "bold and warming" red? Otherwise, they have three apperitifs and three mixed drinks (and by that I mean the likes of gin & tonic; bourbon and coke) at $10 a pop. Beer, $8 / gin & lemon bitters, $10 The highlight of Emma's is definitely their Moorish Chicken. Not only is the chicken Moorish, it's moreish (geddit geddit?) Succulent, fragrant, garlicky chicken pieces are wrapped up in pide pockets and served with mayo - what heaven is made of. At $20, it is a tad steep, but oh worth every penny - unless you live close to El Jannah's, in which case it's probably not worth $20. Ju...

Located right near where the fireworks go off at Darling Harbour every Saturday night, Kazbah is a vibrant and popular Middle Eastern restaurant. With a menu designed for sharing and belly dance performances, Kazbah is perfect for group meals and catch-ups among friends. Hummus, Baba Ghanhouj and Muhammara served with Lebanese bread, $21.50 My favourite of the three is the muhammara, which is a salty tomato-based dip. The hummus is buttery smooth, and the baba ghanhouj has that distictive smokey flavour which goes perfectly with the soft and crispy Lebanese bread. The extra-virgin olive oil is a nice touch, as it prevents the dips from being too dry to the palate. Kibbeh, $17 Kibbeh is a fried 'dumpling' of meat and pinenut stuffing. Crispy on the outside, salty and nutty and soft in the middle, these are absolutely delicious. Chicken Tangine, $32 Probably my favourite dish of the evening, the chicken is succulent, tender, with the broth deeply flavourful and ...

I have heard so much about El Janah over the years, but never ventured out to taste it. "It's just chicken", I thought, "how good can it get?" I was wrong. El Janah chicken is no ordinary chicken - it is made extraordinary by the deliciously creamy, wonderfully salty and surprisingly moreish toum - and this is coming from someone who normally hates garlic with a passion. Quarter Chiken, $7.90 For $7.90, you get a quarter of a charcoal chicken, pickles, toum and 2 pieces of Lebanese bread. You can make yourself a chicken wrap, or you can try my personal preference - a deconstructed chicken wrap, which involves breaking the bread into small pieces, apply toum, wrap around a small piece of chicken and follow up quickly with a piece of pickle. Before you think I'm crazy (I actually am, so you're not wrong there, but that's beside the point) there is a method to my madness - that way, you can experiment with different bread : chicken : toum : pi...

Hidden underneath an apartment complex in Putney, Zaitoune may be something of a local secret. In fact, it is so well hidden that you will find when you punch "Zaitoune Putney" into Google, the top results are planning permissions, and you have to dig around a little bit before finding the address of this eatery. Empty and deserted, however, it is not - the place is absolutely packed, and the lovely hosts had to pull up extra tables and chairs for my dinner companion and me. So there we were, eating an obscene amount of food uncovered, with gusts of wind threatening to topple everything from empty soda cans to bread basket. The food makes it all worthwhile. Zaitoune Half Meter Mezze Board Yep, it's half a metre's worth of shish tawook, kafta, toume, hummus, tzatziki, tabouli, kibbi, sambousek, fatoush, olives and mixed pickles.  My top tip? Don't be embarrassed to ask for a take-away container early on in the meal so you can pack half of your share for la...