Whenever the owner of Lakemba’s Restaurant, Amir Sayah, tastes one of his renowned falafels, he’s immediately transported back to his Lebanese homeland.
“I always remember my home, my family and how I grew up when I eat falafel,” says Sayah.
Sayah has fond memories of Lebanon: its culture still runs deep in his veins as the traditional recipes of his ancestors have shaped his life.
However, Sayah clarifies, it's important to realise that his childhood didn’t fit the ‘lucky country’ Australian norm. “We grew up with the war,” he recalls. “We didn’t have kids playing outside with the neighbours like they do here. We didn’t have that.” He goes on to explain that although playtime outdoors was a challenge, eating well wasn’t. “It was not hard to access food. The bombs would go for a few days and then stop, and that’s when we would get food.”
Sayah also recalls that he was taught to make traditional food by his grandfather who was a professional cook in Lebanon. It was a privilege that was bestowed upon him around age 13.
The restaurant owner’s mentions of the past are brief but they are long enough to recognise the glaring contrast between where he came from and where he is now. Today, the Lebanese immigrant stands proud as the successful business owner of one of Sydney’s most iconic Lebanese restaurants.
Marwan Sayah with father, Amir Sayah at the family-run restaurant, El Manara on Haldon Street in Lakemba. Source: Yasmin Noone
“When El Manara opened back in 1989, there was only one other Lebanese restaurant and us in Lakemba." Fast forward 34 years and Lakemba appears to be awash with Lebanese food options, Islamic shops and Arabic retailers. "Now, we are [one of] the oldest Lebanese restaurants in Canterbury. We have customers who have been coming here for many years – some, since we opened.”
Demand for El Manara’s food was demonstrated during our interview. Even though the venue was formally closed at the time, several customers (attracted by the sight of our presence inside) knocked on the door to see if they could come in to eat.
You could say that El Manara’s fame is partly due to the popularity of falafels in Australia and Sayah’s tasty version of the classic dish. The venue's deep-fried ball boasts a thin yet crispy shell that protects a fluffy interior of spiced ground chickpeas. When Sayah's falafel arrives at your table, split the ball in two: you'll witness a stream of steam being released. Once you dip the warm product into the accompanying tahini sauce, the ingredients melt together to create one epic mouthful. The experience offers the diner a moment of plant-based joy.
The restaurant was very busy, so I jumped in the kitchen and started to help him to cook. I have stayed at the restaurant ever since.
While it's true that El Manara's falafel is delicious, everything on the restaurant’s menu is worthy of attention. That includes its hummus, garlic dip, baba ganoush, tabouli, kafta, kibbeh, chicken kebab and lamb shish kebab.
El Manara just sells delicious Lebanese food in a casual, welcoming setting. “For Lebanese food to be authentic, it must be of an old-school style. The freshness of all our ingredients is very important. Our recipes have also been consistent for more than 30 years - and consistency is important.”
El Manara's Lebanese mixed plate offering. Source: Yasmin Noone
How it all started, 34 years ago
So how did Sayah, a former welder who was born in Tripoli, end up at the helm of El Manara? He tells SBS he first visited the restaurant, owned by his uncle and a business partner at the time when he moved to Australia around age 19.
“When I came to Australia, my uncle took me to lunch here. The restaurant was very busy, so I jumped into the kitchen and started to help him to cook. I have stayed at the restaurant ever since.”
Sayah continued to work at El Manara after his uncle moved back to Lebanon and sold the restaurant to his business partner. Then, around a decade ago, Sayah bought the restaurant.
Over the years of operating the business, Sayah has witnessed a lot of change. Back in the 1990s, he says, the cultural fabric of Haldon Street was mostly Lebanese, Greek and Italian.
Recent waves of immigration have created a more multicultural community, introducing generations of Egyptian, Moroccan, Indian, Pakistani and Burmese populations to the area. “The community on Haldon Street has become more and more diverse, and busy over the years.”
Anything you do for work has to be from your heart, no matter what the job is.
The popularity of Arabic plant-based food has also increased, as veganism has taken off in modern times. Sayah explains that foods like falafel have gained a new following in recent times, attracting younger people from all cultures to his restaurant for the healthy, plant-based dish. "A lot of Australians also eat here. Many people come from all over Sydney, even from all over Australia for our food."
The institution has also witnessed the rise of food delivery services, which never existed when it first opened. Not only have these companies changed the way restaurants do business, but it's influenced the dynamic nature of the nation's hospitality industry.
Sayah also believes the annual has brought people of many different cultures to the area. The result is that more people now know of the restaurant so they keep returning for its many specialities, from falafel to Lebanese pizza and rice pudding. “I love everything we serve here. But the most important food we have is falafel.”
When asked what the secret ingredient was in their falafel recipe, Sayah says it’s nothing special – just high-quality ingredients. “I will be here [in the restaurant] for a long time, as I love it. Anything you do for work has to be from your heart, no matter what the job is.”
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