Maha

B, my hubby, left for London last night. It was quite sad seeing him go, but I was also feeling excited for us, knowing that I will be joining him soon.

I guess the real journey has begun, at least for him anyway. I will be in Melbourne for another two and a bit weeks as I wrap up my work and finalise some things on this end. I must admit the last couple of weeks have been pretty stressful, but hopefully things will soon settle down. I can't wait to join him....

Everyone we love (and hopefully the feeling is reciprocal) have been so kind in organising catch-ups and farewell dinners. We feel very spoiled by good family and friends. Last Saturday, my sister-in-law and her husband took us to Maha, a Middle Eastern Style restaurant, owned by Shane Delia, the previous head chef at Chateau Yering. It is a joint venture with George Columbaris (owner and chef of The Press Club, Hellenic Kitchen), a poster-boy for Greek cuisine and a judge on MasterChef Australia. I think Shane named the restaurant after his wife.

Maha was quick to be awarded 1 hat by The Age Good Food Guide not long after its opening. I recall not being able to book a reservation last year due to its long waiting list. So I was glad my sister-in-law managed to get a suitable booking.

Maha was packed when we arrived. It was decorated very simply, with dark wood furniture and wooden partition. I was surprised that it was not a very large restaurant. I was picturing a place where people would be smoking tobacco with a Shisha or Hookah (Turkish pipes). There was none of that....

We ordered the 5 course Souffra (tasting menu) and the boys decided to have matched wines with the meal. The dinner was an experience to remember, one that really challenged the tastebud, in a good way. Middle Eastern cuisine uses alot of herbs and spices, but nothing was really spicy or chili-hot. My favourite dish of the night was mint and yogurt soup with lamb kefta. The flavours in the soup just went so well together, with the yogurt subduing the spicy chili oil. I think I'm going to have to attempt this dish at home one day.... maybe in London, when the weather is getting to me.

A cold platter followed after the soup. There was baby octupus in a tomato relish with sultanas, stewed white beans, chickpea dupmlings, smoked trout tartare with basil creamed corn (this was really good too), a jar of green olives and a jar of feta, all served with Turkish bread.

The small plates consist of grilled sardines and poached eggs topped with dried beef shavings and a creamy sauce (which was really rich). By this stage I was actually very full. We still had mains and dessert to go....
Then main arrived, which was a beautifully cooked 12 hour roast lamb with green olive and pistacchio tabouleh. The other main was of roasted ocean trout with fennel and mussel doughnuts. I wasn't qiute sure about the mussel doughnut... very interresting. The side dishes were an orange blossom cousous and stewed chickpeas. We only managed to finish the mains, but not the side dishes. We were truly struggling and wondering how anyone would order the Sultan's feast and finish the meal.

Dessert was my favourite course. It consisted of wine soaked blood plums with chocolate mousse, honey pannacotta with baklava and turkish delight doughnuts. Always leave some space for dessert, I say. Not regretted at all! Silkiest pannacotta I've ever had! Dessert was so good, I forgot to take any photos. OopPS!  Sorry...

Overall, the meal was really good and interesting.However,  the boys found the matched wines really disappointing . I don't think the Middle East or Turkey is famous for its wines. No offence to anyone, but I wouldn't expect Asia (I'm of Malaysian origin) to produce a good red or white, they should just stick to rice wine, sake and plum wines. Showcase what you are good at.