LOCATION
Southern end of King Street, Newtown, ten minutes from the CBD.
DETAILS
Arabella houses over 120 seating, boasts two plasma screens, a cushion room (for those who really want to get into the theme) and an open kitchen with live belly dancers on Friday and Saturday nights to excite a little more than just your taste buds.
This exciting restaurant prides itself on using only the freshest and finest produce sourced from gourmet local and imported Mediterranean suppliers putting Arabella in a class of its own in Lebanese dining. Recommended is the banquet menu with includes Lebanese classics, tabouli, dips, kibbe and gilled meats. With 15 years experience in kitchens from Beirut and Dubai, the chefs has got the goods when it comes to dishing up modern Lebanese cuisine. A banquet is the best way to taste a good spectrum of chef’s creations. You might begin with a traditional Lebanese salad such as tabouli or futuche and some hot mezza platters with falafel, crispy spinach triangles and coriander potatoes. A selection of meats come smoking-hot off the grill; think juicy cubes of lamb, fragrant kafta skewers and chargrilled prawns.
FUNCTIONS
Be sure to book ahead on Friday and Saturday night, when the belly dancer takes to the floor and the party atmosphere cranks up a notch. Christenings, birthdays, engagements, weddings are all catered for. Seating for up to 120.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
If you walked past Arabella on King Street on a Saturday night, you’d see a restaurant packed to the rafters with cheery diners, waiters dashing left and right and at the centre of it all, a whirling belly dancer. Arabella’s might not be the place for a quiet and romantic dinner for two, but if it’s a feast of biblical proportions and equal amounts of fun you’re after, this has got to be the spot. And the best seat in the house, without a doubt, has to be the plush cushioned corner at the back of the modern and sleek restaurant.
The man behind the burners in Arabella’s open kitchen is executive chef, Daniel Diab. With 15 years experience in kitchens from Beirut to Canada and Dubai, Diab has got the goods when it comes to dishing up modern Lebanese cuisine. A banquet is the best way to taste a good spectrum of Diab’s creations. You might begin with a traditional Lebanese salad such as tabouli or futuche and some hot mezza platters with falafel, crispy spinach triangles and coriander potatoes. A selection of meats come smoking-hot off the grill; think juicy cubes of lamb, fragrant kafta skewers and chargrilled prawns. Be sure to book ahead on Friday and Saturday night, when the belly dancer takes to the floor and the party atmosphere cranks up a notch.
Amy Looker
Personal Statement
Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 12/20 "We love open kitchens. Fine aromas kick-start your palate and promise a true Lebanese experience in a chocolate- brown and grey-hued room that's both unpretentious and mod chic. Seating includes banquettes and a luxurious cushion corner among the alcoves secreting Lebanese artefacts"