Armani Restaurant, Parramatta

I’ve never really eaten Mediterranean food unless it was in a food court, even then it was limited to kebabs, pides and gozlemes (I’m not even sure if they are even considered mediterranean). So it was a bit of a nervous venture out to this restaurant in Parramatta.

 

Biggie had been here previously with friends and loved it. He was craving it big time so decided to go for a fix. Upon arrival I was fascinated by the tent set up on the side outside, next to the road, for diners. It definitely played the part in portraying a Mediterranean restaurant. It was dimly lit with gorgeous lanterns handing from the top of the roof. To help set the atmosphere, the TVs were broadcasting a Mediterranean music channel.

 

I let Biggie take full control of what to order. He knew how big the portions were and what was good to eat. Plus, he had the craving so I wanted to let him make the choice. While he knew what he wanted, I took a sneak peak through the menu anyways. There’s quite an extensive menu of entrees and mains. Looks like the perfect place to go with a group of friends so you can try a bit of everything.

 

First up we have the mixed dip platter ($17.90) – a selection of house mezzes. We have (from front left to clockwise) baba ghanoush, olive tapenade, hommus and avocado. Accompanied with this is both fresh and deep-fried lebanese bread. Ohh it was absolutely delicious. I’ve never had deep-fried lebanese bread before and such goodness it was. I guess it’s true when people say anything deep-fried is good…

 

For our mains, we get the mixed grill platter ($26.90). I think the serving is for one but we shared. On the plate we have chargrilled lamb, chicken and kafta (underneath the lebanese bread which gave the bread some warmth and chargrilled flavour), served with hommus garlic sauce, chips, fried kibbeh, vine leaves and tabbouleh.

 

The boy made this little wrap for me which had a little bit of everything in it. It is seriously the only way to eat the mixed plate. Mmmmmm and I’ve never been a big fan of tabbouleh but boy can I tell you this has totally changed my mind. It just lightens up the wrap and gives it a bit of zing from the lemon and some freshness from the herbs. We ended up having like 3 or 4 of these babies each. Delicious!

We got a bit of a shock on the bill when we came to see a lemon, lime and bitters cost us $7. Yes, my eyes popped out of my head and jaw dropped when I saw that also. It wasn’t even made fresh :( Despite this expensive soda, the food is amazing. Can’t wait to return so I can try other things on the menu.

Bookings are essential, because the place gets buzzing during dinners, especially on weekends!

Armani Restaurant
354 Church Street
Parramatta NSW 2150
Tel: +61 2 8840 9453

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