Having grown up on a steady diet of tabouli, falafel and baba ganoush, I take so-called modern approaches to Middle Eastern dining with a pinch of salt (or sumac). My ancestors have perfected every combination of olive oil, tahini, garlic and chickpeas, so I don’t take kindly to places that combine cacao powder with legumes and brand them “brownie flavoured hummus”. When I spotted shawarma tacos, Wagyu kofta dumplings and prawn fatteh on the menu at Merrylands’ newly opened Iftar, my expectations were low. Then I visited. I ended up eating my words, along with one of the best woodfired manoushes I’ve had in Sydney.

Credit is due to chef-owner Jeremy Agha’s knowledge of Middle Eastern fare. “Respect comes first,” Agha tells me. “If you understand the roots of a dish – where it comes from, why it’s made a certain way – you can find ways to evolve it without stripping it of its soul. The wrong way? Throwing in random ingredients just for the sake of being different. The right way? Pushing boundaries while still honouring the essence of the dish.”

The restaurateur spent his younger years working in his grandad’s bakery. “The smell of za’atar hitting a hot oven; that first wave of oregano, sumac and toasted sesame; and the sounds of the metal peel sliding into the oven, the crackle of fresh dough and the radio playing Fairuz in the background, will always be home to me.”

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At Iftar, Agha’s mother Rita works as head chef, taking homestyle recipes and adapting them for the new dining room.

“She’s lightyears ahead of me in the kitchen,” he says. While the menu offers Rita ample opportunity to show him who’s boss – classic creamy hummus, lemony fattoush salad, spicy coriander potatoes – there’s also evidence of Agha’s creative approach.

The mezze is split into hot and cold. The macaroni bi laban delivers the pasta drenched in a herbed-up yoghurt and browned butter; while a plate of Lebanese village cheeses brings haloumi, akawi and baldiye topped with honey. Generous rounds of woodfired family-recipe sourdough are ready to be torn up and used as cutlery.

“My love for Asian cuisine inspired me to create the Wagyu kofta dumplings. I’ve always been drawn to the depth of flavours, the techniques and the way dumplings are such a staple in so many cultures. I wanted to take the familiar spices of Lebanese kofta and bring them into that world.”

He also took a gamble with shawarma tacos. “Shawarma is sacred, and people have strong opinions about how it should be served. But we took a risk, wrapped it in something unexpected, and let the flavour speak for itself. Some purists are sceptical at first, but once they take a bite, they get it – those deep, spiced flavours still hit home.”

More substantial mains include the awarma (confit lamb) and sunny-side-up eggs with manoush. “The richness of the confit lamb, the runny yolk, the crispy dough… it’s the taste of my childhood, my family and everything that led me here.” Want to try a bit of everything? Opt for the brekkie board.

Eating among the people of the Levant is all heaving tables, overflowing plates and generous servings. And Iftar is no exception. “Middle Eastern hospitality is about abundance. Even if people say they’re full, you keep feeding them. That’s how you show love.”

Iftar
Main Lane, Merrylands

Hours:
Daily 7am–3pm

@iftarmerrylands