Manoush City ~ Lebanese - Broadway

Zaatar time. A small spot in the city is pumping out Lebanese style breads and pizzas, working the pizza oven with that distinct herb flavour and haloumi filled treats.

In the fluoro lit arcade that runs underneath George St is a wrap n roll joint with a Lebanese flavour. Where this used to be Taiwanese snacks, the scent of zaatar replaces the plum powder and the deep fryer has been replaced by a pizza oven. At first this place didn't look too exciting, but there aren't a hell of a lot of manoush places in the CBD and the food turned out to be a decent break from our Asain food obsession.

There's a mix of pizzas, pockets and wraps available here, and everything is halal. While the prices aren't as cheap as a pizza place in Lakemba, you are at least getting something different to the other endless sandwich and salad joints in the city CBD.

Spinach pastie $4.50 and Haloumi and mixed cheese $5.50. These are generously filled pasties with a light pastry crust, a good cheap lunch snack or something quick on the run. How can you not be excited about haloumi cheese filled anything. For the carnivores, there's a meat samosa for $4.50.



Kaak with Cheese, $6, with haloumi $7.  Kaak is a Lebanese street bread which is close to Turkish simit. Here the bread is split and filled with cheese, then placed through the slow moving pizza oven to toast the bread and make the cheese runny. There also seems to be a small amount of tomato paste smeared inside for a bit of extra flavour. Highly recommended after a bit of a big night.

Zaatar and vegies wrap $7.50. A cooked pizza base in smothered with an oil and zataar mix, with tomatoes and olives added as additional salty flavours. This combination really works well, and can only be improved by cheese (which is available for an additonal dollar). The yoghurt drink Ayran ($2.50) is a little hard to find in the city, so happy to see it sold here.

There's some super cheap wraps for the endless parade of students around the place, $4.50 for zaatar only, $5 for nutella and $3 for sugar and butter only.

Turkish Delight flavoured ice cream is available from Marrickville makers Booza ($4.80). Made in the traditional way with mastic to provide a stringy stretchiness more like cheese than an dessert, the subtle flavours of rosewater and the small bits of pistachio make this a treat well above a Paddle Pop in flavour. It's preservative, gluten and egg (and guilt?) free.

Labne wrap is filled with yoghurt like cheese, mint leaves, olives and tomatoes, you can add a sprinkle of zaatar too if you ask nicely.

Manoush City also makes Lebanese style pizzas which are basically the same wraps laid out straight and cooked in the oven, usually folded in half and eaten on the run. Traditional pizza flavours are also available for $15 medium and $19 large.

Takeaway bags of zaatar are also available so you can take the taste with you and make your own manoush at home.



Manoush City is at Shop 4, TAFE Arcade, 839 George Street. Head down the stairs from George Street into the passage that crosses underneath the Central bus station.