This year has been tough for our palates. We’ve had very few restaurants exceed our expectations in Sydney, due to our travels and the current economic situation. But alas, a gem called Nour shined.
This is a contemporary Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Surry Hills, with re-imagined traditional dishes of bold flavours, beautiful presentation and charming vibes. I booked this 3 days before Friday for 5pm outdoor seating – so hard to do these days 😱 and had my birthday dinner here.
This is a contemporary Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Surry Hills, with re-imagined traditional dishes of bold flavours, beautiful presentation and charming vibes. I booked this 3 days before Friday for 5pm outdoor seating – so hard to do these days 😱 and had my birthday dinner here.
Food
The first thing that drew our attention on the menu was the beef nayyeh, potato zamini, macadamia and Iranian caviar ✨.
Iranian caviar, as you may or may not know, is the most exclusive and expensive caviar in the world, exceeding Iran’s export of oil. This is due to their high quality and natural farming environment of the wild Sturgeon from the Caspian Sea.
The combination of ingredients was so unique but went together like salt and pepper. The beef nayyeh was finely chopped to perfect chunks, which was different to the traditional minced mezze. Paired with lemon zest and chives, it brought the acidity. The potato zamini had a thin fried crust, and the filling was a compacted texture – more like layers and pieces of potato taken apart and put back together than a singular potato.
And of course, the Iranian caviar with its pearl-like shell and S-bend salt flavouring (subtle at start, peak salt aftertaste) made this bite worth $18 each in these hard economical times 🤑.
Iranian caviar, as you may or may not know, is the most exclusive and expensive caviar in the world, exceeding Iran’s export of oil. This is due to their high quality and natural farming environment of the wild Sturgeon from the Caspian Sea.
The combination of ingredients was so unique but went together like salt and pepper. The beef nayyeh was finely chopped to perfect chunks, which was different to the traditional minced mezze. Paired with lemon zest and chives, it brought the acidity. The potato zamini had a thin fried crust, and the filling was a compacted texture – more like layers and pieces of potato taken apart and put back together than a singular potato.
And of course, the Iranian caviar with its pearl-like shell and S-bend salt flavouring (subtle at start, peak salt aftertaste) made this bite worth $18 each in these hard economical times 🤑.
Hands down, butter and scallop was a combination destined for greatness. This woodfired Abrolhos scallops in Aleppo burnt butter was $11 each. And it was creamy, subtly sweet and smokey, with a pinch of lemon and spice that elevated the shellfish wonderfully.
This was wagyu beef skewer, walnut muhammara, Saj bread, tuna emulsion at $16 each. The Saj bread was thin and chewy, with a nice charred side. The meat was beefy, but not as tender as we thought for “wagyu”. The walnut muhammara was neutral and nutty. And the tuna emulsion was probably what tied everything together. It gave the bite some umami and made everything tasted so much better.
This was a raw bluefin tuna, caramelized kishk, bulgur for $29. It was quite good. The tuna was very fresh. The kishk gave it a creamy and sour taste, balanced by the lemon squeeze and cucumber pieces. The bulgur (cracked wheat foodstuff) was starchy, and a lot different to the Asian tartares we eat normally. Overall, it was nice and yum, but not rated high compared to the other dishes.
This was the lowest rated dish of the night of us: murray cod “Samke Harra” skewer, molasses, chilli at $16 each. The fish was okay, baked well with a mild fishy flavour. The fried garlic carried the bite, bringing savouriness and crispiness, followed by the mouth-watering tangy and hearty Tahini sauce spread underneath the skewers. The chilli was very light 👍.
Our main dish was the spiced beef short rib, leek and durra, black lime for $61. It was so worth it!! 🤤 The beef was tender, beefy and moist, covered in a red-wine glaze. The leek and durra was so addicting to eat as it had bursts of natural sweetness that complimented the meat perfectly. Even the corn were rich and creamy accessories to the leek and durra that had us coming back for more despite how full we felt. It was very delicious and definitely worth the pricetag consider the quantity.
The fried cauliflower, wood roasted grapes, labneh, smoked almond crumb had been blessing my IG feed for weeks and now we understand why it costs $24. OOOFT! SO GOOD. Who knew some garlic powder sprinkled on cauliflower and fried in oil, before being left to dehydrate could taste soooo good. The accompanied yogurt, fruit and nuts added balance (sweet, creamy, smokey, salty).
Drinks
All the cocktails we had were very different compared to other restaurants, and we could taste the alcohol and deliciousness of each.
Service
The service was impeccable. We had a 2 hour seating window and the way the servers handled our orders, placing it down and tidying everything away, we didn’t even feel rush at all. And we still left 10 minutes early! 😁
Review
Everything about my birthday dinner was fantastic. We are definitely returning to Nour, especially knowing they do the Iranian caviar on tap 😍. If you’re looking for a restaurant that doesn’t blow up your wallet, give this place a go.
Thank you for reading! Happy eating!
Thank you for reading! Happy eating!
