I’m quite enjoying the rise of Middle Eastern and Israeli fare in Melbourne, and New Jaffa has become one of my new favourites. Their famed Falafel don’t disappoint, exhibiting a crunchy crust, and moist rather than dry and crumbly interior. Smooth and velvety Hummus is adorned with chickpeas, tahini, garlic, green chilli vinaigrette and olive oil, and of course pita to scoop it all up with. Roasted Cauliflower, though not as charred as some other examples, is tender and comes with a great combination of fresh and tangy accompaniments of Middle Eastern-spiced vegan mayo, pickled green chillis and fresh parsley.

Spiced Angus Ribs are sweet and fall apart easily. Its enjoyed with turmeric couscous, almonds, currants, tahini, fresh parsley and pickled radish. A new dish for me is the Arayes Pita, which is filled with lamb kebab. The kebab is surprisingly juicy, and like the falafel, the pita is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

We finish with the Chocolate Mousse with Bamba, home made peanut butter halva and kadaif noodles. The classic combination of chocolate and peanut flavours ensures our experience ends on a high note, just the way it began.