Maestro & Co brings contemporary Middle Eastern food to Manly

Maestro & Co brings modern Middle Eastern cuisine to Manly

Maestro & Co dining review

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LEMONADE-compressed watermelon paired with goat’s cheese, spiced air-dried beef basturma, calamari sumac and shaved fennel, or pulled duck borek with spiced prune sauce aren’t your typical Middle Eastern dishes.

But then this isn’t your typical Middle Eastern restaurant. It’s the start to a new year and Manly’s increasingly vibrant food scene has gone off with a bang.

Newcomer is Maestro & Co. Owner Graeme Moses, a local, has moved into the space vacated by small bar El Beau Room, used his nickname and persuaded ex-Effendy chef Bektas Ozcam to join him in the kitchen.

Ozcam is Turkish; Moses has a Lebanese background and their respective heritages have created a Manly first – a Middle Eastern menu with a contemporary edge.

Mr Maestro is also the style master. That minimal meets grungy look – right down to the wall colour and exposed brick – is his choice.

A week in and bookings are running hot (although our online booking disappeared in cyberspace). It’s been so busy that two dinner sittings – and brunch – start this weekend. No booking? Turn up and staff will do their best.

There’s plenty to discuss on this menu – even if the venue is noisy.

But buzz and bare brick create atmosphere. Staff are helpful and chatty and the service is brisk. Ozcam’s inventive food comes as a $55 set menu or plated up as big and small plates.

Of course, it’s designed to share and dinner sets off at a cracking pace with bottle of Bowen Estate from the $49 selection, hummus spiked with pepper relish, pomegranate molasses and spicy Armenian sausage, house made ancient grain spelt rolls and a pretty pink caramelised beetroot and pistachio labneh sweetened with maple syrup.

Ozcam takes his dishes and ramps them up to the next level. He dehydrates his herbs, spends hours marinating meats and vegetables, flavouring oils and dipping into a spice bazaar of exotica.

Each dish - big or small - sings with flavour, from the 10-spice chicken pilaf with its tahini dressing, to the rich tagine and its rainbow hue of vegetables, roasted burghul and smoked yoghurt. Vegetarians are often hard don by, but not here, there’s plenty of flavour and creative combinations including a red cabbage salad with salty shanklish cheese and Iranian raisins. Portions are generous and that’s just as well, you’ll come back wanting more.

Vegetable burghul tagine and the Fig Caphrinia. Picture: Braden Fastier

Maestro & Co will be open for weekend brunch starting January 23, so Ozcam will be able to woo a new audience with his daytime menu. Come for hummus topped with spicy slow cooked pork and pickled vegetable and baked eggs.

Modern Middle Eastern cuisine has taken its time to reach Manly. It’s been worth the wait.

Twitter: @beverley_hudec