21 Jun Mama Manoush, Fitzroy

After a brief overseas holiday, dad and I arrived back in Melbourne on what was apparently the coldest day since August. Perhaps not the best timing, given our holiday took place in Malaysia. Feeling sluggish from the sudden change in climate, neither of us were in the mood to cook so we opted to dine at Mama Manoush instead.

Mixed Dip Sample Platter – Hummous, Baba Ghannouj, Labneh ($18)

We start with the mixed dip sample platter, which came with hummous, baba ghannouj and labneh and a variety of pickled vegetables served with warm, fresh bread for dipping. I loved the beautiful smokiness of the baba ganoush, and seeing as eggplants are one of my favourite vegetables, it’s no surprise that I mopped all of this up.

Riz a djaj – Rice Pilaff w. Minced Lamb, Chicken Breast, Almonds & Pinenuts ($25)

We both found the riz a djaj surprisingly tasty and comforting, with the labneh and cucumber adding a bit of extra zing and freshness to every mouthful

Eggplant Chips ($10)

The eggplant chips were amazingly crispy and the lemon rind sprinkled on top added a welcome dimension of interest to the flavours. They could have done with a touch more salt, but the crunchy outer and creamy inner made these a guilty pleasure.

Service was warm and friendly and the homely decor made it easy to relax and enjoy good food and company.