Tarboosh Lebanese Kitchen - Sydney

Making a splash on Darling Street, Balmain, Tarboosh Lebanese Restaurant gave away free felafel last weekend. Along with adding some life and colour to the restaurant strip with pumping Arabic music and a colourful belly dancer, the felafel free-for-all heralded the return of Lebanese cuisine to a peninsula that has lacked it for many years. Named for the red felt hat symbolic of Arabic culture, Tarboosh is a second outlet for owner and chef, Sam Matar, who opened a sister restaurant by the same name in Crows Nest last year.With a wine list created by Robert Dessanti the Wog with the Grog), Tarboosh is set to be a restaurant destination for more than just special occasions. Tuesday nights, for example, will be Mezze Nights, where the chef will send out all-you-can-eat mezze for $25/head with the purchase of a glass of wine. While the dishes will be at the chef’s behest, they may include their moist Kebbe $15/4). These football-shaped fried lamb mince balls are fragrant with cinnamon and cloves from the use of baharat, a Lebanese seven-spice blend. Ladies Fingers $14/4) filled with feta and parsley are another winner; their oozing, salty cheese provided some amusement at our table. Sadly the...

I have always wanted to try the Lebanese cuisine at Tarboosh Crows Nest. So, I was thrilled when my friend invited me to lunch at their new location in Balmain over the weekend. I enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere there. The staff was welcoming and efficient, the menu was reasonably priced, and the portions were generous. They offer a variety of dips, including different types of Hummus, Labne, and Baba Gaboush. My favorite appetizer was the Cheese Sambousek, which reminded me of cheese cigars. For the main course, I suggest trying the Mixed Grill if you can't decide. It comes with chicken breast skewers, lamb skewers, and Kafta skewers on a large plate. For dessert lovers, they have a selection of homemade desserts. I will definitely be returning to sample more of their dishes in the future!

Super yummy entrees (potatoes Lebanese sausage), would of licked the plate clean if we could. Really loved the olives and spreads given as starters. The chicken grill plate wasn’t as good, but included all the necessities and was tasty when eaten all together.

Tarboosh is a Lebanese restaurant that recently opened in Balmain, following the success of its first location in Crows Nest. They offer hearty and authentic Lebanese cuisine. On a weekend, we visited with a group of friends for lunch. We started off with flatbread served with a trio of dips. The first dip was Hummus with pine nuts, a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and pine nuts that was delicious and healthy. The second dip was Baba ganoosh, a smoky eggplant blend with tahini and lemon juice that had a nice zesty flavor. The third dip, Labne, was my favorite - a simple but perfect homemade yogurt that paired well with the meats we had later on.

Excellent food, perfectly cooked. We will be back! Pricing is pretty standard for Lebanese restaurants. Service was great, food took a standard amount of time to arrive at our table. I will be a regular customer if Tarboosh keeps up the very high level of quality.