MECCA BAH - BROADBEACH, GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

Mecca Bah
3 Oracle Bvd
Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland

Mecca Bah is such an exotic venue - in fact it's what you would probably be expecting from the name.

It's a very spacious place with a variety of different areas - with seating inside, outside along the pretty boulevard or in their large covered inside/outside area at the rear of the restaurant.

We chose the inside/outside area as it was a beautiful sunny day and it just looked so nice there.

Mecca Bah is of course Middle Eastern food and their brand and group has grown to now have venues across a number of cities in Australia.

It's obviously providing food and venues that people like.

It was just so pleasant sitting there watching the world go by and eating delicious food.

It's open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and stays open late so there are plenty of available times to visit.

Make sure you take a look around too - there are so many artifacts and ornaments there adding to the feel and experience - it's lovely.

It was midday and that meant it was time for a drink - actually it was opening time at 11:30am but near enough!

Sir had a tasty Casablanca martini which he thoroughly enjoyed and Mlady had the slightly sweeter Turkish delight martini which hit the spot for her!

We then started to eat - and boy was there a lot of food to try - we only got to a small portion of the extensive menu.

First up was the Moroccan potato cakes filled with goats cheese and pine nuts. These little beauties were a favourite of Mlady's - crunchy on the outside and soft and full of flavour inside.

Pastry and meat are made for each other aren't they? The lamb sfiha was a winner with Sir - but he loves meat and he loves pastry. It was not a heavy starter - made from open pastry with spiced lamb, tomato and mint and lemon. Delicious!

Next was some tangy and tasty hummus topped with spiced lamb, pine nuts and herbs served with Lebanese Za'atar bread. It was a bit more complex than your usual hummus - and the extras certainly went well.

We both like haloumi but we loved this variation - baked haloumi with pomegranate, mint salad and lemon.

Of course lemon is a must with haloumi but this version had even more tang with the pomegranate and mint - the addition of the pomegranate and mint was great.

Next up was Mlady's highlight of the meal (she's the healthier one of us obviously).

It was a pretty and colourful salad of mixed quinoa, roasted pumpkin, snow pea tendrils, asparagus, fetta cheese with a spicy apple balsamic dressing.

Of course Middle Eastern food means meat on a skewer. This was not like any other presentation we'd had previously either.

The Baharat spiced lamb shish came with bell peppers and onions and was served with Lebanese flat bread, tomato, cucumber, fresh herbs and fragrant pilaf rice.The meat was on a skewer  hanging over a dish of hot coals with a mesh grill on top. You then simply slid the meat, onions and peppers onto the grill and slightly "toasted" them a bit more. There was also some fragrant wood chips and sawdust to sprinkle onto the coals - adding even more flavour and creating a lovely "show".

Dessert for some people is the best part of any meal. For us it is certainly important - almost essential in fact!

We had a lovely platter with interspersed sections of cheesecake and ice cream. It was orange blossom cheesecake with pomegranate, raspberry and honey syrup served separated by scoops of vanilla ice cream.

We then finished everything off with some rich and thick Turkish coffee.

The showmanship of the serving process makes it all even more interesting - and lets not forget the sweet Turkish Delight that came with it!

We slowly sipped on a couple of "dessert martinis" to complete the feast! Mlady's slightly sweeter tooth was quenched with a marshmallowtini - garnished with petite marshmallows. Sir had the quaintly named baked apple pie - and yes it did taste exactly like this!!

Mecca Bah is an exotic escape right on the Gold Coast. The decor is of course Middle Eastern - and nicely done. Service is fast and friendly and the food and drinks are a treat. The biggest challenge is what to choose - the menu certainly has heaps of variety!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Mecca Bah and Platinum Restaurant Group. Special thanks to Mecca Bah Gold Coast Manager Stan for spending time with us. Thanks also to Caitlin, Cathy and Domenica for looking after us so well. A big thanks to Fallon Gomesz of the Platinum Restaurant Group for inviting us.

OUT OF AFRICA - MANLY, SYDNEY

Out of Africa
43-45 East Esplanade
Manly, Sydney

Executive Chef/Owner and author Hassan M'Souli has created an exotic and charming restaurant in Manly that's almost been kept hidden by loyal locals who heavily visit it for a taste of Africa. Out Of Africa is almost across the road from Manly Wharf - in fact it actually looks out to it. The Moroccan government has even commended him for his outstanding contribution to promoting Moroccan cuisine in Australia.

The decor here is great - the uniqueness of the African artefact's around the room almost transports you there - it has a great feel to it verging on tribal, There's even black and white "zebra" prints on the bench seats and the high back chairs add even more atmosphere. It's also a decent sized place seating 110 (and even going to 120 at a pinch for a party).

Starting a meal with a cocktail is so nice - especially when it's a tasty African Punch. It was a killer drink for a hot day - served in a cocktail glass looking very inviting with vibrant red colour and garnished with a strawberry and a slice of orange.

The African Punch was made from vodka, Bacardi, triple sec, port, red wine and of course fresh fruit.

We left the dishes in the hands of the staff of Out Of Africa and the first dish was a lovely fresh salad of fig, labna, goats cheese, scallops and pomegranate.

It was very pretty with the pomegranate dotted around a tasty pile of ripe figs and tender scallops.

All the textures and flavours went well together in this fresh and light dish.


We sipped on some lovely global wines as well - Sir on a 2013 Dry Pinot Gris from Drumsara Central Otago in New Zealand and Mlady on a 2013 Pinotage Rose from Swartland Winery in South Africa.

Next we had the Soul Sardines - fresh filleted sardines marinated in a blend of exotic herbs and spices, lightly pan-fried and immersed in a spicy tomato sauce

Oh this was good, an amazing dish. The spicy tomato sauce had bite and we loved the preserved lemon on top - so underutilised these days,

It was great from colour to taste and we enjoyed the mild crunchiness from the pan frying.

It's hard not to have a tajine when eating Moroccan - so we had the Moroccan Meat Balls Tajine - a signature dish of Out Of Africa.

It was spicy Kefta balls made from lean minced beef simmered in a delicious sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, spices and green peas, as served in the Harem. 

We loved that everything combined well and we also loved the spiciness,





















Sir loves his lamb dishes so we were lucky to have the Sud Afric Lamb Sosaties - another signature dish.

It consisted of tender lamb backstrap marinated, char grilled and served on a bed of dried fruit flavoured rice with sour cream and sweet madras apricot sauce.

It was sweet, meaty and tangy - all things good. The meat was extremely tender too.

Of course cous cous is a must when you're eating Moroccan food.

It's kind of like having rice with Asian food - perfect to soak up the delicious sauces and juices that go with the main courses.

It went particularly well with the spicy meatball sauce - we just kept eating and eating!

The topping on the cous cous was great too.

We were spoiled with a trio of desserts.

The creme brulee was great - so rich and creamy with a nice crunchy crust on top.

The indulgent Moroccan chocolate cake was amazing. It was a rich flourless Moroccan cake, a combination of buttery nuts, sweet ripe dates and dark chocolate.

It was served warm and we devoured it all - every last crumb.

Last but not least was the date and Kahlua crepes - lovely thin crepes served with a rich but delicious crepe sauce of date and Kahlua.

It was coupled with house made strawberry and vanilla ice cream.

You have to finish your meal at Out Of Africa with some Moroccan mint tea - it's a must try! Apart from having some very refreshing tea to drink - it's the show you get when the tea is poured at the table from a great height to aerate it. It's quite spectacular and a real eye catcher. 

Out Of Africa is an exotic hidden oasis that is really worth discovering. The food is great, exciting, big flavours and beautifully presented. Service is attentive and it's an experience there too!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Out Of Africa. Special thanks to the inspirational Hassan M'Souli for having us. Thanks also to Thomas and Dario for looking after us and also to Zoe and Jasmine for arranging everything.

AFOUS - MOSMAN, SYDNEY

Afous
Level 1 81 Parriwi Rd
Mosman, Sydney

Afous means hand, with the five fingers representing the five senses of taste, touch, hear, smell and feel. In many respects the restaurant continues this theme by welcoming you with open hands and then asking patrons to extend their hands for some droplets of rose water. This personal touch sets a wonderful mood for what is to come. Owner Omar Majdi has put a lot of thought into making the whole experience of dining at Afous a memorable one - and he has succeeded. The first thing you notice is the view - amazing. Afous sits on the upper level with spectacular views on both sides of the Spit. At sunset you look out over the changing water and the troubles of the day just melt away.

Afous offers a mixture of Moroccan and Spanish dishes. We started out with a serving of North African zaater bread and a glass of merlot. We hadn't tried zaater bread before and loved it. The blend of herbs and sesame seeds was good but the killer punch was the lemon juice drizzle - such a great flavour. The serving was generous but we could have devoured more!

Entree number one was the B'stilla fingers - a house speciality. We weren't really sure what to expect here but what arrived was two rolls of almond chicken infused with rose water and cinnamon all wrapped in filo pastry and resting in a light orange saffron sauce.

The flavours were unique with both sweet and savoury somehow combining well. The pastry was crisp and not overly thick, the chicken tender and the delicately sweet sauce pulled it all together nicely.

Our next entree was the Moroccan meat balls in mild spiced tomato sauce. Whilst it doesn't initially sound particularly different the meatballs themselves were possibly the lightest we have ever had. This is certainly not a heavy entree - it's light and mild for those seeking a gentle start to their meal.

For our final shared entree we had the carrot salad marinated in paprika and lemon dressing.

This dish surprised us a bit. The flavours went together better than expected and it was beautifully presented in a mini glistening tajine.

Whilst this was a salad and therefore cold it could almost be served warm. It was extremely refreshing and tangy all in one.

The main course of barramundi fillet was fantastic. It was described in the menu as grilled barramundi served with fennel and orange salad with honey mustard seed dressing.

The fish was perfectly cooked with a crispy skin covering tender juicy flesh.

The surprise packet was the salad. The fennel and orange was crisp and fragrant all at once and the sauce complemented it beautifully.

It was a generous serving too but once started it was impossible to stop till it was all gone!





The fish tajine was impossible to resist once spotted on the menu. Somehow you've almost got to have a tajine when eating Moroccan - or at least I do! It was described as fillet fish marinated in ras al hanout, grilled vegetables, olives and Moroccan chermoula spices. From the first lifting of the lid of the tajine the aroma was wonderful. Based on the appearance though I was a bit concerned that the fish may have been overcooked. After serving it I was pleased to discover it was in fact perfectly cooked. Again it was a huge serving but oh so nice and a side of light and fluffy cous cous topped it off so well.

Of course you cant finish a great meal without dessert. Mlady chose the Crema Catalane, a favourite of many customers at Afous, which was similar to creme brulee and topped with a crunchy burnt sugar glaze. A glazed ceramic vat arrived - it was again such a generous serving and so good. I chose the more traditional Moroccan semolina cake served warm with whipped cream. It was shaped like a friand and light and tasty. Presentation was, as always here, excellent. 

The night ended with tea du Maroc, which we had never tried before. It's unique and full of flavour - green tea infused with two mints and a touch of rose water. It was served in a flamboyant showy style by a well practiced Omar adding even more spectacle to the meal.

Afous has pleasant decor, great service, atmosphere and style and wonderful food served in generous proportions. It's certainly worth trying but then once you do this you'll be back!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Omar Majdi and Afous.

Omar Majdi (right)