Middle Eastern food North Hobart: Malik restaurant review

This North Hobart eatery is the perfect spot to visit when you need a culinary trip down the Silk Road, writes TasWeekend’s Alix Davis.

The first time I visited Marrakech* I fell in love with tadelakt – the beautifully textured, polished plaster that graces Moroccan homes. Traditionally, it’s made with lime plaster and black soap made from olives – when those two elements are combined, a waterproof membrane that can be used on sinuous steps and sensuous curves is created.

So I was thrilled to see a similar finish on the walls at Malik – the dark and moody Middle Eastern eatery at the city end of the North Hobart restaurant precinct. Its textured sheen is offset against raw brick walls, luxe velvet banquettes and intimate lighting to create an environment that feels chic and contemporary.

The set menu is popular with many guests, but we opt for a la carte and begin with a serve of lahoh bread ($8). Traditionally, lahoh is a yeasted Yemeni flatbread, cooked only on one side and with distinctive, crumpet-like bubbles on top. Here, it’s more like socca – the chickpea flatbread of France. Malik’s version uses fermented potato and chickpea flour and has a distinctive spongey texture and a wonderful flavour, especially when topped with tarator, a tahini sauce, and za’atar, the oregano-based herb mix popular throughout the Middle East. I only wish I didn’t have to share it.

Malik’s wonderfully flavoured traditional Lahoh bread which is made from fermented potato and chickpea flour. Picture: Linda Higginson

Our other entree is tahini roast pumpkin ($16) – featuring a large wedge of pumpkin coated in grains. I like the concept of this dish (hello, roasted pumpkin!), but felt it could have been cooked a little longer and would benefit from a sauce of some kind.

Larger plates can be ordered as a main-for-one but we decide to share a number of dishes, an option that works well with this style of food.

The mushroom borek ($25) is an excellent way to start – finely chopped and sauteed mushrooms are encased in a crispy filo roll and served with wedges of pickled onion, yoghurt sauce and spheres of compressed cucumber. Stuffed filo pastries are popular throughout the Middle East and mushroom is one of the many traditional fillings.

Malik’s extremely more-ish, sauteed cauliflower is served on a bed of muhammara, a roasted red capsicum sauce and topped with mint and yoghurt. Picture: Linda Higginson

Another wonderful vegetarian option is the mujadara ($16), a classic Arabic dish of lentils and rice topped with caramelised onions. It can be found all over the region and has a passing acquaintance with Egypt’s koshari which adds chickpeas and pasta to the mix as well.

The Middle East is known for its love of lamb – often cooked whole over an open fire. This version ($32) is a more sophisticated take, but the flavours are all there – garlic and cumin plus the bright pop of pomegranate seeds and a tahini sauce.

The fillet is perfectly cooked and comes to the table sliced – making it easy to share.

Malik’s lamb dish comes to the table sliced, for easy sharing, and is served with a bright pop of pomegranate seeds and a tahini sauce. Picture: Linda Higginson

Another classic Lebanese dish is charcoal chicken ($28) served with toum, the creamy garlic sauce that’s still with you the next morning. There’s a satisfying amount of char on the chicken that’s been marinated in spices including paprika, sumac and cinnamon.

The Arabic world dominated the spice trade for centuries and the flavourful results are there for the tasting. Our final side is finely chopped and sauteed cauliflower served on a bed of muhammara ($16), a roasted red capsicum sauce, and topped with herbs and a little yoghurt. It’s extremely more-ish and would also be excellent scooped up with a wedge of fresh pita bread.

Malik’s Mahalabia dessert is an elegant panna cotta topped with a pink-tinged rosewater jelly which hides a bed of red-hued rhubarb. Picture: Linda Higginson

Middle Eastern desserts are the stuff of legend and the brief list here offers a concise but well-rounded selection. My husband’s mahalabia ($16) is an elegant panna cotta topped with a pink-tinged rosewater jelly and hiding a bed of red-hued rhubarb.

I opt for the green apple basbousa ($11) – a diamond-shaped piece of traditional semolina cake drenched in a sweet syrup and topped with wafer-thin slices of apple in a cute nod to the fact that we are in Hobart, not Beirut.

The cuisine of the Middle East is one of my favourites and I’m happy to have Malik to visit when I need a culinary trip down the Silk Road.

* The second time I visited Marrakech I got terrible food poisoning and lost 5kg in a week.

We shall never speak of this again.

North Hobart’s Middle Eastern restaurant Malik is a great place to visit when you need a culinary trip down the Silk Road.

MALIK

277 Elizabeth St,

North Hobart

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm.

On the menu

Lahoh bread, tarator, $8; tahini roast pumpkin, $16; mujadara, $17; cauliflower, muhammara, $16; lamb, caramelised yoghurt, $32; charcoal chicken, $28; mushroom borek, $25; green apple basbousa, $11; mahalabia, rhubarb, $16.