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Why We Love Lebanese Food

We are absolutely infatuated by Lebanese food. It’s a rare kind of cuisine that is both delicious and healthy across the board and it inspires pride across the entire country. Traditional Lebanese traditions has snuck its way into modern food culture across the entire world too, birthing some delicious multicultural cross overs – such as our pizza. We are blessed in Australia to have some of the best Lebanese food options widely available and Manoosh are incredibly proud to be a part of that.

lebanese food

Lebanese food is absolutely incredible, with a deluge of modern and traditional flavours crossing over to create one of the best cuisines in the world.  Here why we love Lebanese food.

It’s Healthy

Lebanese cuisine has always utilised fresh local ingredients, ensuring that you get the maximum nutritional benefits from every bite. Fruits, vegetables, legumes and proteins form the foundations of traditional Lebanese food which are then embellished by an array of fresh spices.

Lebanese cooking is all about the use of olive oil instead of butters or fats, which reduces cholesterol intake. We also favour brown rice or lentils over other starches like heavy potatoes, noodles or white bread. Finally, the chick pea is a hero – adored for its amazing health benefits – in Lebanese cooking (think falafel and hummus). It is pure, natural cooking.
lebanese food

It’s Delicious

All of these fresh, healthy ingredients are in no way boring either. Although relatively simple and grassroots in nature, Lebanese cuisine is incredibly delicious. The heart of flavour in Lebanese food is spice. The spices used in traditional Lebanese cuisine make it truly irresistible – from the well-rounded flavours of za’atar and baharat to the tang of sumac, through to the freshness of mint and the sweetness of cardamom.

Every one of our spices plays a vital role in creating that authentic Lebanese taste. Add this to a deluge of core ingredients like chick peas, lamb, fresh veggies, grilled cheeses and fried sujuk and you have some damn tasty food.

lebanese food

It’s Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly

Lebanese food doesn’t deliberate when it comes to favouring meat or veggies, it strikes a perfect balance between the two. There are a plethora of vegetarian and vegan choices in our cuisine, whih can be eaten alone or with some delicious meats on the side. Hummus, falafel, manoushe, tabbouleh and pumpkin kebbeh are just a few of the delicious vegetarian dishes that are synonymous with Lebanese culture.

If you’re not across Lebanese food yet, you are truly missing out. It’s one of the most wholesome, satisfying cuisines out there to cook and eat. Manoosh are plating up some of the best traditional Lebanese food, vegetarian Lebanese food in Sydney and what we think is the best pizza in Sydney too. If you would like to try it, drop by Manoosh or order from us online. We guarantee you will love everything.

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Blog Pizza

Manoosh Are Plating Up Some of the Best Vegan Food Sydney Has To Offer

Traditional Lebanese food is versatile stuff, offering up an array of options for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike. We are particularly proud of the wide array of delicious vegan options we offer across the menu – including our incredible Lebanese pizzas! We may be biased, but we believe we offer some of the best vegan food Newtown has to offer, and we are up against some stiff competition. Here are some of the best vegan food options on our extensive menu.

vegan pizza

Don’t eat anything that comes from an animal? Not to worry, Manoosh proudly serve up some of the best vegan food Sydney has to offer – from pizzas to desserts and traditional Lebanese classics.

Our Vegan Cheese

Let’s start off with our special vegan cheese. When we first put our delicious Daiya vegan cheese on our menu, it sold out within a month – thus starting the great vegan cheese drought of 2015. We didn’t take any chances the second time around, so we ordered half a tonne of the stuff. We won’t be running out anytime soon.

Daiya are a fantastic Canadian-based company offering up a selection of delicious non-dairy alternatives to cheese, yoghurts and dressings. The vegan cheese we use is soft, stringy, bubbly and delicious in every way. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any differences between it and dairy-based cheese – we’re not quite sure how Daiya do it. And to top it all off, our vegan cheese contains fewer calories, less fat and less cholesterol than ‘real’ cheese. Score.

Our vegan cheese can be put on any pizza, opening up a plethora of vegan options from our extensive menu!  Our favourite is the Vegan’s Paradise: Spinach, mushroom, capsicum, tomato, olives, onion, garlic & oregano drizzled with tahini sauce with your choice of a za’atar or tomato base.

vegetarian pizza options

Traditional Lebanese Za’tar

If you’re not after a pizza, but still feel like warm, crusty and wholesome vegan Lebanese food we offer an extensive range of traditional za’tar wraps with lots of different vegan options available.

For those who don’t know, za’tar is a blend of herbs and spices typically including dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and salt. This mixture is then combied with olive oil, spread generously onto flatbread and cooked in a woodfire oven. This delicious vegan meal can be eaten on its own (ours are just $3) or topped with fresh ingredients such as labne, vegetables or even falafel.

One of our favourites is the za’tar with falafel – za’atar wrapped up with freshly cooked falafel, capsicum, onion, olives & tomato, then drizzled with tahini – just $8.

Another great vegan option is our spinach pie – a mix of spinach, tomato, onion & spices in a triangle pie – $5.

Manoosh

Speciality Wraps

There’s no reason why vegan food has to be flavourless or boring. Many traditional Lebanese ingredients are vegan and when combined together, can be truly delicious. Hummus is an excellent vegan option if you’re looking for something little indulgent that’s also incredibly healthy.

Falafel is great option for those looking for an alternative to just plain veggies. Our falafel wrap features freshly cooked falafel, hummus, lettuce, tomato & pickles drizzled with our tahini sauce.

Or if you’re not a fan of falafel (crazy), our Vegan’s Delight is packed full of veggies with tomato, grilled mushrooms, spinach, onions and olives drizzled with hummus, wrapped up in sesame-coated flatbread. Out shawarma wrap is delicious too!

what is shawarma
CC image courtesy of Basher Tome on flickr http://bit.ly/1L9FKzE

Something Else?

We have a selection of delicious sides to cater to vegans looking for something wholesome and healthy. Our pumpkin kebbeh is incredible with chickpea, spinach and onion filling encased in a burghul and pumpkin football. Or you can opt for our incredible classic falafel to compliment a wrap or pizza. We make our falafel using chickpeas, onions, parsley and spices – the recipe, however, is our secret.

If you’re feeling garlicy, our vegan garlic bread will blow your mind too, made using freshly baked dough that is smothered with vegan Lebanese garlic sauce and a hint of oregano. We also offer an array of vegan dips including hummous, garlic dip and babaghanoushj.

hummus

Something Sweet

We aren’t just about savoury food at Manoosh, we also offer some of the of the best vegan food Sydney has to offer when it comes to sweets. Our vegan baklava is a revelation. As is our halwala, which is a delicious blend of sweet tahini, pistachios and banana enclosed in puff pastry. To top it off you can also add our delicious vegan chocolate! For a classic we offer vegan peanut butter fudge, and an array of vegan icecreams from our friends at Booza!

everybody loves baklava

You don’t have to be a meat eater to enjoy eating at Manoosh, we firmly believe we offer the best vegan food Sydney has to offer and we love searching for new ways to cater for our vegan friends. If you’re feeling hungry – vegan or not – drop by Manoosh. Or if you’re after top quality mobile pizza catering, give us a call.

Check out our vegan and vegetarian pizza topping options while you’re here.