You can now get Wagga's beloved Lebanese chicken in Melbourne
Lebanese$
After winning hearts in Wagga Wagga, Habibi brought its Lebanese charcoal chicken to Melbourne earlier this year. Birds are marinated for 24 hours in a heady mix of garlic, cumin, coriander and paprika before hitting the rotisserie.
Grab a combo with flatbread, pickles and garlic-herb Habibi sauce, or spice things up with the Blame the Flame wrap – chicken, chips, slaw, Lebanese-style pickles and a garlicky chilli sauce – that's brushed with extra chilli and toasted to order.
Hot tip: Take home some Wagga-made sauces and seasonings. They're part of Habibi's mission to support regional communities with jobs, something echoed in the name – 'my love' in Arabic.
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The Age
17 minutes ago
- The Age
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Sydney Morning Herald
17 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Zareh, Collingwood: Tom Sarafian's debut restaurant and what you should expect
At Zareh in Collingwood, the dip king and ex-Bar Saracen head chef will intertwine his Armenian and Egyptian heritage – and share his 'death-row dish' with diners. (And it's not his famed hummus.) August 12, 2025 , register or subscribe to save articles for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. One of Melbourne's most anticipated restaurants in recent years finally has an opening date. Zareh, the long-awaited debut of young-gun chef Tom Sarafian, will open in Collingwood next Wednesday, August 20, spotlighting his Armenian and Egyptian heritage. Zareh, the debut restaurant of chef Tom Sarafian, is nearly ready to open in Collingwood. Kristoffer Paulsen Part of what makes it so closely watched is, yes, the lengthy lead time. It also marks Sarafian's return to restaurants after four years of pop-ups and running a successful condiment business. But mostly, it's the former Bar Saracen head chef's refusal to take the path of least resistance in his pursuit of perfection. (This is a man who still insists on hand-peeling garlic for his eponymous dip.) 'We do everything the hard way,' says Sarafian. He's the first to bring mouneh (Lebanese pantry staples) from south Lebanese brand Droubna to Melbourne. From quality sumac to supersized pine nuts, they'll be used across the menu and also available to buy, alongside Sarafian dips, in the deli section. He's also struck out on his own to open the restaurant on Smith Street. It was initially meant to be part of the Mulberry Group stable, but that changed when an appropriate site couldn't be found. 1 / 6 Kafta nayeh (raw lamb dressed with toum, chilli and herbs) is one of Sarafian's Bar Saracen signatures. Kristoffer Paulsen 2 / 6 Chef-owner Tom Sarafian (second from left) with members of his team. Kristoffer Paulsen 3 / 6 Hummus topped with Fraser Isle spanner crab and Mooloolaba prawns. Kristoffer Paulsen 4 / 6 Arak appears across several drinks, including a negroni. Kristoffer Paulsen 5 / 6 The sound system and vinyl collection are a key part of the venue. Kristoffer Paulsen 6 / 6 Tunisian pastry filled with tuna, potato, harissa and more. Kristoffer Paulsen Named for Sarafian's grandfather, Zareh is an elegant 40-seater with deep connections to home. Sarafian will work alongside his brother and cousin, helping out with dips production and front-of-house, respectively. The fit-out emulates their grandparents' house, from burgundy tiles to an identical amber-glass sliding door. The ever-evolving menu will traverse Sarafian's roots, weaving in influences from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean, as well as his training in London. Sarafian's 'death-row dish' is manti, Armenian style. Here he's baking the teeny-tiny, meat-stuffed dumplings until crunchy, then splashing them with a tomato broth that the bottom soaks up while the top stays crisp. They're dressed with garlicky labneh and Aleppo chilli from Tasmania's Fat Carrot Farm. Hummus topped with Fraser Isle spanner crab and Mooloolaba prawns. Kristoffer Paulsen Ghapama – an Armenian dish 'so iconic they sing songs about it' – is a hollowed-out heirloom pumpkin filled with rice, nuts and dried fruit that's cooked in the wood oven. 'Magical' chicken wings are charcoal-grilled then wood-fired in a claypot, with copious amounts of Sarafian's own toum, lemon and coriander. The chef describes the oven and charcoal barbecue custom-built by The Brick Chef as 'more important than salt'. It wouldn't be a Sarafian restaurant without his signature hummus, adorned with Fraser Isle spanner crab and Mooloolaba prawns. 'This food is [often] seen as cheap and cheerful. We eat it a lot at home ... and at kebab joints. We felt like we needed a room to show off the pinnacle of what [it] can be,' says Sarafian. The house martini garnished with a gilda. Kristoffer Paulsen Completing the equation is arak, the anise spirit, specially imported from Lebanese producer Farid. There are three – OG, coffee, za'atar – to have neat or with a splash of sparkling water, which isn't traditional, Sarafian says, but enhances the flavour. A bracing arak-spiked martini comes with the optional (but arguably essential) add-on of a gilda. 13 exciting restaurant openings we're counting down to this year It's dinner-only to start, but Zareh will soon add lunches and grab-and-go options to the deli. Dinner Wed-Sun from August 20. 368 Smith Street, Collingwood, Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up
Sydney Morning Herald
17 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney waterfront dining: Felons Seafood restaurant at Manly Wharf serves four choices of fish and chips, mud crab and more
The views are stunning, the fish are jumping, but something's missing from this new waterside restaurant. August 12, 2025 , register or subscribe to save articles for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. 1 / 11 Felons Seafood's location, right on the water on Manly Wharf's East Esplanade, is an open invitation for a long lunch. Edwina Pickles 2 / 11 Northern Territory mud crab in a warm, South-East Asian-style black pepper sauce. Edwina Pickles 3 / 11 Choose from four different fish for the traditional fish and chips. Edwina Pickles 4 / 11 Potato scallops are fancified with a cool, herby blue-swimmer crab remoulade. Edwina Pickles 5 / 11 Edwina Pickles 6 / 11 Felons Seafood is the next step in Manly Wharf domination for the Artemus Group. Edwina Pickles 7 / 11 Queensland coral trout cooked in the Josper oven. Edwina Pickles 8 / 11 Buttermilk soft serve. Edwina Pickles 9 / 11 Edwina Pickles 10 / 11 Edwina Pickles 11 / 11 Edwina Pickles 13.5 /20 Seafood $$$ $ It's quite an undertaking for a brewery to step into the world of demi-fine dining, but here's Felons Seafood, the next step in Manly Wharf domination for the Artemus Group (the developers behind popular Brisbane dining precinct Howard Smith Wharves). It started with Felons Brewery – a fun, large-scale brewpub with views across the water on the West Esplanade, and continues with this restaurant, which opened in June and is overseen by chefs Corey Costelloe (owner of Marrickville neighbourhood bistro 20 Chapel) and Luke Bourke ( The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 's current Young Chef of the Year). The pair, who spent a decade together working at Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney, have co-created a menu focused on responsibly caught fish, treated with respect and care. The location, right on the water on Manly Wharf's East Esplanade, is an open invitation for a long lunch. Inside, a dining room of neutrals and rattan, offset by touches of navy. Floor-to-ceiling wood-framed French windows wrap around the restaurant, waiting to be opened in warmer months to let in the sea breeze. Outside, tables hug the perimeter of the restaurant with big blue umbrellas up during the day, and gas heaters at night. Choose from four different fish for the traditional fish and chips. Edwina Pickles This is a deep dive into the seafood culture that once defined the Aussie coast, combined with strong Mediterranean sensibilities. Nothing is overly embellished, and the fish takes pride of plate. Potato scallops are fried to deeply golden and crisp, fancified with a cool, herby blue-swimmer crab remoulade. A bouncy Mooloolaba king prawn cocktail is served on a bed of shredded lettuce dressed in a classic Marie Rose sauce, served with a side of buttered brown bread. Fun with a tropical fruit-forward Galaxy Haze pale ale. There are a few menu items that make use of Felons' beer range, but it's more of a subtle taster than a schooner in your face. The traditional fish and chips feature a choice of four fish, including the classic dusky flathead and (my pick) spangled emperor. The goujon (or tail end) is fried in a crisp lager batter until strawberry-blonde and served on a bed of tallow-fried, skin-on chips with tartare sauce. Order the mignonette salad on the side, all sharp corners and mustard-bitey, or the green Greek salad – three types of cucumber, two types of capsicum, green olives, toasted sunflower seeds, soft feta and a dusting of oregano. A beautiful echo of a proper fishing town chipper. Northern Territory mud crab in a warm, South-East Asian-style black pepper sauce. Edwina Pickles The food is good. Great, even, at times. Look at that delicate fillet of Queensland coral trout cooked in the Josper oven, the skin seared until crisp and the flesh just-set. It's served simply with aioli, romesco sauce and a wedge of lemon. Then there's the Northern Territory mud crab bathing in a warm, South-East Asian-style black pepper sauce dotted with crisp-fried curry leaves, and a stack of flaky roti tucked in among the legs and claws. The technical prowess on the plate is undeniable. It's just a shame it's let down by inexperienced waitstaff who give the strong impression they'd rather be anywhere else on the planet than serving tables. Queensland coral trout cooked in the Josper oven. Edwina Pickles There's a lot of rushing about and plenty of staff, as far as I can see, but not a lot of friendliness or practical care when it comes to the basics. I'll probably go to my grave, for instance, wondering why our waitress chooses to place that $90 crab, not on the table, but on the spare chair on top of my coat and bag. Or why, on the same visit, we're seated outside at night in the middle of winter without asking where we might be comfortable. Sure, a few strong floor members are doing their best, but it's a big ship to steer when the majority of your crewmates are inexperienced. If you can see past the service, the food really is worth a look. Order a dozen pristine, fresh-shucked rock oysters with plenty of brine and a side of Baker Bleu bread and salty butter. Don't bother ordering anything by the glass (the danger of not being able to order a follow-up glass is clear and present), but do consider a bottle of crisp white wine like the Kir-Yianni Assyrtiko – just the right amount of crispness and pear fruitiness. Go hard on the whole fish and the snacks, and end by sharing the unapologetically tart buttermilk soft serve sweetened with a drizzle of bittersweet stout caramel. Consider walking, not running, and making some time for a long lunch during the warmer months. Atmosphere: Sunny, bougie-casual and family friendly Go-to dishes: Black pepper crab ($90); traditional fish and chips ($28-36); potato scallop ($28); buttermilk soft serve ($14) Drinks: A neat selection of Felons beers on tap and a surprisingly hefty wine selection for a restaurant opened by a brewery Cost: About $200 for two, excluding drinks Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can't pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up
