Monday, December 06, 2010

El Manara Lebanese, Lakemba

At the end of my visit to the new Westfield Sydney a few weeks ago my dining buddy, CocoChanel, suggested we meet up in Lakemba for some fair-dinkum Lebanese food.

CocoChanel had inadvertently stumbled upon El Manara a few weeks ago after an appointment in Lakemba. She tells us the décor is nothing fancy, but that the food is good….so good in fact that she’s been back at least four times since first discovering this gem of a café.


When we arrive at Lakemba and wander up Haldon Street to the restaurant, I feel like I’m on holidays in another country.

The shop signs are all written in Arabic (or it could be Lebanese – so forgive my ignorance) as well as English and people are wearing traditional Muslim dress. Just like our visit to Cabramatta last weekend, I feel elated that I’ve driven less than an hour from my house and I’m able to experience a totally difference culture without having to board a Qantas A380 to anywhere.



We arrive at El Manara smack bang in the middle of lunch and the place is totally full. Whilst we wait for a table we peruse the neon-lit menu board on the wall (and admire the wood panelled walls circa 1970) and discuss what to order – everything looks SO good.

CocoChanel tells the owner she’ll have her regular Mixed Plate ($15.00) and it sounds so good that I order one for myself.


The Boy decides to finally try Hoummos with Meat ($10.00). We’ve been seeing this dish at various restaurants lately, but we’re always tempted by something else so it never ends up on our table.


The Mixed Plate is a perfect combination of all the essential Lebanese goodies you'd want to try.

The plate is overflowing with Falafel, Hoummos, Tabbouleh, Chicken, Lamb Shish Kebab, Kafta and Kebbeh.

Everything is beautifully tasty and I love being able to try so many things all in one meal. I think the Chicken is my favourite with its smokey BBQ flavour and some crispy bits to crunch on. I'm also pretty keen on the Kebbeh...oh, and the Kafta! The Boy loves the Lamb Shish and we both agree the Falafel is great with a crunchy crispy outside and light fluffy innards.


For me though the Meat with Hoummos is the real winner!  God it is SO good. The Hoummos is smokey and has a really nutty flavour.  The meat is laced with toasted almond slivers that make the dip almost impossible to stop eating. 


Our meal also comes with the ubiquitous side dish of pickles and bread.  The dish of pickles is topped with fresh sprigs of mint which is great wrapped up in the bread with hoummos and some of the meat.



El-Manara Lebanese is at 143 Haldon Street, Lakemba.

El-Manara Lebanese on Urbanspoon

12 comments:

  1. The hommus with mince looks amazing! I absolutely love reading about genuine lebanse food gems in Sydney!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That all looks so tasty, especially the bread & hoummus! Could you please explain the basics of Kafta to me when time permits? :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Gianna - Lakemba is a gem for Lebanese food...I'm going back for sure to try out some different cafes.

    Hi Jane - Kafta is basically a minced lamb pattie that is shaped like a sausage and cooked on a skewer. This persons blog has a pretty simple recipe if you want to give it a try at home - http://www.jenius.com.au/2010/10/normas_lebanese_cooking_class.php

    ReplyDelete
  4. i love seeing those authentic looking side dishes :-) so colourful and yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hehe I love your term Fair dinkum Lebanese! That describes it perfectly :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great Lebanese food seems to be synonymous with Lakemba. The hot pink turnips always make me smile!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Simon - El Manara seemed pretty authentic. Lots of locals at El Manara so I imagine it was the 'real deal'.

    Lorraine - Lakemba is a great suburb for yummy, fair dinkum, Lebanese food. Can't wait to go back and try somewhere new.

    Helen - the hot pink turnips are great! I always thought they were a bit strong and then figured out they are supposed to be wrapped up and eaten with the other food. Duh!

    Susan - Drool is right!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mmm haven't had Lebanese in agggess must make it out there soon! Must compare this place to Jasmins hee hee

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yumm.... Love Lebanese food! Looks great - will have to go there sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi FFichiban - I haven't been to Jasmins in Lakemba yet (have been to the one in Punchbowl), but I keep hearing great things so will have to check it out asap!

    Cate - it was as good as it looks, fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Had the best Lebanese at Al Aseel you and your companions should try there sometime.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving your comment!

You Might Also Like:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Free Blog Template by June Lily