The weekend before I left for the States, EVERYONE wanted to take me out to a restaurant to say farewell and Bon Voyage. Almost every meal of Friday, Saturday and Sunday was assigned to someone, and it didn't leave much time for packing or getting my affairs in order.
The Sunday morning I had set aside for some of my work friends, who had been planning for months to take me out for a traditional Lebanese breakfast at Al Aseel. The girls are legendary for their abilities to cancel - this was actually attempt 4 to meet, and the fact that we managed it at all was worthy of a celebratory meal itself!
The girls are regulars, so we used their connections and parked underneath the building, and walked through the back door. We found seats straight away as it was pretty quiet, and looked through the spiral-bound menu. I had NO idea what I was doing, so we all let our friend Yasmin order for us, and I have to say, she did an excellent job.
Food started arriving almost immediately, and we soon ran out of table space. Massive stacks of Lebanese bread were served to us as an accompaniment to the dishes. The waiters were fleeting visions - they came and put the food down, then disappeared. Drinks were obtained by heading up to the four massive fridges by the main counter and making a selection from the dozens of different brands.
Fatteh
The fatteh was outstanding - a creamy concoction of chickpea, yoghurt, and torn flat bread, topped with crunchy pine nuts and melted, clarified butter.
Foul
This dish was a chunky mixture of filling fava beans, garlic, onion, and topped with flavoursome olive oil and lemon juice.
Labneh
The labneh, a cheese made by removing the whey from yoghurt, was wonderfully creamy and smooth, and slightly salty. It was served with chips of crispy fried bread, and the contrast between the two really made this simple dish special.
Hommos
The hommos was good, predictable yet comforting with the nutty flavour of chickpea and olive oil.
Fattoush
This is the best fattoush I've ever had! Diced pieces of fresh lettuce, parsely, cucumber and onion were delicately flavoured with sumac and garlic. Fried pieces of flat bread were broken into chunks and tossed in, and seriously, 15 minutes later the bread (even though it had been left to soak in the dressing) was STILL crisp.
Tabouli
The tabouli was beautiful and fresh, full of good things like parsely and tomato, and olive oil and lemon juice. It's never been my favourite dish, but this was definitely one of the better ones I've tried.
Shanglish
My friend Fatat told me to try this dish especially. The crumbly, cheesy substance was sharp and tangy on the tongue, and little pieces of tomato and spanish onion broke it up quite nicely. When I asked what Shanglish translated to, she told me it was "rotten cheese", which made me cringe a bit, but later on I found out it's actually dried yoghurt - still not so delicious-sounding, but a bit better for my state of mind.
Grilled Chicken
I found the idea of chicken for breakfast a tad off-putting, but I tried some anyway. I found it to be dry, and very much in need of the little bowl of toum (garlic sauce) to lend a bit of moisture.
Scrambled Eggs
These scrambled eggs were made to be eaten with the complimentary lebanese bread - they were so light and fluffy and gorgeous that I found it hard to share this plate around. Definitely a highlight of the meal.
Al Aseel is the local hang-out, the cheap-and-cheerful - it ain't fancy, but it's full of a brightness and an energy that is difficult to replicate. The food is, for the most part, outstanding. The girls wouldn't let me see the bill, but I estimate that the bill was roughly $120 based on what everyone put in (there were 6 of us). Fantastic price for what we received!
Al Aseel
4/173 Waterloo Road
Greenacre, NSW
2190
Phone: (02) 9758 6744
Oh wow that fattoush does look fab!! Its hard to find one that stays crispy but I love the flavours so much that I normally eat it anyway lol
Posted by: Nic@diningwithastud | Dec 05, 2011 at 10:12 AM
The Labneh looks like an egg! haha....
You're so lucky, having so many people wishing you farewell! :) And to have friends to take you to a Lebanese restaurant- I would be so lost as to what to order!! The food looks so good- I've never had lebanese before, but now I want to try!
Posted by: Von | Dec 05, 2011 at 10:13 PM
What a great few days of eating/send-offs!
Posted by: yummychunklet | Dec 06, 2011 at 02:24 AM
This truly is my kind of food. Shame there is nowhere like this in the west of Scotland.
Posted by: shaheen | Dec 06, 2011 at 07:50 AM
Never had the scrambled eggs here, but will next time they good great. I agree with you that the chicken here is definitely on the dry side, but I guess it's hard when you use chicken breast.
Posted by: Dumpling Girl | Dec 06, 2011 at 09:57 AM
Those scrmabled eggs love so freakin' good! And there's a dish called 'foul'? Oh dear.
Posted by: joey@FoodiePop | Dec 06, 2011 at 10:47 AM
Breakfast of champions! Love the look of the eggs. I went to their Surry Hills restaurant, and they're opening another one in Newtown.
Posted by: Gaby | Dec 06, 2011 at 12:34 PM
This is my kind of food, it's the food I grew up with. Everything looks so delicious, wish I was with u!
*kisses* HH
Posted by: Heavenly housewife | Dec 07, 2011 at 12:27 AM
What a fabulous assortment. Everything really looks delicious and you photos of the dishes are stellar. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
Posted by: Mary | Dec 07, 2011 at 06:21 AM
That looks like an impressive feast. I have a friend who did a Lebanese cooking type of a tour around Punchbowl. She bought all the ingredients and then had me and others over for a meal and it was incredible. Have a wonderful time in the USA.
Posted by: Hotly Spiced | Dec 07, 2011 at 02:12 PM
What an awesome looking feast! What a great way to spend a Sunday brunch. Have a wonderful and safe trip to the USA and looking forward to reading your adventures when you get back.
Posted by: Sara (Belly Rumbles) | Dec 08, 2011 at 12:18 AM
Oh WOW - this looks like an amazing way to start the day. You're so lucky to have friends who know exaclty what to order (even if it took 4 attempts to get there).
Posted by: Miss Piggy | Dec 08, 2011 at 11:18 AM