Fresh new face of Sydney hospitality scene: ‘Coming back as strong as ever’

The Sydney hospitality scene is coming back as strong as ever, says Ibrahim Moubadder. Here is why.

Ibby Moubadder at Joji which is situated above Cartier in the CBD. Picture: Rohan Kelly

In a relatively short amount of time, Ibrahim Moubadder has become a key face in hospitality.

The 35-year-old is making big waves in the Sydney restaurant scene with a string of properties from Windsor to Surry Hills and a new venue set to open in the CBD later this year.

What may just become the jewel in the crown for Moubadder’s Esca Group is a rooftop restaurant and bar called Joji, situated in prime position above the Cartier building on the corner of George and King streets.

“The CBD at the moment is not easy but it is coming back,” Moubadder told Kitchen Confidential. “Sydney is an international city and the fact that it has gone a bit off the grid, it is absolutely coming back and you can see it in certain parts of the CBD. I believe it will be back stronger than ever.”

Moubadder’s eateries range from Nour on Crown Street Surry Hills to Aalia in Martin Place and lilymu in Parramatta Square.

Sydney socialites and MKR contestants Ibby Moubadder and Romel Kouyan. Picture: Christian Gilles

Ibby Moubadder and Viktoria Bjorsvik proposal. Picture: Anna Rieke

There’s several more set to open over the next 18 months, including Henrietta restaurants in both Parramatta and Bondi Beach, and another yet to be named project in Darlinghurst.

“Every concept that we’ve done we’ve tried to do things different,” he said.

“One of our ethos’ is to challenge the ordinary. When I started Nour eight or nine years ago, I wanted to do great things and we are a hospitality group now, it is a dream come true.”

Moubadder’s story is an extraordinary one of rags to riches. He moved to Australia from Lebanon as a teenager seeking a better life and completed a nursing degree before he intended on studying medicine.

Ibby Moubadder with his cat Belle. His story is an extraordinary one of rags to riches. Picture: Richard Dobson

To fund his studies, he opened a cafe in Newtown called Cuckoo Callay and he hasn’t looked back since.

“I worked as a registered nurse for four or five years,” said Moubadder, who you may recognise as he appeared on My Kitchen Rules in 2019. “I started the cafe because I needed passive income so that when I went back to uni to study medicine, at least I had that, but I fell in love with hospitality, the act of giving, giving service, looking at people’s faces while they are enjoying something that you’ve created.”