Faheem Fast Food Enmore — Restaurant in Sydney

Review Summary: Don't expect great food at this place or any form of customer service. The bad reviews on Google reviews for Faheem’s are very true and I didn't believe them until I visited the Enmore store in Sept 2022. I previously heard from some friends that this place had authentic food and at decent prices. How wrong this turned out to be.

Customer service is atrocious. The place was not busy on a Sunday evening and the staff were not interested in providing details on the various dishes. I wanted check for any ingredients my family are allergic to. When asked, they rudely replied it's all in the menu, but it's actually not.

Staff don't want to talk to you with any decency and seem to get upset you need help. I asked one guy where the wash room is, and the guy didn't reply but directed me with his hands towards the back of the restaurant and seemed annoyed. The bathroom was disgusting and needed a good clean. The bad staff behaviour was not just the wait staff, it was the same from the more senior staff member at the counter.

We asked for the waiter for a jug of water and he said they don’t provide water and were forced to buy a bottle of spring water.

On the quite night we were there, the wait staff chatting amongst themselves near the counter and rarely came around to see if the customers needed any assistance.

They don't want to accept any card payments only cash. They give you the old excuse that the EFTPOS machine is broken. The game they use it to leave a "broken" EFTPOS machine on front the counter to show the customer it doesn't actually work to make them seem more credible. Why don't they get it fixed by now, this "broken" EFTPOS machine has been going on for months. I said to the "manager" that next time they should fix the EFTPOS machine to make it easier for the customer, but the manager rudely replied back saying that next time we he will tell us that it is CASH ONLY before we order so we know up front. Really bad way to treat a customer.

Contrary to perception, the prices at Faheem’s are not on the cheap side. For service sizes the prices are way too expensive. Haleem dish we ordered was $18 (in Sept 2022), served in a tiny metal bowl. Definitely not enough for one average person ( I am 75kg, 5'10") and I am not a big eater by any standard. Chicken biryani was also a small with one piece of chicken and cost $18. Whole tandoori chicken was $25 and was probably a size 14 chicken size, so not very large. It came with a tiny amount of mint chutney and we had to order extra. Sheek kebab was $15.50 for 4 pieces but they were so small at about 9cm long.

Food quality is very poor. Tandoori chicken was raw towards the deeper parts near the bone which creates a high risk of food poisoning and getting ill from it. It was dry and not freshly cooked. Appeared to be heated in the microwave. I know this because there some parts of the chicken were just cold as it was in the fridge previously. Chicken biryani rice was dry and also not fresh being heated in the microwave. The Haleem was OK in taste ( comparing this to other Pakistani restaurants in Sydney) but had very little meat with only 3-4 pieces of beef.

We ordered the plain naan (for $3.50 each). It was freshly cooked and quite large compared to other places. But the naan was over cooked with many burnt patches and hard - tasted more like a toast.

Somebody needs to give Gordan Ramsay a call to visit this place to give the management a much needed shakeup. It think Faheem’s was once a really great place during it's early humble days (as voiced by early satisfied customers) but it's a train wreck now and I don't think it will survive with the current customer service levels, poor food quality and low value for money. Gordon Ramsay, please come...

Faheem’s is a true Sydney gem. I chose my current house due in no small part to its proximity to this restaurant, which serves reliably delicious, soul-warming food in an unpretentious manner that’s increasingly disappearing in Sydney. Faheem’s is the antidote to the ever gentrifying inner-west.

Sure, it’s not everyone’s cup of chai, but can any restaurant really be for everyone?

Could the service be better? Maybe. Should they offer you free tapwater as is their obligation? Probably. Is it time they accept credit card payment? Definitely. Should you still dine here? Absolutely.

The standout for me is the chicken tikka - the equivalent of a whole bird cooked tandoori style except in juicy, tender, boneless chunks. People talk a lot about El Jannah v Frangos v Chargrill Charlies, but Faheem’s does what I think is the best chicken in Sydney! (If you’re in the market for meat, the Lahori Fish Fry is also fantastic, as is the Lamb Karahi)

Having sung the praises of those meaty dishes, Faheem’s broad range of tasty vegetable-based curries makes this a destination for vegetarians and carnivores alike, and perfect for group dinners blending both. The palak paneer and traditional dahls go great alongside the chickpea curry and aloo baigan (eggplant+potato!).

Faheem loyalists will remember the restaurant in its pre-Covid iteration, with its white tiled walls that transported you to the streets of Karachi. It has since undergone extensive renovation (and lost its extended dining hall in the adjacent shop) to take on more of a modern underground lair vibe.

If it’s been a while since your last visit, don’t let your nostalgia for the past keep you from patronising this excellent local business that is ready to give you another memorable experience.

And if you haven’t been to Faheem Fast Food yet, are you even a true...

In Short - Below average food quality. Takeaway in general was clean and staff was polite. I would not go there again, even if it is last place open at night.

In details - I was asked several times by many people - have you been to Faheem yet? And I thought it is a really nice Indian/Pakistani place. So tonight I finally went to this place after driving 40 kms from North-West of Sydney. I ordered Brain Masala, Goat Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala, 4 garlic Naans and 4 plain ones. There were customers eating in on just 1 table. One person was waiting for food takeaway who orfered before me. Order was ready in 10 mins. Thats where the good review ends.

All curries were flooded with oil, uncooked spices and cooked with wrong spices in them. Chicken tikka masala was just an artificially orange (i cant wash it off hands) oily, sweet curry. Brain masala had this raw chat masala kind of flavour, that was 90% of the flavor I could taste and Goat Korma was almost flavourless with no depth in flavours. Either Garlic or plain naan was OK, because I could not tell one from the other. One was cooked, other was bit raw. And yes, they were packed separately so there is no chance I ate 2 plain naans. I drove 40 kms one-way to buy food from a place I thought was quite popular. I would not go back there again even if I lived on the same street.

I lowered my expectation for this review and rated 3 star, my ratings are what an average Joe would give who doesnt know much about cookimg. With my knowledge of cooking and expectation I would rate it 1 star. So if you love your Pakistani/Indian curries and considering eating here or taking away just because someone else told you, its...