Pazar Food Collective

So the last time I visited here I was at La Lupita... now that seems to be a distant memory and in it's place is Pazar Food Collective. All the memories flooded back as we walked in... with the layout pretty much unchanged. We came here to celebrate my wife's cousins birthday and as with most birthdays we were restricted to a set menu. 

I'll start off by saying that I didn't get much chance to take notes during the meal so most of this blog will be a show case of the food we ate with a few inserts of things I liked or not enjoyed so much. Sorry in advance for the lack of effort...

So as typical with all set menus, we were started with entrees that tend to be dip based so they can heavily load us with bread. We started with a plate of Smoked Labne with Baby Cos, Chili Chiltepil and Honey.

Then we got some Carrot & Cashew Muhammara Salad with Pomegranate Molasses.

We sample a plate of Hibiscus Pickled Beetroot with drunken Mezcal Sundried Sultanas and Whipped Herbed Feta.

Also many baskets full of mandatory Wood Oven Pide Bread. In all honesty, they were really good with the bread and entrees. Our group arrived hungry and the bread and entrees really kept flowing nicely 'til the mains came.

We sampled the Mid-East Sour Yoghurt Pasta with Burnt Butter. Persnally this was probably my least favourite dish of the night. Something so odd about sour pasta....

Köfte - Spiced Bulghu, Red Lentils and Pickled Chili with lettuce to wrap. This didn't look appealing but the subtle spices of the Kofte was so beautiful. I slowly picked at it with my fork until people started noticing I was enjoying it and then I had to share.

Zucchini Herb balls with feta and sumac Yoghurt sauce. This was probably my favourite entree. It was the only one that came out hot and the Zuchinni Herb Balls were so well seasoned and paired with the sauce... It was definitely one dish we all wanted more of...

Harissa Wood Roast Chicken with Hummus, Charred Lemon and Sumac Onions. The chicken came out looking quite dry and unimpressive but to our astonishment the chicken was very well prepared and succulent... This also disappeared fast.

Spinach with Oaxacan Cheese and Feta Pide. I enjoyed the dish but it was no more than a pide...

Wood Oven Smoked Lamb Shoulder with Citrus Salad and Orange Blossom.

I think the pictures don't do it justice and the meat literally fell off the bone. The best parts were the delicious chunks of fat blended with the meal... totally drool-worthy... and we all would have demolished this dish if we weren't so loaded on carbs...

Booza Ice Cream Sandwich with Alfajor Argentinian Short Bead Biscuits - Saffron, Honey and Vermicelli.

Booza Ice Cream Sandwich with Alfajor Argentinian Short Bead Biscuits - Mexican Horchata, Cinammon and Sour Cherry.

Both desserts left me wishing we didn't order it. Quite underwhelming compared to the mains that were outstanding.

I love the feel of the this place. The large, long tables easily cater for bigger groups, the inside was quite cosy and had a more intimate setting and the service at the place (despite getting quite busy) was always top notch through out the night. I loved the large jugs of sangria and also I appreciated that the menu was concise and focused on authenticity and their strengths. One down side were the seats were quite uncomfortable... maybe to keep the turnover going?

This place is like a Surry Hills restaurant got lost and opened in Canterbury. Its located on the main street but yet so hidden and so niche at the same time. I can see and appreciate it's charm and I'd happily recommend it for others to try.