Restaurateurs Ibby Moubadder and Eleanor Harris have redefined traditional Lebanese food, putting a contemporary spin on one of the world’s most time-honoured cuisines. Nour’s bright and airy décor ties in with the meaning of its name – light in Arabic – a philosophy also reflected throughout its dishes.
Led by a team of Palestinian and Israeli chefs, and with Ibby himself Lebanese, the menu is a fusion of creativity, colour and flavour inspired by all three backgrounds, and designed to share.
We start with the Crispy Cumin Quail – tender pieces of quail in a crispy sesame and cumin coat on a creamy smearing of eggplant, with chargrilled chilli pepper and onion sprouts, before moving onto the Charcoal Octopus – a tender, meaty tentacle, smoky and chargrilled to perfection, curled onto the plate and balanced with olives, fresh fennel, and a drizzle of harissa oil.
The stand out was the snapper – black and glistening from its squid ink marinade, on a bed of creamy cuttlefish rice, caramelised leek and pinenuts. We paired it with a side of cauliflower, baked inside a falafel crust, and a crisp Kohlrabi salad for freshness.
Ending on a sweet note, the Baklava Our Way was a deconstruction of cashew ice cream, crispy pastry, cinnamon and sesame seed marshmallows with goats milk mousse, and is a must-have.
Nour is a stand-out on the Sydney dining scene.
In February, the Nour team will introduce their ‘Guest Chef Series’. Nour head chef Roy Ner will be joined by chef Shane Delia of Maha Melbourne and chef Ben Williamson of award winning Gerard’s Bistro in Brisbane on 20 February and 20 March, respectively, for two collaborative dining events. Guests will be able to enjoy an exclusive share style menu, with the option of matching wines. There will be two sittings available, at 6pm and 8pm, and bookings are highly recommended.
