Arabesque Restaurant & Lounge
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Dinner @ArabesqueMelbourne which is a Jordanian restaurant so why not try their national dish, Mansaf: slow cooked lamb or chicken in jameed sauce over saaj and rice dressed with fried split almonds, parsley with sides soaked onion and jameed sauce. An interesting looking dish is presented. A bowl of soup, a pile of rice oozing something, succulent lamb, split almonds, and red onions. The waiter explained that traditionally one empties the sauce (what I mistook for a bowl of soup!!!) over the rice, add the onions, and mix it all up. I had a taste of the sauce which is a little cheese like, it's actually from the fermented dried yoghurt which is what the lamb is cooked in and possibly the rice. The lamb is superb and just pulls apart. I love this sauce and the rice is fragrant, soft and just absorbs that delicious sauce without going soggy. First time eating Jordanian food and what a dish to eat! It is a heavy meal and true to the waiter's word, one does start to feel sleepy later on! Fortunately I had finished work! Excellent meal as well as the warm friendly service. Another dinner visit to try the national dish of Palestine, Musakhan: slow-cooked chicken, onion, sumac on taboon with sides pickle & khiyar b’laban This is such a unique dish, like nothing I've eaten before. Akin to a pizza, this Iraqi bread is thin, fried, slightly crunchy and yet soft, topped with caramelised onions, roasted slivered almonds, sumac, and slow cooked chicken that falls apart, and probably an array of spices. Tear a piece of the bread, ensure all ingredients are present and enjoy. Taking a bit of the yoghurt helps counteract the richness from the frying and there are also pickled green chillies for a little kick. Each bite is amazing and this is such an enjoyable meal, including excellent service, makes for an excellent experience. Another dinner visit for mashawi: char-grilled lamb, chicken, kofta skewers with grilled onion, tomato, chilli and sides hommus, toum, salad & chips or rice. A very generous and hearty meal, lifting the pita reveals a medally of meats and variety on the plate. I started with the lamb chop which was cooked perfectly and oozed smokiness and char flavour from the grill which is superb. Next was the chicken which also had its own unique char flavour and was tasty. A BBQ grilled onion adds sweetness and the same for the tomato intensifying the flavour. A charred chilli adds some kick. The hommus is fantastic, I couldn't get enough of it. The salad is much needed with that burst of freshness to counteract the meatiness on the plate. I enjoyed the kofta, soft, tender and less intense but allowing the flavours to shine through. The lamb was the only negative. While evoking smokiness, it was chewy and a bit of gristle. Despite that, I loved the dish and the flavours presented. Another fantastic dining experience. #JordanianFood #dinner #Musakhan #slowcookedchicken #Iraqibread #CaramelisedOnions #almonds #mansaf #slowcookedlamb #rice #jameedsauce #almonds #redonions #skewers #BBQ #lamb #chicken #kofta #hommus #toum #foodie #foodcoma #melbournecbd #melbournefood @zomatomelb
Shaun D'MonteShaun D'Monte
30
Arabesque is a charming restaurant located in the heart of the city, known for its traditional Middle Eastern cuisine and cozy ambiance. I recently had the pleasure of dining at Arabesque and trying their signature dish, Mashawai, which I must say was a delightful experience. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, with Arabic lanterns, colorful tiles, and comfortable seating arrangements that transport you to a different world. The staff was welcoming and friendly, and their knowledge of the menu was impressive, giving us an excellent insight into what to expect from our meal. As for the star of the evening, the Mashawai, it was truly a culinary masterpiece. The dish consisted of tender, juicy pieces of lamb that were cooked to perfection, and served with rice, onions, and a side of salad. The lamb was marinated in a blend of spices that gave it a mouthwatering aroma and flavor that was out of this world. The rice was fluffy, with a light and an aromatic touch of herbs that complemented the lamb beautifully. The salad, too, was exceptional, with crisp vegetables and tangy dressing that balanced the richness of the lamb. The portion size was generous, and the dish was served piping hot, ensuring that all the flavors were at their best. In addition to the Mashawai, we also ordered some equally delicious mezze dishes. The hummus was smooth and creamy, the falafel crispy and flavorful, and the baba ghanoush was smoky and aromatic. The prices at Arabesque are reasonable, given the quality of the food and the dining experience. The service was attentive, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting, making me say Subhaan Allah, "Tareef Kya karu Jisne Tujhe Banaya 😘😘😘😘"
Angad KadamAngad Kadam
00
Never ever recommended A ridiculously disgusting place that anybody would ever imagine. Customer service : horrible and very poor. Short staff always compromises the quality of the service which was quite evident in this restaurant. Food quality : below average and we witnessed how it was cooked with rush and very less attention to the taste and quality of the food Environment: very tiny and no room to move around the tables. People were bumping into each other with no whatsoever privacy in their tables and sitting areas. It looked more like a college cafeteria. The food was not enough and the plates were dirty with water leaking a around them. They didn’t even bother to dry up the plates … really disgusting Our experience: My family and I booked the Iftar Buffet ( Break Fast - Dinner ) Over the phone we were told 55 per head but when we reached to the restaurant they charged us more. Further to that , for Iftar, it is really important to have the food ready to be served right on time ( approximately 6pm that day ) to be served straightaway however, the dinning area was not even ready by that time. All the guest with their little ones had to be directed to a waiting area on a first floor mezzanine with a dangerous stair case. The allocated waiting area was also freezing which the families were clearly not comfortable at all. Later on when the guests were directed to down stairs to sit on their tables, the food was not yet ready…. Staff were rushing around . Regardless the food was also significant delayed and then once the serving began the buffet area was so tiny and never enough for that number of people at all. For instance one little soup pot was allocated for that many people … you imagine …it wasted a good 15 minutes of everybody’s time for a small bowl of soup. The bowls were just washed with leaking water around them. You should have technically closed your eyes on their cleanliness otherwise you would have walked out starving … The dessert options were very limited and there was a tasteless ice tea and a disgusting whatsoever Turkish coffee ( no where near Turkish coffee ) was served The very first time ever I could have seen that my little ones rejected the chips ( French fries ) was in this place. When I asked my child why don’t you eat your chips … they are gross and slurpy … he replied The resentments and unhappiness was quite visible on people’s face. Over all it was a disgusting place and never worth it for the money we paid and the time we wasted in there. A once off experience which will never ever happen again.
Ahmad Wamiq GhowsiAhmad Wamiq Ghowsi
150
Arabesque was a restaurant in at the edge of the Melbourne CBD serving Jordanian/Middle Eastern cuisine. They also served shisha with a variety of amazing fruity/food-themed flavors. We went there for dinner and ordered a number of dishes to share; some chips, dips trio, and vegie trio to start with, kabsa, mansaf, and mashawi for the mains, and ruz ib haleeb and halawet el jibn for desserts. The chips were just like any other thick-cut chips with no middle eastern-type seasoning/sauce. The dips and vegie trios were delicious; the toum, moutabel and hummus dips were so flavorful, and so were the char-grilled zucchini, eggplant and crispy cauliflower in the vegie trio. The Kabsa, which was chicken cooked in spiced rice, had a nice sweet flavour to it thanks to the sultanas, but otherwise the dish tasted monotonously sour. The Mashawi (marked as ‘platter of two’ on the menu, was actually 2 big trays of food enough to feed 10 lol) was rather uninteresting; the two trays consisted of all kinds of grills which were not too different from your average bbq, although the fattoush salad that came with it was nice and refreshing. The Mansaf was my favourite; the slow cooked lamb was so tender and the rice it came with had a nice texture of sliced almonds. Desserts-wise the ruz ib haleeb was a simple pistachio-flavoured rice pudding which was pretty good although after having so much rice as mains the last thing we wanted was more rice. Also pistachio-flavoured was the unique Halawet el jibn, which was rolls filled with cream that somehow had a bit of savoury in it. Another thing we’d noticed was the inconsistent portions; for example, as entrees, the chips was served in small bowl but the dips and vegies were generous in portion. Similarly, the Mansaf was served with tiny bowl of tabouli, whereas the Masawi came with a generous serving of Fattoush. Non-food wise, the dim-lit restaurant gave off a cool, cosy ambiance, and the servers were very friendly although food was not served very promptly. Overall, a pretty average, non-memorable dining experience.
Angel KhongAngel Khong
30
Arabesque Restaurant pride themselves as an authentic Jordanian & Middle Eastern Cuisine, and after trying their food for the first time, I must agree with them. This is THE BEST Middle Eastern restaurant in Melbourne, and any other place that claims that spot is not even close. As a Middle Eastern myself, it is very hard to find authentic Arabic food, that is not just Hummus & grilled food. I wanted something that tastes like home, so when I came here, I ordered the food that can be hard to find anywhere else: Musakhan - char-grilled chicken cooked with onion, sumac dressed in fried almonds served over taboon bread with side of pickles & khiyar b’laban (cucumber yogurt salad). Magluba (literal translation, upside-down) - slow cooked lamb or chicken, fried cauliflower & potato dressed in fried almonds served with side of khiyar b’laban (cucumber yogurt salad). We opted for the lamb Magluba, and oh my oh my! The meat was juicy and tender, well cooked and seasoned. The Musakhan had the right amount of onion & sumac, and the chicken was perfectly cooked & seasoned. Both tasted exactly like how my mom makes them back home! We ended our evening with a plate of Kanafeh, served with saffron shredded kataifi layered with cheese and pistachios, with a drizzle of saffron sugar syrup (which also comes on the side in case you want to add more). I super loved this place, and we make it a point to get our Middle Eastern food dosage delivered to us every week.
Jo SBJo SB
00
Had a good experience here overall, food was delicious and 5/5 and portions were adequate to my expectations. Service was unfortunately very slow 3/5, they have a QR code ordering system which the server didn’t inform us of when we were seated. Thankfully 5-6 mins in we realized and started our order, the concept of prepaying via the app at a dine in restaurant targeting a somewhat higher-end experience based on pricing and ambiance was kinda strange. I also found the seating arrangement pretty tight overall. All that aside the food was delicious and overcame the earlier mentioned. We followed dinner by a hookah experience upstairs in their lounge. The pre pay system followed, again kinda strange but no big deal. The hookah and tea itself was fine but the thing that ruined the experience was the speed of service. The hookah took 17 mins to arrive from when we were seated (we were counting to see how long it takes based on our dining experience downstairs) but our teas took 30 mins and multiple reminders to the team to arrive. If this place just took the service speed up a few notches I think they have 5 star review potential. The staff were all friendly and easy going just really slow, perhaps they need more team members working to help with how busy the place was for the restaurant and hookah lounge upstairs. We visited on the evening of Saturday, November 25, 2023.
Arjun TyagiArjun Tyagi
00
Nearby Attractions Of Arabesque Restaurant & Lounge
Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne Central
Flagstaff Gardens
JB Hi-Fi Melbourne Central
State Library Victoria
Old Melbourne Gaol
HOYTS Melbourne Central
ibis Melbourne - Hotel & Apartments
Readings Carlton
Victoria Market Pharmacy

Queen Victoria Market
4.5
(18.4K)Click for details

Melbourne Central
4.4
(9.4K)Click for details

Flagstaff Gardens
4.6
(3.3K)Click for details

JB Hi-Fi Melbourne Central
4.3
(1.8K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Arabesque Restaurant & Lounge
Ziyka Restaurant
Panda Hot Pot 蜀大侠老火锅
Universal Restaurant
David's Hotpot
Mint & Co.
3 Brothersss Indian Restaurant QVM Elizabeth Street
Hua Lu Peking Duck
Seven Seeds Coffee Roasters
ChangGo Korean BBQ
The Pancake Parlour Melbourne Central

Ziyka Restaurant
4.6
(4.6K)Click for details

Panda Hot Pot 蜀大侠老火锅
4.8
(4.3K)Click for details

Universal Restaurant
4.4
(2.9K)Click for details

David's Hotpot
4.7
(2.6K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
642 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Map
Phone
+61 3 9995 9189
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Reviews
Overview
4.1
(666 reviews)
Ratings & Description
attractions: Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne Central, Flagstaff Gardens, JB Hi-Fi Melbourne Central, State Library Victoria, Old Melbourne Gaol, HOYTS Melbourne Central, ibis Melbourne - Hotel & Apartments, Readings Carlton, Victoria Market Pharmacy, restaurants: Ziyka Restaurant, Panda Hot Pot 蜀大侠老火锅, Universal Restaurant, David's Hotpot, Mint & Co., 3 Brothersss Indian Restaurant QVM Elizabeth Street, Hua Lu Peking Duck, Seven Seeds Coffee Roasters, ChangGo Korean BBQ, The Pancake Parlour Melbourne Central

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