Looking for a combination of healthy and tasty food? Look no further, and choose Lebanese cuisine as your next choice!

Attention: The Rocks, Paddington, Darlinghurst and the rest of Sydney. Lebanese cuisine is host to utterly delicious food prepared with love, tradition and culture. When devouring a Lebanese feast, it is all about sharing, entertaining and enjoying life.

If you want to treat yourself to a beautiful meal, both on the outside and in your belly, then Lebanese food is the choice for you!

Dear The Rocks: Choose the healthy life …

The Mediterranean and in particular Lebanese cuisine is home to a healthy lifestyle. With the use of an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruit, seafood, meat, poultry and grains, the idea of a balanced lifestyle can’t be missed with a Lebanese feast.

In addition to this, the cuisine incorporates large amounts of garlic, olive oil and lemon juice which are typical flavours found in many dishes.

Done the right way, this cuisine uses vegetable/olive oil as an alternative to other fatty butter or cream options. While olive oil is high in fat content, it provides a range of health benefits which are usually unnoticed. These benefits include aiding with lower cholesterol, improving heart health and also controlling blood clots and blood sugar levels.

When devouring a Lebanese feast, you will notice that there is a larger quantity of vegetables, fruits and legumes in comparison to meats and fatty dairy ingredients. Carbohydrates are also kept to a minimum throughout the cuisine, making an appearance in small amounts of rice and lentils. We still need some carbs in our life!

If we lay down all the different kinds of Lebanese mezza (small sharing dishes), you will quickly notice that almost half of them are either vegetarian or vegan. Vegans and vegetarians will certainly be ecstatic with the variety of options they can choose from. Not only beneficial for vegans and vegetarians, Lebanese cuisine also boasts abundant nutritious benefits, so you feel less guilty.  

Ingredients & Health Benefits of Lebanese Ingredients…

Why is Lebanese food so amazingly tasty you may ask? This is largely due to the use of a variety of spices and fresh herbs incorporated in many dishes. Tabbouli, for example, uses the beautiful herb, parsley. This particular ingredient has many health benefits with high levels of Vitamin K – working as an anti-oxidant, and contributing to healthy skin and strong bones.

Mighty mint! This herb is also another common one found in many Lebanese dishes. Although many may see this ingredient aiding only as a breath of fresh air, it actually contains carotenes and vitamin C which is soothing and stress-relieving.

Tahini is a traditional sauce made from sesame seeds, a highly oily seed with a rich nutty flavour. These particular seeds are very rich in Omega 6 and protein as well as a great source of calcium. Tahini can be enjoyed in many different ways such as drizzling it on your falafel, eating it in the much-loved Hommos and Baba Ghanoush or using it as a dressing for your salad.

The humble beans known as Lentils are present in many different dishes as they are filling, flavoursome and vitamin-rich. High in fibre and protein, lentil-based meals are of those most staple dishes in traditional Lebanese cuisin. Next time you pop into The Rocks for a Lebanese feast, try our Mjadra – lentil and rice pilaf topped with crispy caramelised onions. Order Up!

Zesty and sour, lemon serves as an important ingredient in many traditional Lebanese dishes. Used within hommos, vine leaves, tabbouli, mutabal and many other dishes, it is a key ingredient in Lebanese cuisine. Containing high levels of potassium as well as antiseptic and antibacterial properties, lemon helps food stay fresh and protects your body from infection. Adding lemon to any diet is also a great way to assist with weight loss and boost your immune system.

In the spotlight: Garlic – a popular ingredient used in Lebanese cuisine, adding tang and punchy flavour to many dishes. If you didn’t already know, garlic is famous for its long known history in fighting infection, bacteria and fungi.

Zahli, The Rocks, uses a range of these beautiful ingredients to craft diverse dishes based on Lebanese heritage and culture. Not only are these dishes tasty, but they are full of many important vitamins and nutrients essential to a healthy, balanced diet.

Care for dessert?

After all that healthy eating, you deserve a decadent dessert. Lebanese desserts are pure art, both in the way, they taste and look. If you have a sweet tooth, then you are going to love the following:

• Baklava is a traditional Mediterranean dessert which the Lebanese culture has adopted and made their own. This dessert is perfect for those who want a combination of pastry that is sweet, flaky and delicious. Consisting of multiple layers of pastry with walnuts/pine nuts/almonds, condiments and sweet syrup on top, there is no other way to describe this than as heaven on Earth.
• Mhalabiye is the Middle-Eastern version of a milk pudding infused with rosewater & orange blossom, topped with blanched almonds & pistachios. Now, if that doesn’t sound good, we don’t know what does. The perfect ending to a Lebanese feast, this dessert is served chilled. Zahli, located in The Rocks, is no stranger to the delights of the sweet taste of Arabic desserts. View the extensive range of desserts here.

Why Zahli, The Rocks should be your choice for the best Lebanese restaurant …

Good Lebanese restaurants are hard to find, and Zahli surely provides the most authentic experience and palate-pleasing option! Being voted as Sydney’s first choice for Middle Eastern restaurants by Australian Good Food Guide, you can’t go wrong.

Sitting in the heart of The Rocks, Zahli is unlike any other restaurant in the area. Taking guests on a food journey that brings forward an excitement of tastebuds, a rich culture and yet still, a healthy treat, it is definitely the go-to Lebanese restaurant in Sydney.

Offering a wide variety of dishes suiting everyone’s preference, it is the perfect spot for dining and events.

Do you feel like indulging in the best Lebanese restaurant in Sydney’s The Rocks? Choose Zahli and you won’t be disappointed.

Call us at 02 9318 2228 or reserve your table here!