PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAA banquet of epic proportions awaits you at North Sydney’s Safi. And while the restaurant itself is on the small side, this doesn’t reflect the food in anyway, which is big in both size and flavour. Safi’s elegant dining room is tucked just off Miller Street, where stark white walls are teamed with soft chocolate and cherry highlights in the form of cushions and wall hangings. Gorgeous lamps line the windowsill, alongside a Turkish water pipe that I’m told is there for decorative purposes only. A cushion room through the back is perfect for private dining and it’s just the place you want to be after your meal, when a little recline is called for.
The menu encompasses the flavours of the Middle East, with a particular focus on Lebanon, Turkey and Armenia. The a la carte menu is smashing but the best way to dine on this cuisine, without a doubt, is banquet style. The banquet menu at Safi will leave you as stuffed as the pepper mishi, which is a baked shell packed with rice, tomato, onion and parsley. Be prepared for the dishes to keep rolling out. Dips in the form of hummus, baba ghanouj and labneh, vine leaf rolls, potato kibbeh, shish taouk and kafta kebabs will satisfy the most enthusiastic of eaters. The banquet menu even includes desserts so try not to fill up on dips and bread when you first arrive. Safi is BYO only, so if you want some beers or wine to wash down your feast it’s best to pick it up beforehand.
Amy Looker