Why Rabbath Lebanese Bistro at Burleigh Heads is a hidden gem

THIS Lebanese restaurant has flown under the radar since it opened on the Gold Coast a few months ago. But word is fast spreading about how good it is.

Rabbath Bistro at Burleigh specialises in Lebanese cuisine.

THIS little Lebanese bistro at Burleigh Heads was the light at the end of a long road for brothers Patrick and Pascal Rabbath.

They arrived in Canberra to escape the Lebanese civil war of 1975 and it wasn’t until 2009 that they arrived on the Gold Coast.

Careers in technical engineering, then a tiny cafe at the back of a church were the final stepping stones to Rabbath.

“The bistro was really created as an extension of the love that goes into food,” Patrick says.

“We witnessed how much mum and dad had influenced people by coming to our home. They could taste the love.

Rabbath Bistro at Burleigh.

“Doing something like this I had no idea how successful I was going to be in terms of communicating that love through the food, but when you see patrons face transform into smile and they say ‘My goodness you can taste the love,’ it feels like success.”

Unlike other cultural cuisines — Italian and Mexican spring to mind — Lebanese has not yet saturated the food market, so what are the distinctive elements first-timers can look out for?

“Lebanese food is known for its extensive use of lemon, garlic, green leafy herbs such as parsley and coriander and earthy spices,” Patrick says.

“We have something called Lebanese seven spice, which is world renowned for mixing with lamb dishes to give it that nutty flavour.

Rabbath Bistro at Burleigh

“Then there’s tabouli, our refined Lebanese salad made with parsley and mint and that’s a very big feature too.

“The other element is our meat. Lamb and chicken are the predominant meats and we do use a little bit of beef.

“In terms of distinctive dishes that I would say this has Lebanese graining would be tabouli, baklava and signature kofta.”

Patrick says the depth of flavour is another feature of the fare.

“It’s the amount of effort and time that goes into preparing it,” he says.

“It’s even like Indian cuisine, their attention to spices and grounding and flavours, Lebanese is very similar.

“It’s like a good wine, the longer you leave it in your mouth the longer the flavours explode and you think ‘Oh I can taste that, now this,’ the flavours keep developing.”

The drinks at Rabbath Bistro at Burleigh

Patrick has designed Rabbath’s menu to balance authenticity and contemporary culture.

“Back after WWI there was a French mandate that defined the borders between Turkey, Lebanon and Syria and as a result there was a huge French influence in Lebanon,” Patrick says.

“Authentic Lebanese dishes were peppered with a little bit of French influence and that’s why there are some French words on our menu.

“What we did to modernise the cuisine is rather than creating separate huge dishes, we made them fun and user friendly.

“Smaller dishes to share, so two people might get the falafel, tabouli and some fresh flat bread that we make here. People can pick and choose how to eat.”

LOCATION: Rabbath Lebanese Bistro, a/2 The Esplanade, Burleigh Heads