Iftar modern Middle Eastern restaurant opens at Merrylands

A young restaurateur’s business is making waves in Sydney’s west as he plans to help convert the suburb into a foodie hotspot.

Jeremy Agha at Iftar Merrylands.

Every couple of months a restaurant causes a stir when it debuts in Sydney.

At Merrylands, that would be Iftar, where diners should be prepared to wait in line patiently if they are to sit in the humming 75-seat venue and feast on imaginative brunch and lunch dishes from spiced manoush to lamb shawarma tacos and wood-fired sourdough.

Merrylands’ Jeremy Agha is behind the new restaurant that has already notched up quite a following since it opened a week before Christmas.

Customers can expect traditional Middle Eastern fare with a modern twist, best enjoyed on tables “overflowing with small plates and hearty mains”.

Agha, 25, proudly named the restaurant Iftar – meaning breakfast in Arabic – but it is also as a nod to his mother Rita.

Lamb shawarma tacos.

Wagyu dumplings.

Rita is also the driving force behind turning her son’s vision into cuisine, and guides a small team of chefs serving specials such as the dumplings – stuffed with Wagyu beef kafta and a housemade teriyaki sauce with crunchy chilli oil.

“We’ve got Asians eating our dumplings saying ‘what the f--k, it’s the best dumpling I’ve had’,’’ Agha said.

His trip to Turkey and Lebanon last year also inspired twists on fatteh – with prawns, lamb and eggplant additions an unusual twist on the dish consisting of chickpeas, crispy pita chips, and tahini.

Traditional Middle Eastern dishes are given a bold, modern touch.

Iftar restaurant at Merrylands is Middle Eastern cuisine with a modern twist.

Iftar is on the ground floor of the vast Mason and Main apartment complex in the centre of Merrylands, which Agha and many of his staff call home.

There’s a sizeable customer base thanks to dwellers ambling downstairs to relax at the Matt Woods-designed venue.

“It kind of helps us in the sense that by February-March there will be 850 occupied units and at the end of the day, that’s 850 potential customers we wouldn’t have anywhere else,’’ Agha, whose passion for hospitality was cultivated in his family’s Lebanese bakery in Guildford, said.

Agha sees Merrylands becoming a food destination beyond locals weary of fighting for parking in the Parramatta CBD.

“We’re already getting people who are rocking up at night,” he said. “People are coming to Merrylands or Mason and Main not knowing what they want to eat – and that was what Parramatta was.’’

Neighbouring Japanese restaurant Yuzu has also made an impression on Agha, who rates its sushi and service.

Originally published as Iftar modern Middle Eastern restaurant opens at Merrylands