Nour – Surry Hills

Nour is not your typical Lebanese restaurant. It’s modern, creative and delicious.

Food

The share style menu has been created by Palestinian-born head chef Nader Shayeb, Israeli senior sous chef Ran Kimelfeld and executive chef Roy Ner.

We start off with some bread, that’s cooked in the wood fire oven, and a trio of dips.

For our mains, we go with the Lamb Shoulder, Middle Eastern Dumplings and Charcoal Eggplant.

The succulent hunk of lamb falls off the bone cleanly, it’s paired with mograbiah (a Middle Eastern pasta like cous cous), slivers of lamb tongue and date dressing.

The Middle Eastern Dumplings are delicate parcels filled with pumpkin, a great option if you are after a lighter dish.

Desserts at Nour are definitely not traditional or typical.

My pick, the Baklava Our Way is a clever deconstruction of Baklava with ice cream and marshmallows. My friend’s Camel Milk Mouhalabieh is a creative take on the classic Arabic pudding. For those feeling adventurous, I would recommend the Middle Eastern Bombe Alaska. This dessert may look ordinary but the avocado ice cream underneath will definitely surprise you.

Drinks

The Middle Eastern influences from the menu overflows into the cocktail menu – which has been crafted by Amir Halpert of The Owl House. Cocktails, such as Spice Road and Beirut Spritzer, feature the inclusion of unique ingredients like rose water, orange blossom and figs. Wine drinkers are in good hands thanks to Master of Wine, Ned Goodwin who’s assembled a Mediterranean-focused wine list with bottles from Italy, Greece and Lebanon.

Service

Overall, the staff were friendly and warm. Although, some of them did seem slightly nervous as it was opening night.

Atmosphere

I love the combination of the light timber and pink tones throughout the restaurant, the atmosphere is intimate enough for a date but still casual for a get together. The airy and clean interiors have been created by DS17, the Sydney design firm who helped shaped restaurants like Alpha and Lotus.

Verdict

Nour has taken traditional Middle Eastern cuisine and added creative flair to it while still managing to keep it fun.

This review was based on an independently paid for meal.

Nour
Shop 3, 490 Crown Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010