Parra on a Plate: Henrietta reveals debut date, Toongabbie gets a manoosh eatery, El Jannah does breakfast

Excitement has been marinating for months. Now, a charcoal chicken restaurant is winging it to Parramatta with a debut date finalised. Read more.

Ibby Moubadder owner of Henrietta Charcoal Chicken. Picture: Justin Lloyd

A popular charcoal chicken restaurant is expanding in Parramatta, Middle Eastern pizza has come to Toongabbie and the “Ermo” is undergoing a major refurbishment.

Welcome to Parra on a Plate, where you can find out what’s new on Parramatta’s delicious food scene.

Henrietta Charcoal Chicken

Sometimes described as a fancier El Jannah, Henrietta is finally ready to get sizzling at its second Sydney branch, Parramatta.

Hospitality dynamo Ibby Moubadder, who helms Henrietta at Surry Hills and LilyMu at Parramatta Square, has confirmed the restaurant will arrive on Monday, April 7, when customers are set to be treated to free chicken wraps to celebrate the opening.

“I’m very excited,’’ Moubadder said.

“I feel like it’s been in the pipeline for so long.’’

Ibby Moubadder (right) at Henrietta Charcoal Chicken in Surry Hills. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Indeed it has. The Nour executive director first revealed plans for the Parramatta noshery in November 2023 and planned to open it last April.

Diners can expect a “kind of a hybrid restaurant’’.

“It’s a beautiful Middle Eastern dining experience with the charcoal chicken being the hero item,’’ Moubadder told this masthead previously.

Henrietta will seat 70 diners inside and 20 outside overlooking the public domain which is also home to LilyMu, Ruse, Publique Eatery and Mamak.

Man oosh ty Toongabbie

Toongabbie has been happy to roll out the welcome mat for the Abdel-Nour family, which has brought a taste of the Middle East to a suburb brimming with casual Indian eateries.

So when Man oos ty arrived in the space once occupied by Marie’s KK Clothing on Portico Pde in January, locals were quick to show their support.

That includes commuters using the train station conveniently across the road and the large Hindu community which can observe religious dietary requirements thanks to a host of vegetarian toppings adorning Man Oosh Ty’s thin-crust bases.

Rafiq Abdel-Nour missed out on buying a shop at Emma Cres Constitution Hill but the Toongabbie option presented itself and it was in a better, central alternative.

Customers can grab one of barista Anjie Boghosian’s coffees (Gypsy Espresso is the bean of choice and it’s a top brew) or a pizza made by Rafiq’s parents Sue and Saad Abdel-Nour using the 300-degree oven.

Rafiq, who runs a wedding photography business, has made manoosh with his parents but took the leap to open a business and got the wheels in motion 12 months ago.

“We’ve always had this in our minds because we do this at home using a family recipe for years,’’ he said.

“You can put almost anything on our menu cold and the base won’t go cold.

“A lot of people know how to do it but it all comes down to the base.’’

We opted for a traditional manoosh with oregano and veggies. The capsicum, olives, tomatoes, cucumber and mint were served cold and fresh, not unlike a Greek salad. What a great breakfast it made.

Other options include halloumi pie, soujouk and cheese, and more Italianesque pizzas such as margherita and pepperoni.

The falafel pizza is supercharged with pickles, tomato, tahini and mint while strawberry jam and oregano pizza has got your sweet and savoury combo craving sorted.

Dessert purists might also like the Biscoff or hazelnut pizza.

There are also plans to serve acai and trade at night, beyond the 6pm closing time.

“People are saying ‘I can’t believe something new’s come out’,’’ Rafiq said.

“It’s something different and we’re getting new customers every day, and return customers.’’

Along with serving up the mouth-watering manoosh, the eatery will also be a retirement plan for Sue and Saad but, in the meantime, we’re happy they’re smashing it in the kitchen.

Brekkie is served at the OG El Jannah

Rise and shine – the original El Jannah at Granville is now serving a Lebanese breakfast spread “that puts plain toast to shame’’.

We’re told the star of the show is a kaki charcoal sandwich – a golden, sesame-crusted pocket grilled over charcoal and stuffed with authentic, flavour-packed fillings.

Kind of like an elevated toastie.

There are also indulgent, sweet temptations with the traditional Arab dessert of knafeh – created with spun pastry dough, cheese and syrup.

El Jannah head of marketing Adam Issa said whether customers opt for the melted halloumi and mozzarella OG cheese melt, the garlic lover with charcoal chicken and aioli, or the sweet, syrup-drenched knafeh “this is morning fuel, done right”.

“El Jannah has been feeding Granville for over 25 years, and now we’re bringing that same passion to breakfast,’’ he said.

“We’re talking bold flavours, fresh ingredients and the kind of morning fix that actually makes you excited to get out of bed.”

Ermington Hotel gets a revamp

The River Rd pub will hardly be recognisable when the $29m overhaul of the run-down watering hole is wrapped up.

There will be a cafe, bakery, contemporary bistro, 40-room hotel, function centre for 200 guests, chic cocktail lounge and a children’s play area.

The Sonnel hospitality group is even looking at rolling out a bowling alley at the venue, which is one of four pubs from the same company undergoing refurbishment projects.

Sonnel Hospitality chief executive Simon Meers said the company was working closely with industry pundits to focus on creating catering options that “reflect modern tastes while staying true to what our locals want”.

Temasek

For 33 years, Temasek had no trouble pulling in flocks of Sydneysiders while it was tucked away in the Roxy Arcade where diners feasted on simple but sensational cuisine.

Now, after the small restaurant fell into disrepair, it has relocated slightly further down George St to a more prominent position fitting of its status as a mecca for authentic Singaporean and Malaysian dishes including signature laksas and chilli crab (which must be pre-ordered).

Inevitable teething problems have crept into the new premises (patchy airconditioning, new machinery in the kitchen and using iPads instead of writing pads).

It didn’t help that the first day of trade at the new venue, at the corner of Smith St, was Lunar New Year, which gave owner Jeremy Cho a bit of a headache.

But make no mistake, Temasek is still flourishing.

Cho, whose late mother Susan Wong established the restaurant in 1992, says “at least” 600 laksas are served each week.

On a Wednesday evening visit, it didn’t take long for the 120-seat venue to fill up, with several tables reserved and a queue patiently waiting outside for a nosh.

Many hanker for the popular Hainanese chicken rice.

Diners continue to travel from all points of the city to Temasek.

“These customers, they come from the north shore,’’ Cho says as he points to two men waiting for their group to join them over the lazy Susan.

They are also waiting for him specifically to cook their raw fish dish to mark the Year of the Snake.

Return customers has been key to Temasek’s success.

“Give them a reason to come back I guess,’’ Cho says.

“We don’t have a view, we don’t have a wine list. We’re trying to offer more food items.’’

The assembly of seven chefs rarely changes – perhaps another key to its success.

“The staff is always the same, we’ve been working for a long time,’’ Cho says.

“So if you eat chicken that person’s been doing it for 20 years.’’

Cho’s specialty is the oyster omelette, a delicacy that is limited to 15 a week.

When Cho’s mother left her job in the banking industry to open the restaurant in 1992, it mainly attracted Malaysian and Singaporean customers and the first night was a mere 10 diners.

That soon changed when a businessman visited after he was keen for the cuisine he pined for while living in Singapore.

Word spread and Temasek’s customer base is a true cross section, from local couples, white-collar workers to Eric and Linda Wong – the owners behind another iconic Asian restaurant, Golden Century.

In his 20s, Cho, now 48, followed in his mother’s footsteps to work in the banking industry and completed a finance degree.

He was only supposed to help his mum at Temasek for a “couple of months” but that was 22 years ago.

“I can’t escape now,’’ he says.

He has witnessed three generations of customers.

“Some times I see boyfriend and girlfriends dating then they come here to eat and they have children, but the sad part is you see the regular customers pass away,” he said.

His mother worked in the finance industry and then catering before branching out to start her own business with her sister Gladys.

The second born of seven children, Susan was a self-trained chef who learned how to master dishes by observing vendors at hawker markets in her homeland of Singapore.

Temasek replaces a string of restaurants at its existing site, including a Greek, which could not survive the wrath of Covid.

But, like Cho, we think Temasek is here to stay, hopefully for another three decades.

Bottomless high tea

Flavour-laden sandwiches and petite pastries paired with a soothing tea and bottomless sparkling wine – Parramatta finally has a regular high tea sitting to savour with the Parkroyal hotel now hosting the elegant dining experience each Sunday.

Guests and visitors are invited to free flowing refreshments and beverages over a leisurely afternoon with topped-up sandwiches, along sweet and savoury pastry treats including classic smoked salmon croissants and chicken coronation pinwheels.

They are served with the sparkling wine and unlimited tea and coffee in the hotel’s stylist Club Lounge.

“Guests will be welcome to indulge in a perfect combination of delicious sandwiches, Instagram-worthy desserts, and endless tea and coffee to enjoy, all while relaxing in a chic, elegant atmosphere,’’ a hotel spokeswoman says.

The experience is welcome in Parramatta since the beloved Gatehouse Tea Rooms in Parramatta Park ceased two years ago.

The Parkroyal’s high tea runs from noon to 2.30pm each Sunday. Adults $88, $48 per child (aged five to 12).

Iftar

If you don’t think you can find dumplings at a Lebanese restaurant, think again.

Merrylands resident and Iftar owner Jeremy Agha is all about addings twists to Middle Eastern cuisine since the restaurant arrived in the Mason and Main complex in December.

And that includes its dumplings, which have proven quite the hit, thanks to the Wagyu beef kafta-stuffed parcels with house made teriyaki sauce and crunchy chilli oil.

Be prepared to wait for a spot at the 75-seat venue where other dishes include spiced manoush, lamb shawarma tacos and wood-fired sourdough.

Agha proudly named the restaurant Iftar – meaning breakfast in Arabic – but it is also a nod to his mother Rita, with the letters of her moniker in the name.

Originally published as Parra on a Plate: Henrietta reveals debut date, Toongabbie gets a manoosh eatery, El Jannah does breakfast