Located across the road from Balmain Town Hall, Kazbah serves up delicious Middle Eastern, Moroccan and North African Cuisine. The flavours are rich, the servings are generous, and the ambience is warm and inviting. Kazbah was highly recommended to me by one of my companions who had been there the previous day. She was really impressed with what she had eaten, she came back for an encore!

We went there for what was supposed to be breakfast, but daylight savings meant that once we arrived it was already brunch! We were greeted by a queue of patrons out the front, and overheard a lady asking about bookings. We didn’t make a booking (who makes breakfast bookings anyway?!) and didn’t think we’d get a table. But with the large crowd assembled there, it probably goes to show that getting a table is worth the wait!

It only took about 3 minutes in the queue for us to eventually get to the host, and she managed to squeeze the three of us in but we were only given 45 minutes to finish up our meals as the table we got was already reserved for another group. Despite how busy Kazbah was, she still managed to keep her cool and was very friendly.

Picking something to eat from their unique and extensive menu was a challenge! I initially ordered the Fried Duck Eggs, only to be told that they had run out! I went for the Foul Mudammas instead. Foul Mudammas is an Egyptian fava bean stew normally eaten for breakfast. The serving of Foul Mudammas at Kazbah was really thick – a combination of Boiled Egg, Chick Peas, Fava Beans, Garlic, Tahini and Lemon and served with 4 sprigs of fresh shallot and Lebanese bread. The Foul Mudammas tasted pleasant, but was too heavy for me and I couldn’t have eaten the entire bowl on my own as it way too rich, like a dip!

Next up was the Lamb Tagine – A combination of Lamb Mince, Sucuk (sausage), Spinach, Roast Capsicum, Roast Tomatoes, Caramelised Onion, Feta, Eggs, Turkish Toast and Lebanese Bread. We ordered a serving for one person, but you can also get a larger serving for two or more people. The mince in the tagine tasted quite similar to the Spicy Morroccan lamb but wasn’t as sweet and spicy. It still won me over though!

Last to arrive was the Spicy Moroccan Lamb Mince with Hommus, Pine Nuts and Pita Bread. I actually ended up swapping my fava bean dish for my dining companion’s spicy Moroccan lamb because I was in the mood for some hearty meat instead of beans! Out of all three dishes, the Spicy Moroccan Lamb was my favourite. The mince had a really strong flavour which I’m assuming would be cumin, and the pine nuts added that extra bit of crunch. The generous serving of hommus was rich but not too overpowering, while the pita bread was fresh and crispy.

The entire meal plus drinks and coffee came up to $68. I definitely rate the food at Kazbah. If you want to try something different for breakfast, this place is definitely worth a visit. It’s probably a good idea to book in advance, just in case!

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My second outing at Kazbah involved an out-of-this-world Lamb Tagine. My dining companion and I ordered the breakfast lamb tagine for two people. It was quite a generous serving and was the perfect portion for two. This also came with two servings of buttered Turkish and Lebanese bread.

The lamb mince was cooked beautifully in aromatic spices and the flavour that truly dominated the tagine dish was cumin. The lamb was cooked with baby spinach leaves, red capsicum, onions, tomatoes and eggs on top. A very hearty and delicious dish! Don’t be too intimidated by the size of it- when you taste how good it is, you too will lick the tagine clean!

Kazbah is located at 379 Darling Street, Balmain 2041.