Nour, Sydney

By Lana Bogunovich

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 Charcoa 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 musthave. Nour is a stand-out on the Sydney dining scene. noursydney.com