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There is more to the Middle East than just unrest and conflict.

   Mention ‘Middle East’ and that would conjure images of camels, sand dunes, sheikhs, oil, spices, and the terrible words of ‘war’, ‘death’, and ‘conflict’. Indeed the Middle East is hotbed of conflict these days, that the word cuisine and food might take a step back in one’s thoughts.

I am so glad James is back from his travels. Having him around is fun, he is willing to try food, and he has a car, making it possible to venture out further from the CBD area for meals.

But the blessing of having a car can turn out to be not a blessing at times especially when one is trying to find free parking in popular spots on Saturday nights. I had initially settled on a place in Fitzroy, but finding a spot to park proved to be a pain, so we headed out to Brunswick instead where the same unable to find parking problem persisted. It took about 10 minutes of circling around Lygon Street before we were able to find a spot.

Rumi was our first choice, but I was momentarily distracted by wanting to dine at 400 Gradi. However it turned out the place was full and a seat would only be available at 930pm. So we headed back to Rumi.

The ambience in Rumi was rather soothing, inviting and classy with its dimmed lighting. Its emphasis on its Middle Eastern roots could be seen with Arabic words in frames around the restaurant. According to its website, it was opened by a husband-wife team who puts a contemporary twist and approach to reflect Levantine and Persian flavours.

This is my first time experiencing Middle Eastern cuisine other than the usual kebabs, so it proved to be an exciting experience for me.

The freekeh salad –almonds with ewe’s milk feta and pomegranate dressing (recipe available on Rumi’s website) was simply appetising. The salad was bathed in olive oil and there was a sweet and sour tang to the dish owing to the vinaigrette. The saltiness of the cheese, the sweetness of the raisins and the crunchiness of the raisins lent a nice mouthful and flavour to the dish.

 

The fried cauliflower – caramelised onions with currants and pine nuts might sound ordinary, look ordinary or unappetising due to its appearance, but it certainly was a crowd pleaser, at least for both James, and myself. The cauliflower was marinade in spice and cooked to a slight crisp. However, eating the cauliflower on its own, is just like eating cauliflower and nothing memorable, but pairing it with the onion relish and currants brought a layer of sweetness to the dish and uplifted an ordinary, simple dish.

 

The fish curry in Iranian style was in my opinion a little disappointing. The fish portions were a little small and did not really soak in the flavour of the curry. It seemed a little divorce. The taste of the curry evokes Indian curry/curry fish head. Perhaps it is due to the tamarind used. In retrospect, I should have opted for the lamb instead, but the last few times James and I had dinner, we had ordered lamb, so I kind of wanted something different.

 

Overall, it was a great dining experience, and a nice first experience with contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine. I would be back for more.