Sydney’s culinary scene is very rich and for this first dinner I chose a Lebanese/Middle Eastern restaurant called Nour. It will turn out to be quite surprising when you think you know the cuisine of this region.
You will find at the bottom of the page all the articles about this trip in Australia.
The concept of Nour
As its name suggests and as its website confirms, NOUR is a Lebanese restaurant. I’m a fan of Lebanese food, even though I admit that it’s not always very good for my waistline.
But why eat Lebanese in Sydney when Paris is already full of excellent restaurants of this kind? Because their promise caught my eye: “You may think you know Lebanese food, but we want to show you that the surface hasn’t been scratched yet and there is so much more to offer.”
Lebanese cuisine that is off the beaten track? I let myself be tempted.
The setting
The setting is quite modern, rather trendy (something I tend to be wary of).
There is a first room with a bar and tables along a bench.
In the background you can see the open kitchen.
You can also sit at the bar.
At the back we will find another room, more conventional and perhaps a little more Mediterranean.
In the end it is tastefully decorated, neither too dark nor too bright and we are not too packed.
On the other hand the place is lively and rather noisy but we will talk about it later.
The menu at NOUR
At the beginning the concept is rather that of dishes to be shared, which limits a little the possibilities when one is alone.
And indeed if there is a Lebanese touch in the recipes and the preparation of the dishes, we do not find at all the great classics of the Lebanese restaurants’ menus.
So I would rather talk about Lebanese influenced cuisine, or even fusion cuisine.
The dinner and the service
As soon as I arrived I was taken care of and seated at my table. The staff is very friendly, they make conversation with me and try to get some French words in. My order is quickly taken.
As an appetizer I will take the Wagyu beef skewer, biber salcasi (a chili paste), marinated Armenian cucumber
It is very good, fine, melt in the mouth, a little spicy. But as far as quantities are concerned, it’s quite light, fortunately I went to the lounge of the Marriott Sydney Harbour before going to dinner…
The purpose of the paper under the skewer is to show that the skewer is not oozing fat. All of a sudden, I remember the excellent tempuras tasted at the St Regis in Kuala Lumpur.
Sayadieh of market fish (red snapper), saffron, green tahini (sesame cream), maras nuts.
Visually it is very beautiful.
A very balanced taste with the rice/fish mixture and the slightly spicy sauces. It is very good, not heavy and has a lot of taste.
I was advised Lebanese desserts but it’s too heavy for me, I will finish more wisely with a strawberry sorbet.
And that concludes this pleasant dinner.
The staff
Super friendly, smiling, willing to talk.
The atmosphere
This may be the only downside. The music was loud but bearable but the room and the customers are very very noisy, especially the next table which was unbearable with 4 Japanese trying to talk louder than each other.
Besides, it’s a lively restaurant, which plays a trendy card, so it’s coherent. But that’s not my cup of tea.
Bottom line
A very pleasant meal if we omit the noise in the room. The dishes are original and creative and even if it is not a gastronomic summit it is good and it is eaten with pleasure.
The staff also contributes greatly to the experience.
From there to make it the 2nd best restaurant in Sydney as Tripadvisor says…it may be a bit exaggerated.
In any case very decent for a 63 euro bill.
Articles about this trip to Australia
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