Teta Mona

The front window of Teta Mona is superimposed with the black and white face of a young woman. It's the titular Mona, the grandmother of proprietors Antoine and Bechara Taouk. The image is the original immigration photo taken on her arrival to Australia from Lebanon in the 1950s.

Bechara helms the kitchen, while Antoine looks after the floor, and the atmosphere is as warm and comforting as Teta (“Grandma”) Mona’s traditional village recipes, which are presented using the best in wholefood ingredients.

The menu is wall-to-wall with traditional Lebanese dishes, from falafel served with pita, tart pickles and dribbly tahini, to a variety of pastries hand made by Bechara filled with fresh spinach and squeaky haloumi, or aromatic spiced lamb.

Round out a meal with a fresh glass of rosewater crush, or a big bowl of muhallabieh – cinnamon and orange blossom brown rice pudding, dotted with walnuts. It’s properly rib-sticking, the way good rice pudding should be.