Located off Paramatta Road in Gelbe, the place seemed quite popular. Despite incessant rains on that Friday evening, the place was quite packed. We were quite lucky to get a table. Almustafa serves Lebanese cuisine and can seat around 50 pax, maybe a bit more. Liquor is not served, however, you can bring your own drinks.
Going For
+ Specialty cuisine - Specialty Lebanese restaurants are hard to come by.
+ Tasty food - The Samkeh Harra was recommended to us. The barramundi (fresh water fish) fillet was very tasty and the fish was perfectly done and was absolutely fresh. The portion was filling and the flavors of sesame (on account of the tahini sauce), chili and garlic complimented the fresh fish fillet. The Cousa - zucchini stuffed with spices, rice and minced lamb was also good.
+ Belly Dancers - They have belly dancers in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays and the entertainment was worth it while we waited for the food to arrive.
+ Service - Though a bit slow, food was always served with a smile and there was always a waiter available to attend to your table.
+ Price - not too costly for a specialty restaurant.
+ Bring your own liquor policy.
Not going for
- Cold Pide' - the pide bread served was not warm, I prefer the fresh kind.
- Minimal desserts - There are only a few items in the desserts section of the menu.
- Missing items - Some items mentioned in the menu were not available (like the baby octopus dish - grilled pickled octopus)
- Interiors - while attempt has been made to make the place look Lebanese, the place is too congested. It is made of one very narrow hall with one row of tables and another perpendicular portion that has a few tables - an 'L' shaped seating area.
- Service time - Takes quite some time to serve the food - probably because it is freshly cooked!
- No liquor served.
The aforementioned two items, a scoop of ice cream and a cold drink came to around AUD 100/-.
Going For
+ Specialty cuisine - Specialty Lebanese restaurants are hard to come by.
+ Tasty food - The Samkeh Harra was recommended to us. The barramundi (fresh water fish) fillet was very tasty and the fish was perfectly done and was absolutely fresh. The portion was filling and the flavors of sesame (on account of the tahini sauce), chili and garlic complimented the fresh fish fillet. The Cousa - zucchini stuffed with spices, rice and minced lamb was also good.
+ Belly Dancers - They have belly dancers in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays and the entertainment was worth it while we waited for the food to arrive.
+ Service - Though a bit slow, food was always served with a smile and there was always a waiter available to attend to your table.
+ Price - not too costly for a specialty restaurant.
+ Bring your own liquor policy.
Not going for
- Cold Pide' - the pide bread served was not warm, I prefer the fresh kind.
- Minimal desserts - There are only a few items in the desserts section of the menu.
- Missing items - Some items mentioned in the menu were not available (like the baby octopus dish - grilled pickled octopus)
- Interiors - while attempt has been made to make the place look Lebanese, the place is too congested. It is made of one very narrow hall with one row of tables and another perpendicular portion that has a few tables - an 'L' shaped seating area.
- Service time - Takes quite some time to serve the food - probably because it is freshly cooked!
- No liquor served.
The aforementioned two items, a scoop of ice cream and a cold drink came to around AUD 100/-.
Reco - If you like West Asian cuisine, head here. Friday and Saturday would be better with the belly dancers.
