Took out from Mandi Afandi, the location in Thorncliffe Park. This place focuses on food “from across the Arabian Peninsula”. The meats are cooked in a steam oven, leaving them very tender and moist. The rice is also steamed in the same oven, catching the drippings from the meat. Overall it was delcious, with familiar and yet different flavour combinations:
- Vegetable Tabeekh: stew of potatoes, carrots, and French beans, simmered in a tomato broth - redolent of cloves and other spices
- Bamyeh: okra stew cooked with tomato, garlic, and onions - tangy and straightforward, with lots of garlic
- Mandi Chicken Plate: half a chicken, marinated with various spices and then steam roasted, served with rice scented with curry leaf, onion, cinnamon, and cloves - even the breast was very moist and tender
- Mathlootha: lamb on the bone, over a layer of rice, bread bits, and a cream of wheat-like mixture, plus carmelized onions - fall-off-the-bone meat with lots of flavour, hints of lemon and unidentified spices
- The above all came with a naan-like flatbread, yoghurt sauces, a salsa-like sauce, and yellow lentil soups.
- Masoob: banana and bread pudding topped with cream, raisins, and nuts - very tasty and not too sweet
