Cedrus Lebanese Restaurant, Meadowbank

The 76% like rate is well justified for Cedrus Lebanese Restaurant. Sharing is the name of the game and if you are coming in a large group then I would definitely suggest one of the Banquets.  My friend had his 30th here and the restaurant and the food was perfect for a relaxing but lively Birthday. There are large tables available if you have a lot of friends or a large family.

Banquets start from $45 with 13 different dips, nibblies and meats (Eg. Hommus, Babaghanouj, Labne, Fatoush, Tabouli, Vine Leaves, Falafel, Samousik, Arnabeet, Potato Coriander, Lamb Skewers. Chicken Skewers and Kafta Skewers).  Or you can go a bit more lush and go for $55 or $65 banquets with additional tasty dishes.

The food looked amazing and as always you start off with dips and breads at Cedrus Lebanese Restaurant.  I thought the dips were beautifully presented. I had my fair share of Lebanese Bread (both fresh and deep fried) with the Hommos, Babaghanouj and Tabouli.

One of my new favourite salads has to be the Fatoush (below) which is a bit naughty with fried Lebanese Bread bits with tomato, onion, capsicum and herbs.

All the appetizer type dishes were just fresh and well put together. The Tabouli (above) had a good balance of flavours of zesty lemon and parsley. You need to save some room for the hot food though.

There was a plate of hot food which had fried cauliflower (which is called Arnabeet, above), pickles, falafel and curry puffs (which is called Sambousik, below) which is a bit more substantial following the dips. Again, everything was well prepared and very tasty. It's nice to have a bit of diversity and variety in the food which is why banquets are amazing.

If you do have any room left then continue onto the potato coriander and the meat skewers. The meat skewers were a bit dry to be honest but the restaurant was catering for about 50 people for my friend's birthday and most people filled up on the dips, appetizers and the warm platter so the meat platters were not quite so empty at the end of the day.

For dessert, I had some baklava (below) which was lovely - Sweet pastry layers of filo with chopped nuts and all sugary with syrup. Overall, I had a great time at Cedrus Lebanese Restaurant. The area definitely needed a restaurant like this.  You'd have to venture out to Granville or Bankstown for a great feast otherwise. Beautifully presented food in a clean and lively venue.

If you are not keen on the banquet then you can get a few dishes to share ranging from $12 to $24 for the meat dishes.

Prices: $45 to $70 per person

Location: 100 Belmore st, Meadowbank (15 minutes from the train station but I'd recommend driving)