Oasis Bakery, Murrumbeena

This humble middle eastern joint that’s one part super food store, one part café/bakery sits on a quiet part of North Road as a culinary beacon.

It is the one stop shop for all your middle eastern needs packing in over 3,000 grocery items. You’re gonna get hungry sifting through all that stuff, so be glad there’s a source to fuel the hunger. Retaining a warehouse edge, it could be the St Ali of the outer south east. Come for goodies such as shawarma (marinated and roasted shaved lamb or chicken) in a wrap or plate, kebbeh (wheat dumplings and spices), or pastries including the lovely baked zaatar topped with herbs and sumac, cheese triangles and a filling lamb and feta pizza. No bakery would be complete without sweets, so try the ricotta and jam cigars, Lebanese doughnuts and baklava. To be enjoyed with a great brew of coffee.

Oasis Bakery… the Dutch aren’t the only ones that make orange very cool.


4 / 5 yums!
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Where? 9/993 North Road, Murrumbeena, VIC
What? Around $10









Left to Right : Zaatar, Lamb and Feta Pizza, shawarma plate, shawarma wrap, sweets, coffee

Claypots, St Kilda

Jessica Simpsons out there shouldn’t get too mixed up at Claypots. There’s no chance tuna will get confused for chicken. It’s surprising that this popular fish doesn’t feature on their blackboard menus, because they pretty much have everything else that lives in water on stock to fry up or slow cook in their self titled claypots. And with the worldly flavours of Morocco, Thailand, India and Cajun in the kitchen’s arsenal, there’s sure to be an assault on the tastebuds.

Take for example the shellfish that requires both hands to get stuck into the king prawns, crabs, mussels and yabbies that are stir-fried with lemongrass, chilli and coriander. Even the most dexterous of fingers won’t get to the sweet flesh quickly enough. The same cavalier approach can’t be taken when taking on the whole fishes complete with bones, such as the crispy skinned dory or black bream covered by a creamy, mild red curry that plays nice for the masses. Claypots are a much more spoon friendly affair, the creamy Malaysian style laksa my pick.

Didn’t try the sweets, but didn’t enquire about them either. And just to be clear to any Jessicas that might be reading out there. There are no chooks, but plenty (good) tastes of the sea.


3.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 213 Barkly St, St Kilda, VIC
What? Fish $30-60, Claypots $20







Left to Right: Shellfish Stir-Fry, Silver Dory, Black Bream with Thai Red Curry, Malay Claypot, Cajun Claypot

Maha Bar & Grill - Bar

George Calombaris recent comments in the Herald Sun whinging & crying about how he hates food bloggers make me so mad! But the food that his restaurants deliver is delicoius. If you're in for a economical feed and not in the mood for greasy asian make your way to the Maha Bar.

The hard casing from the Kibbeh encases a moist filling of nicely spiced Lamb mince & Raisins - a perfect example of a staple middle eastern snack. The 12 hour cooked lamb is meltingly soft - laced with loads of garlic, a sprinkle of pistacio and olives. The pita bread it is served with comes at room temperature - but that's excusable. Pastizzi packed with ricotta or cheese are simple but they hit the spot.

We walked out satisfied, costing just over $15 a head for food and our burps not smelling like dumplings.

4 / 5 yums!
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Where? 21 Bond Street, Melbourne 3000 (off Flinders Lane)
What? Snacks $10, Mains $25

Maha Bar and Grill

Strap yourself in for a Middle Eastern mouth bonanza at Maha Bar and Grill with amped up dishes coming straight from the sizzling hot Shane Delia’s kitchen. If you couldn’t share your Lego or teapot set when you’re younger, then don’t bother with this place, because what makes this dining experience so awesome is that the small and large dishes are designed to share, sampling the mastery of the chef’s cooking mind. Not the ideal place to dine for two, but don’t let that stop you.

Just about all the spices and herbs are utilised here including cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, fennel, mint, coriander, used in combinations from a foreign land such as dukkah & sabbah baharat to flavour beautifully cooked meats. Top this off by garnishing with nuts, thick sauces that have been pulsed or pureed, yoghurts and foams. Sweets at the end worth the stomach space investment, though difficult to do when all that comes out before is so tasty.

Quality service team, attentive yet casual and extremely knowledgeable, and 4 courses for $65, 5 for $75, you’ve struck gold. Queue the Bonanza theme song.


4 / 5 yums!
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Where? 21 Bond St, Melbourne, VIC
What? Dishes between $15 - $38

The Grande

Winter nights are not friendly to the Grande restaurant that’s resides in this Daylesford luxury accommodation. Down a street without lights, high beams essential if you don’t want to be driving straight into your reserved seat. Though that might prompt the owners to give the dining area a bit of a facelift that feels like it’s the home of an old country lady that’s just returned from a trip from Morocco and Persian regions.

Thankfully the food that’s influenced by the same region works much better. Delicately cinnamon cured duck breast is grilled to a pinkish medium rare, sliced and fanned out, paired with a bold horseradish and dill labne. One to write home about is Tunisian brik, a thin pastry wrapping compacted shards of local Tuki rainbow trout, a heart of runny egg yolk oozes when the shell is broken, creamy coriander, green chilli and coconut relish to enhance the natural sweetness of the fish. Little wonder this is the chef’s signature. Of similar texture and shape the pork loin, roasted simply with olive oil, garlic accompanied by a goat cheese mash and a salad garnished with crispy skin. Something sweet to finish off the meal a selection of ice creams including pistachio and Turkish Delight with rose fairy floss. Not a grandstand way to finish off the meal, but The Grande with its highlights should light the way for foodies to find.

3 / 5 yums!
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Where? 1-3 Church St, Hepburn Springs, VIC
What? Entrees $16, Mains $35, Desserts $15

Can't read my Pokerface.... Momo...

Everyday the GFC is plastered all over the news, but the threat of recession and spiral into dire straits feels like a world away when walking up the corridor entrance of the new & lavishly refurbished Grand Hyatt. Our destination for the night, Momo (mark II) was accessed going “down” the lifts to level 5.

From the first moment, it’s obvious that the fittings of the restaurant have been paid a lot of attention, everything with a quality feel, from the crockery to the furniture to the decorations. However I can’t help but feel that the opulence takes away from the homely vibes that I love in Middle Eastern restaurants – and although you’re underground it’s hard to forget that you’re eating in a hotel restaurant in the middle of the city.

We started on a bottle of Pinot Noir. Unusually the sommelier recommended the cheapest one – a Gold Medal Winner from the Tasmanian Pinot Show (apparently one of the best around). From memory it was from a place called Kelveton Estate – and there were only 10 barrels of this wine made (a rarity! $67 a bottle). This set a great tone to the start of the night, excellent service and wine.

Opening the oversized menu you will notice there are three menus to choose from, Arabesque (2 choices of entrée, 2 mains and 2 sides - $100), Moorish (all entrees, 2 mains & all sides $140), and Epic (I made that name up as I have forgotten the real name) which must be ordered in advance and is custom made to tastes. As we knew we would struggle to fit all of the food in, we decided for the Arabesque menu.

The mandatory bread came out but with a twist. It was served with very tasty pomegranate and oil – along with some raw organic vegetables (Capsicum, beans, baby carrot & cucumber). An unexpected yet strangely refreshing start to our dinner.

The hardest decision of the night came when deciding on which 2 of the entrees to order. We decided on the Duck & Fig Salad with Eggplant (dip) and the Wagyu tartare served and to be eaten with bread, picked vegetables, mint & spiced yoghurt. (The other two options were stuffed quail, and softshell crab). The duck was cooked to a perfect pink. Each mouthful was a perfect combination of flavours; the strongly spiced duck mixing well with the sweetness of fig and smokiness of eggplant. Dish of the night. The wagyu tartare was a unique version of the classic – served with mint, pickled vegies and flat bread, very tasty– however I couldn’t help but regret not ordering one of the other two options.

For our mains we decided on the Fish Tagine and Pigeon, overlooking the Roast Lamb Rack and Braised Kid (goat). The Fish Tagine was made up of two types of fish and some stuffed mussels on top of a flavoursome lemony/peppery broth. The tenderly poached fish had taken on the broth it was cooked in very nicely, and the mussels were probably the freshest I have ever tasted. The side of cous cous with yoghurt that came with it was the perfect foil to the lightness of the tagine. The pigeon came shredded and wrapped in filo pastry served on a cold crunchy salad that had a coleslaw-ish feel about it. This dish presented a great balance of temperatures and flavours– definitely worth ordering again. Though, the side of peas we ordered along with it were too heavy and left something to be desired.

A palate cleanser of pomegranate & vodka sorbet with shaved melon first came out. It was a clean and refreshing – a perfect start to our final meal endeavours. Dessert was a platter of, chocolate Turkish delight tart, meringue with cream and rose, and macadamia custard on a puree of fig. They all tasted amazing – my favourite being the Turkish delight chocolate tart – delish! Complimentary petit fours of the traditionals (Turkish delight, baklava, strawberry marshmallow & chocolate truffle) were served with our coffee.

Momo definitely met all the heightened expectations that are placed on going to a restaurant headed up with a chef as famous as Greg Malouf. You wouldn’t have guessed that this was a restaurant that just recently opened, the food was cooked perfectly and the service issue free. All in all leading a very good night! Definitely worth a revisit – probably in a bigger group!

3.5/5 yums!

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Where? Lower Level 123 Collins Street Melbourne
What? $90/$140 for food

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L: Immaculate presentations, impeccable service, fantastic flavours from the Middle East. Momo is the Nanny, stylish, flair, it's there so go to Momo. Momo Momo.

4/5 yums!

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Note: L's photos, menu slightly different to Y's.