SeaSweet

SeaSweet patisserie serves a mix of Lebanese sweets and other cakes. I really enjoyed their qashta, so I’m pleased that the chain is planning more locations in Sydney. The current patisserie is in Parramatta. SeaSweet operates cafes in Lebanon and is extending to Australia, a good sign that Middle Eastern sweets are becoming more popular here.

A long glass counter on one side of SeaSweet is filled with piles of baclava and other Lebanese treats. The other side has a selection of European style cakes. They serve icecream too. In contrast to the large area taken by the sweet treats the seating area seems small. Lots of people must take their desserts home with them. The interior is very white, with a decorative wall at the back with a glittery pattern. With my mind on sweets it reminded me of sprinkles on icing.

We sat down to look at the menu. James had already spotted a round chocolate boule on his way in, so it didn’t take long to confirm his choice. I was looking for something gluten free, so I asked the waitress what kashta (qashta) was. She explained that it is like very rich cream or soft cheese. She also said that it is pronounced something like “ashta”, explaining that “the K is kind of silent”. How exciting to find a new sweet treat! I ordered a platter of fruit and qashta.

James’ boule arrived first.

It was like a round mudcake with sultanas.

Then came my platter which, I must admit, was probably intended for two people.

Yum! The qashta was topped with honey, fruit and nuts. The mango was ripe and luscious. There was other fruit too, strawberries, kiwifruit, pineapple and rockmelon. None of them could live up to the mango, but the strawberries were pretty good. The nuts were blanched almonds and crushed pistachios which went well with the honey and qashta. This was a great dessert.

I’ll leave you with some pictures of the other sweets on offer. Fruit tarts…

…and celebration cakes. SeaSweet certainly has a broad range of treats.

Ratings (out of 5 snorts)

Price	3 snorts
Taste	4 snorts
Service	4 snorts
Atmosphere	3 snorts

SeaSweet Patisserie
358 Church St
Parramatta
NSW

Jasmin

Piglet wondered the other day whether we should have Lebanese for dinner. Lakemba might be a good place to find a Lebanese restaurant, she suggested. So we made our way out to Lakemba and walked up and down the main street looking for something suitable. We settled on the Jasmin restaurant – ‘Best kebabs in Sydney’ – just down the road from the station.

As we went in and found a table Piglet was able to tell me all sorts of information about the restaurant. She seemed suspiciously knowledgeable about this restaurant that we had just stumbled upon. I suspect that she had already read a review (or several) and wanted to sample the deliciousness herself.

Jasmin certainly lived up to Piglet’s expectations and I found it pretty good too. The menu, in English and Arabic, had a huge variety dishes. For those who can’t be satisfied with just one flavour there are mixed plates, which have a bit of everything. They come in vegetarian and carnivorous versions. The waiter could see that we were the sort of people for whom just one dish would not be enough and suggested that we have a carnivorous mixed plate between us. Piglet licked her lips and piped up with the idea that maybe we should have a vegetarian mixed plate and a meat mixed plate. The waiter hesitated but noted it down anyway.

Soon a huge plate with foule, hummus, baba-ganouj, tabouli and falafels came out.

It was accompanied by a basket full of Lebanese bread, garlic dip, tahini and a plate of salad, including lettuce, olives, pickled chillis, tomatoes, mint and the pinkest pickled cabbage I’ve ever seen.

We started. But then a second plate came out with hummus, baba-ganouj, tabouli, more falafels and lamb shish, köfte shish (although presumably under its Lebanese name), a piece of chicken and a kebbe.

It was delicious and very filling. As we waddled out, Piglet lamented the fact that we had eaten so well because it meant she couldn’t top off her meal with ice cream. Ice cream was out of the question not because of any moral issues about gluttony but because of the physical impossibility of squeezing any more food in.

Jasmin Lebanese Restaurant
30B Haldon St
Lakemba, NSW 2195
(02) 9740 3589‎

Ratings (out of 5 snorts)

Price	5 snorts
Taste	5 snorts
Service	4 snorts
Atmosphere	4 snorts

Rowda Ya Habibi’s

Hunting for a restaurant in Newtown that “copes quite well with a group of our size” (as a colleague put it) isn’t easy. For a recent farewell dinner we were bombarded with requests “not more Thai”, “not too expensive”, “not too far away”, “not asian, my mum makes it” … If we excluded food by nationality, based on what people ate at home, we’d starve! We’re too diverse for the elimination method, or a democratic decision even. I took a step towards a dictatorship model and booked a cushion room for 25 people at Rowda Ya Habibi’s. In our group Lebanese might be one cuisine that no one can say their mum does better actually, and there were no vocal objections.

The room upstairs is great because you feel like you have the place to yourselves. There’s novelty value in sitting on the floor at low tables. With such a large group we ordered from the banquet menu. We decided that the best method was to order half meat and half vegetarian banquets and share the dishes around. This worked rather well and I’d strongly recommend it. The last time I dined here, with a smaller group, people were determined to choose for themselves. Their determination, combined with some fairly authoritarian service, meant that you couldn’t try a dish unless you had ordered the banquet it was listed on. Sharing food gives you far more freedom and a diversity of flavours.

First came the dips, hommous and a smokey babaganouj served with tabbouleh and plenty of bread. Not wanting to be left out of the fun by my inability to eat bread I ate the dips with a fork. Next came the mix of mains. From the vegetarian dishes I ate vine leaves and plenty of green beans with tomato.

From the meaty banquet I sampled both varieties of shish kebab and was impressed.

The lamb was rare, and the chicken was pleasantly spiced.

The vegetarian banquet also featured battered fried eggplant, cauliflower and felafel balls.

For the carnivores the ladies fingers looked beautifully golden.

Overall Rowda Ya Habibis gives you a range of Lebanese food for a reasonable price. Their cushion rooms offer a great place to hold a large-ish function. However I think the food is nicer at Al Mustafa’s in Glebe. I’ll have to visit again so I can write a post about it. It seems like a good excuse for a nice dinner.

Ratings (out of 5 snorts)

Price	4 snorts
Taste	3 snorts
Service	2 snorts
Atmosphere	4 snorts

Rowda Ya Habibi
101 King St
Newtown
NSW 2042