The Thievery - Glebe, Sydney

I say this time and time again that our city is so lucky to have such a great diverse food scene. Sydney is home to many restaurants that specialises in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Glebe alone has many amazing options. If you haven’t been to Thievery, then you need to hit them up!

Many of y’all know that Julian Cincotta is the genius behind the food at Butter Surry Hills and Parramatta. But did you guys know that he is also Thievery’s executive chef? Thievery is a modern interpretation and accumulation of Middle Eastern cuisine and a dash of some Mediterranean flavours. You can also see influences of Julian’s time in the early days of Nomad. The space also has a moody and hip contemporary Middle Eastern vibe. There are tables for two and communal tables on first and second floor. They even have a lovely balcony space.

First and foremost, y’all need to try their burnt butter hummus ($12)! Apparently, using butter in hummus is a common thing in Nothern Lebanon. It should be a common thing in Sydney too in my opinion! Lebanese bread dipped in the caramelised flavour of the butter with paprika in that fluffy hummus was heavenly.

Their Lebanese Fried Chicken or LFC ($16) is off the hook fam! The perfectly cooked juicy chicken fillets covered in beautiful rippled crispy spiced coating with sweet notes were delicious. It came with a sweet and salty black garlic sauce.

Their BBQ King Prawn ($16) is absolutely beautiful. Grilled giant prawns with beurre blanc, za’atar and calvisius oscietra royal caviar.

It’s currently truffle season and there’s a separate truffle menu available. If you like the sound of or have tried their burnt butter hummus, you will want to get your hands on their truffle hummus. Traditional hummus drizzled with truffle butter goodness and fresh Western Australia (WA) Manjumup truffles.

The Aphrodite Haloumi is grilled haloumi drizzled with honey, macadamia dukkah, freshly shaved truffles. It had those salty and sweet flavours that deliciously offset each other with sweet earthy and nutty notes from the dukkah and truffles.

Both food and service at Thievery is top notch. I’m already looking forward to my next visit. Also, just a heads up that Thievery will be doing a Middle Eastern Style Yum Cha from the 7th of August 2018 to the 1st of September 2018.  Check out their website and social media accounts for more details.

Thievery
91 Glebe Point Road
Glebe NSW
Contact: 02 8283 1329

Hours:
Brunch Saturdays: 12.00pm to 3:00pm

Tuesday -Thursday 6pm to 11pm
Friday 6pm to 12 midnight
Saturday 6pm to 12 midnight

Kazbah - Darling Harbour "Let's do lunch"

Crave Sydney international food festival (Crave SIFF) ended weeks ago. Here I am wishing that I should have gone to more Crave SIFF lunches, dinners and sugar hits.  However, I did check out Kazbah Darling Habour's "Let's do lunch" special with Mrs Ramen Raff. Even if it was just one Crave SIFF lunch that we were able to do, it was one absolutely amazing lunch.

Kazbah at Darling Harbour is located outside Harbourside Shopping Centre's ground floor. Kazbah offers a range of Middle Eastern cuisine. First thing I noticed upon arrival was the staff's exceptional hospitality. They were very accommodating and knowledgeable of the menu. The restaurant has a Moroccan style décor and a very relaxing atmosphere. It has indoor and alfresco dining. I read so many good reviews about their breakfast menu. Wonder what their lunch selections are like? They were delicious!

The lunch deal ($38):

1. Casablanca royale lamb tagine with roasted vegetables and couscous.

2. San Pellegrino sparkling water or a glass of Brown Brothers white wine

3. A choice of turkish coffee or tea.

Casablanca royale lamb tagine with roasted vegetables and couscous (normally around $23)

The Casablanca royale lamb tagine with roasted vegetables and couscous (normally around $23) was like a groovy disco of flavours and colours, Oh Yeah! The lamb was so tender that all you need is a fork to pull it apart. I savoured each bite of the colourful vegetables. The vegetables were so tasty and perfectly cooked.

San Pellegrino sparkling water and a glass of Brown Brothers white wine

San Pellegrino sparkling water and a glass of Brown Brothers white wine

Chahi "Yemeny Sweet Milky Tea"

It was the first time I had Turkish coffee and I enjoyed it a lot! It was strong and slightly sweetened. Mrs Ramen Raff had Chahi "Yemeny Sweet Milky Tea" that was similar to chai tea. The tea was slightly sweet with a hint of cinnamon and ginger.

brandy battered nougat dates with salted caramel sauce and halawa ice cream ($15)

Any meal is incomplete without dessert right? As Mrs. Ramen Raff and I were browsing through the dessert menu, the brandy battered nougat dates with salted caramel sauce and halawa ice cream ($15) caught our attention. This has got to be one of the best desserts I’ve had in my life. The dates were sweet and mushy inside the delicious crispy brandy batter. I love fried desserts that are accompanied by ice cream and some sweet sauce. “The salted caramel sauce and halawa ice cream were delightful” says my taste buds.

We enjoyed our overall experience at Kazbah and we intend to return soon to try their popular breakfast menu. Our lunch at Kazbah Darling Harbour was very yummy for our tummies! How’s yours?

Kazbah - Darling Harbour
The Promenade Harbourside Shopping Centre  Darling Harbour, NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9555 7067
www.kazbah.com.au/darling_harbour.htm
Opening hours: Open 7 Days - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner from 8am