Had very high expectations for this place based on all the reviews, but ended up pretty…read moredisappointed. The food was OK, but not nearly amazing as we'd expected. Possibly that's because we ordered their vegetarian options, which were all side dishes -- maybe they're more known for their meat options? Either way, they should really up their vegan and vegetarian game! We went for my boyfriend's birthday -- so, yeah, it was a special occasion, which made our experience even more disappointing because our expectations were set so high. For starters, even though we'd made reservations two weeks ago, we were squeezed into a tiny little table with four patrons on either side and very little elbow room. We could hear all of the conversations of the two tables next to us and they could hear our conversation. Didn't make for a romantic birthday dining experience, that's for sure. On the plus side, the service was very attentive -- a French girl who knew exactly what was and wasn't vegan. She pointed out the various sections of the menu and our various options. My boyfriend started with a drink (arak gantous/abou raad), a strong aniseed-flavored liquor. He enjoyed it but I stayed far away based on the smell alone, haha. Then for our entree we ordered: - taratoor (almond and tahini dip) - hummus dip - crudites (fresh veggies to dip in the tahini and hummus) - pickled veggies to dip in the tahini and hummus This was probably the highlight of the meal -- I really loved the taratoor and the hummus was good too, although the flavour got a little repetitive compared to some hummuses (hummi? lol). The portion sizes of the entrees were good so we were actually starting to fill up. So next we ordered: - 1 serving of crunchy potatoes seasoned with garlic and coriander - 1 serving of rice pilaf - 1 serving of freekeh None of these wowed us. The crunchy potatoes were very very dry and honestly needed a sauce of some kind. My boyfriend ate three potato cubes and flat-out refused to eat the rest, leaving me with a very bloated potato-belly at the end of the evening because I hate wasting food so I had to eat the rest of them :/ The rice pilaf was nice enough with barberries and pistachio, a traditional Persian sort of dish, but like the potatoes, it was very dry. The freekeh with pomegranate dressing and almonds was just not very nice. My boyfriend ate most of it and I avoided it. Ultimately I think the problem is this is the type of restaurant designed for share plates, and the vegan options were all side plates to share, not mains. And as side plates they didn't go together well as a cohesive whole. There were literally no vegetarian mains available (much less vegan mains) and I think this is a real shame. It forces veggos to select these side dishes that don't really form a complete meal, and everything ends up tasting very dry and odd together. Rumi should definitely make more of an effort to come up with a vegetarian (preferably vegan) main so that nobody misses out. So. Yeah. Probably avoid this place if you're vegan or vegetarian. We spent $86 altogether and for that amount of money (and a birthday celebration dinner!) we expected to be much happier with our food and experience.

Bear and I came here because we had seen Anthony Bourdain's visit. Though the food here was good,…read moreeverything felt incomplete. Like we ordered the lamb and got a delicious lamb shoulder, completely on its own. Who just wants to munch on red meat? As a Middle Eastern, may I make a quick suggestion? Please add back in the flat breads, the rice, the potatoes. They are needed. We ordered the: Crispy fried school prawns - Delicious, needed more sauce 'Batata Harra' - Really good, needed a (any!) sauce. Advieh marinated lamb shoulder - Needed something to accompany it. Shaved Cabbage Salad - Really underwhelming. Don't recommend. I can't remember the rest. It's a shame because the potential is definitely there, but it definitely misses the mark. Ambiance and service could improve too.

I found this place to be rather interesting. In fact, what they had on their menu was quite…read moredifferent to what I was used to, and in fact, it isn't the sort of place that I would have wandered into if it wasn't for my friends who had decided to eat out here for dinner. Well, it certainly was an experience, and from the crowds here on a Tuesday night this place is certainly popular. Okay, I'm probably not going to walk into a similar place in the future, but I still quite liked it.

THE best felafel pita I've ever had. EVER. So delicious and…read morefilling. The felafel was actually very moist considering how dry felafel can be usually. Not so here. Cool little joint, playing cool tunes, friendly service... treat yo'self

I must admit before today I was a halal snack pack virgin but as of today I no longer hold that…read moretitle! Melbourne kebab station was recommended by a friend of mine for their tasty meat cooked on a gyros but most importantly they were recommended for being the home of one of the best halal snack packs. As this was my first, I'm no expert on the topic but I can say it was delicious! Crispy chips covered in cheese topped with your choice of lamb, chicken or both, smothered with garlic, chilli and bbq sauces. A bit heavy on the bbq sauce but it can always be tweaked to your liking. We even saw some customers ask to have hummus added on top, so there are a number of extras you can play with to customise the meal the way you want it. Can't wait to go back to try some of the other items on their menu

So it's my second time having a Halal Snack Pack and Melbourne Kebab Station is doing things right…read more Melbourne Kebab Station is only a tiny place. You can tell that you're close because of the people standing outside. Inside it's standing room only, with two tables that sit four people each. Heading outside, to the left, there is more enclosed seating, but I only realized this after leaving the place. Oh well. With the latest food fad sweeping, recently added to their menu is the H.S.P. A small is $10, a large is $15. I tried a mixed chicken and lamb snack pack with garlic sauce and chili sauce. Both complimented each other well, nothing was overpowering, it all just went went well together. Compared to another kebab shop, the meat was more juicy, and the sauce had a better consistency for what you were eating. It wasn't too thick, and it wasn't runny or lacking taste. Pro tip: It's a cash-only venue.

Visited Sezar based upon excellent Yelp and TripAdvisor ratings and it did not disappoint. Food is…read moreexcellent and service is average, hence the 4-Star rating. Overall a great dining experience...be sure to order a variety of plates and share. Restaurant is quite funky and is found at the end of a little alley in the city. Be sure to make a reservation and don't be surprised if they insist (which they tell you ahead of time) within two hours. We ordered cocktails, and they were good, though the server spilled both of them (as well as our water). The waiter provided good suggestions and helped us (as a party of 5 with kids) to order a variety of dishes...we sampled about six dishes in total and were very pleased with all of them. Each dish was bursting with flavor, and in particular we enjoyed: smoked ocean trout with a fennel salad, fresh oysters, Pomegranate chicken wings, lamb meatballs, and lamb shoulder (amazing). Waiter did not return after we ordered our dishes and seemed to rush us out quite a bit (in advance of our 2 hour allowable window). So, food quality great, service average. But worth a try!

As you enter this place, this place doesn't look like what I imagined it to be. But the staff was…read morefriendly and greeted us appropriately. We had: - Bastourma & egg (armenian air dried beef, quail egg, toasted brioche & garlic jam). This dish taste so much better than it looked - Seared hervey bay scallops (spiced pumpkin,pomegranate molasses & sujuk) - Armenian BBQ Chicken (pickles, tabouleh, flat bread & tahini) - Grain salad (toasted pumpkin seeds, almonds, sour cherries & labne) - Lule kebab (spiced lamb kofte, sumac pickled onions & hommus) - Slow cooked lamb shoulder The food was much nicer and tastier than I expected. I really enjoyed the food here. I have to say the entrée was nicer than the mains. So go as many entrées as you can.

Perfect tapas place, we found it randomly walking down Melbourne, food is great, service is great…read moreand ambiance is nice

Came here with a colleague for a nice dinner since we were from out of town and heard great things…read moreabout Maha. We opted for the 6 course meal which was $115 pp and since I don't eat lamb, they were kind enough to switch it out and gave us a delicious fish option instead. We also upgraded to the wagyu rump 8+ and it was the highlight of the meal (we also tried the manti and I personally was not a fan). They also gave us two bags of their bread mix on our way out which was definitely interesting - we had to give these away since we were here visiting. Items I really enjoyed: Wagyu rump 8+ Hummus Dessert (beautiful presentation) Items I'd probably pass on if I had a choice: Wagyu beef manti (trust me, I recommend you supplement to the wagyu rump!) Smoke ocean trout - I don't know if it was just me but it kind of smelled like ammonia and I was not a fan.

Very tasty food. Friendly staff. Reasonably prized. We had…read moredips for entree, chicken and lamb skewers, manto (dumplings) and lamb korma. Our party of four walked out very happy and very full.

The food here is so tasty, we tried the banquet and it was amazing. The customer service is very…read moregood and the restaurant is very modern. I personally liked the chicken kebabs cooked over coal, amazing flavours.....wish i could cook that at home. I would say this restaurant is a hidden gem, and when you taste the food you will agree with me as well. Great value, very tasty food!

Syracuse is located in the lawyer end of town and a favourite haunt of the local judge and lawyer…read morecrew. With clientele like I can imagine the staff need to be on their game. And they are. This place is polished and I mean polished aside from the normal touches of high service establishments (like always making sure water is topped up) this it the kind of place where your serviette will be neatly refold should you move from your seat. I do like a touch of class. The setting is beautiful, their champagne selection is vast and so is their knowledge of the drop. We had a number of courses all of which were impeccable. Oddly enough out of the five dishes we had I loved the chicken mousse, unbelievably light and simply divine. Other dishes to put on the try list are the smoked duck and the calamari.

Polished and oh so posh. You feel so underdressed (even on a Friday) when you come and have lunch…read moreat this establishment. A fancy restaurant, yet it can feel overrated and a bit on the pricey end. Ordered an entree size gnocchi and a lemon, lime and bitters for $24.50 in total. The wait staff always assume that you want something alcoholic to drink. Beautiful and elegant ambience indeed, and fairly polite wait staff. The tables could be slightly bigger in size and the chairs could be a little more comfortable; otherwise the food is flavoursome and just fantastic. A great establishment to go to should you wish to treat yourself once in a while. Merci.

I'll start this review with the proverbial "Hella Good is hella good."…read more We came here to this area to do some shopping while we were in town, and this place grabbed my attention. The wait was definitely not for very long. We got a pager that buzzed pretty soon after we wandered off. For those who are/were unfamiliar as myself (being American on holiday), Hella Good is a place that serves Mediterranean-style wraps with pita bread filled with meat, veggies, and very delicious sauce. I got the Arnie, which includes the lamb leg meat. It was good. I don't know how it compares to other local offerings since this was one of a kind during our trip. FYI: - When you charge your card, it gives you a choice between charging in AUD or your home country's currency. Not sure if that makes a difference, but I think that's interesting. - It can get messy if you unwrap it a certain way, so have napkins and sanitizer available. - There are multiple locations.

This place is actually the traditional Greek souvlaki joint. Well, not quite since it is relatively…read moreknew, but with all of the kebab places appearing everywhere, this one does it in a traditional Greek style. Well, actually, no, namely because there is little difference between the two. However, the souvlakis are actually pretty awesome anyway. They also do chips, and while the herbs used in making the chips were pretty nice, I did find them a little soft. Still, the place isn't all that bad.