El Karim — Restaurant in Sydney

Very disappointing. Food was either bland or overpowering. It was a task to actually identify Lebanese flavours. Baba Ghanouj lacked depth in flavour. Tabbouleh , was the best dish in the on the menu if you call this a dish. Gozleme the little said the better. Honey & Zaatar Calamari was well cooked & tender but the sweetness was not suited to calamari. Falafel was just that, just falafel, the tahini sauce was just that. Pomegranate Lamb seemed more like a french roast lamb strips ( yes very tender), but with an over powering jou like sauce. Waiting staff should of suggested a dish to compliment & soak up the sauce . We were looking forward to eating Sheikh el mehshi, expecting to taste a Lebanese take on Greek moussaka, what we actually received was a lamb pie smothered smothered in cloves & bay leaf flavours. I continually added tabbouleh to this dish to defuse the over powering spices, otherwise it would of been inedible.

Waiting staff lacked knowledge of the cuisine, as result were unable suggest accompaniments. We felt pressured into placing an order while still reading the menu. When waiting staff was needed it took over 5 minutes before we received any eye contact. Unfortunately, very little can be said that is positive for the waiting staff. Further training is essential. If you are seeking a positive Lebanese or middle east experience, this not the place. If you are after meal before or after the cinema, leave this...

The service we got from El Karim was fantastic! We ordered takeaway and noted in the order our daughter was coeliac to ensure they took care not to cross-contaminate. When unpacking the food we noticed pita breads had been placed in the container on top of the GF Shish. I rang, wondering if perhaps they were GF pitas (they weren't). The owner was so quick to recognise he made a mistake that he instantly offered to make up an entirely fresh order. That was very kind of him, but we didn't need all the food to be replaced. He then offered to just cook new chicken & lamb shish for us and just told us he would deliver them to our door (El Karim don't normally offer delivery). The new food arrived in 15 minutes!!! That was above and beyond great service and we really appreciated it. Oh, and the food was superb too! Thank you El Karim for taking such...

The small mezze dishes are great and perfect portion sizes for sharing between 2 people. Note the Baba Ghanouj is quite heavy on the Tahini. The Labni B'zaatar dip is delicious as is the Arnabeet dish. Definitely worth finishing with the Barazek Sandwich for dessert which is also large enough to share between 2 for a couple's night out. Staff are friendly and accommodating. Atmosphere for a night out would be slightly better with the exposed lights dimmed a bit but their covered decorative lights were just right. Would recommend asking for a table towards the back either near or at the booth seats if you'd like a darker and...