Hijazi's Falafel, Arncliffe

Eating out for breakfast doesn't have to be expensive. I followed up a tip from Grab Your Fork reader Yvette and headed to Hijazi's in Arncliffe for this month's Time Out Sydney column. You could eat yourself into a stupor here and find yourself only paying about $10 for the privilege.


Hijazi's, Arncliffe

WHAT IS HIJAZI'S?
A Lebanese takeaway and restaurant that is famous for its crunchy falafel and traditional Lebanese breakfasts.


Fresh labneh yoghurt $5

WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Bright, airy and newly renovated, Hijazi’s Falafel hums with activity in the otherwise sleepy suburb of Arncliffe.


Spicy shish with eggs $10

WHAT SHOULD I ORDER?
You haven’t had breakfast until you’ve feasted Lebanese-style. Spicy shish with eggs ($10) is a local take on sausages with scrambled eggs. Dig into a plate of smooth hummus chickpea dip served with pan-fried lamb mince ($10).


Hummus chickpea dip with pan-fried lamb mince $10


Spicy sausage $6


Fatteh $7
Chick peas in natural yoghurt with toasted pinenuts

The best stuff, though, is all vegetarian. Fatteh ($7) is a blissful combination of creamy chickpeas in natural yoghurt with toasted pinenuts. Use the complimentary Lebanese bread to scoop up generous mouthfuls of foul cooked fava beans ($5), msabha hummus with whole chickpeas ($6) and fresh labneh yoghurt ($5).


Foul cooked fava beans $5

A salad plate is also provided free for every table, a bounty of raw radish, tomato, cucumber, mint, rocket leaves, capsicum and pickled turnip. Wash it all down with a glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice with mint ($3 glass/ $6 jug).


Complimentary salad plate

HOW DO I EAT IT?
You’ll find cutlery on the side table, but most locals eat with their fingers. Tear off a triangle of Lebanese bread and fold it into a shovel shape to make your very own edible spoon/eating trowel. Place small pieces of bread over meat and eggs and pick up what you can, transferring everything into your mouth for a makeshift sandwich.


Msabha hummus with whole chickpeas ($6)

WHAT ELSE?
If you miss out on breakfast (served until 12.30pm each day), crunch your way through Hijazi’s famous falafel. A dozen of these crispy chickpea pucks with salad will set you back a mere $6. Or opt for the falafel roll ($3) in Lebanese bread.

All your favourite vegetables come deep-fried, such as cauilfower florets ($4), eggplant ($4) and potatoes ($4), seasoned with garlic, chilli and coriander. Moujadeera ($5) is a rice, lentil and onion pilaf that is a popular, homestyle comfort food, and we can back that claim with some very full stomachs. The usual kebabs rolls in beef, lamb or chicken ($5) are here, as well as grilled meat plates (from $9) and babaganouj eggplant dip ($5/$8).





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Hijazi’s Falafel
53 Wollongong Road, Arncliffe
Tel: 02 9599 0726
Open: Tuesday to Sunday 7.30am-8.30pm

This article appears in the December 2010 issue of Time Out Sydney in the Food & Drink section. Read online


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