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I worked here when I was 16, 12 years ago :) different owners now though and I haven't tried the food. But it was insanely good when I worked there - …
Melissa
El Karim
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The owner can best be described as a wild and whacky weirdo. He started screaming at us and forced us to leave because he claimed that our booking on …
Boris Gefter
El Karim
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FOOD TYPEModern LebaneseFOOD QUALITYThree of us dined on a Sun night in winter. To start with, we ordered a baba ghanouj dip ($7), effeh off the speci…
Artforartssake
El Karim
About
El Karim is open for Casual Dining. El Karim serves Lebanese dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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6 Reviews on “El Karim”
I worked here when I was 16, 12 years ago 🙂 different owners now though and I haven’t tried the food. But it was insanely good when I worked there – loved having my break-time shawarma and falafel!
The owner can best be described as a wild and whacky weirdo. He started screaming at us and forced us to leave because he claimed that our booking on Saturday night was for one hour only. Not true. He started screaming in front of all of his patrons and directed us out the door. He is truly one crazy whacky psycho.His staff were shell shocked and also seemed used to his temper. Stay away!!
FOOD TYPEModern LebaneseFOOD QUALITYThree of us dined on a Sun night in winter. To start with, we ordered a baba ghanouj dip ($7), effeh off the specials menu ($16) which is a kind of fritter, made with tomatoes and Spanish onions and sprinkled with cheese, and makli ($14), fried fish with pickles, tomato, parsley and salad and flavoured with garlic and tahini. All delicious dishes which we polished off in no time. The baba ghanouj was rich and creamy with a smattering of pomegranate pips in the middle. For mains, we choose the fatteh khodra ($24) and the pomegranate lamb ($25). Fatteh is roasted pumpkin, carrots and zucchini on toast, topped with raisins, lentils and yoghurt, seasoned with garlic and sprinkled with pine nuts. Pom lamb are slow baked, thin lamb slices, marinated with pomegranate, onions and capsicum and topped with seeds and almonds. Again, dishes brimming with taste and aroma and prepared with skill, love and attention to detail. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfectly complemented with the sweetish pomegranate juices. All meals are neatly presented to the table in brightly-coloured cookware. To end, what else but our fav baklava dessert: Two generous pieces for $6. To wash it down, a few bottles of something called Lord Nelson Pale Ale. At $8 a pop, the cheapest drop on the drinks menu.ATMOSPHEREEl-K is obviously popular with the locals because on the night that we dined, there was a decent turnout despite the chilly winter weather. Its been recently renovated, so it has a new and modern look about it. Dcor is stylish but fairly minimalist with wooden floors, steel furniture and white washed walls with discreet but strong lighting. The main feature is an interesting mural, almost the entire length of the far wall, with an Arabic or Islamic design in black and white colours. Its so prominent that it will attract your attention the minute you walk in. Theres also a small section in the front near the bar counter and some outdoor tables, but these were unoccupied for obvious reasons. Overall we found the atmosphere to be relaxed and casual and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.SERVICEWe were fortunate to be served by a lovely, smiling, young waitress in a smart black outfit. She was friendly, helpful and polite. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she did her best to ensure that we had a pleasant evening, which we did. Our booked table was ready and waiting for us in a nice spot in the middle of the room. Orders were promptly taken and dishes came out quickly and in the correct order. COMFORTTables are quite well spaced out, so despite it not being a huge space, one isnt right on top of ones neighbours. This made the dining experience comfortable for us. The table was large enough to easily fit all the dishes although it was a table for four and there were only three of us. Our ever attentive waitress was quick to remove dirty glasses or dishes and that also helped to keep the table clear for the next dishes.MENUTheres a food menu, a drinks menu and a single sheet of A6 paper with the specials. Its all clearly laid out and easy to read in the strong lighting.TOILETSUnfortunately, the toilets are not in the restaurant itself, so youll have to step outside into the cold, and enter the adjoining commercial building through an unlocked glass door. Then, up a few flights of stairs to the toilets. They were reasonably clean and well provisioned although I found it a bit of an inconvenience to have to leave the restaurant and walk into a strange building next door. I always find that a bit unnerving too. Its a pity they couldnt find a place for their own toilets when they did the renovations.ACOUSTICSDespite all the wood, glass and steel, we had no trouble conversing. I would put that down to tables being well spaced out and the also the high-end clientele that obviously frequent this eatery.COSTWe came armed with our Ent Book card, which offers a 25% discount up to a max of $35. However when I checked the bill afterwards, I noticed that they had capped the discount at $25, instead of the $35 which is stated in the Ent Book. With that little error and an irritating credit card surcharge of 1.5% we paid $95 for two beers, three starters (or small plates as they call it) two larger dishes, two serves of rice and a baklava dessert. I guess thats just on the money for what we had, but this isnt a place to come to without a discount deal of some kind.BOOKINGAccording to El-Ks own website, theyve been around since 1976. Thats no mean feat in this competitive industry, so its not surprising that theyve built up a loyal following, which means that if you want to be sure to get a table, booking is recommended for any night of the week.PARKING/ACCESSEl K. is in a rather awkward spot on the Pac Highway in Roseville, and easy to miss it as you drive up from the city. There are a few parking spots right outside the restaurant, but they were all taken, so we took the first right we could, which was Shirley Rd, where we found a spot quite easily, with no restrictions.SUMMARYWe had a pleasant evening here and everything went off smoothly. The food is beautifully prepared and its fresh, tasty and wholesome. Service was first class and the ambience is perfect for a laid back evening with friends or family. These guys are experienced and professional operators and it shows. My only disappointment as far as the food is concerned was the small serving of Leb bread: A Leb meal without lashings of that delicious warm pitta bread is like a dog without a bone, but there simply wasnt enough of it to keep us all satisfied. MEMOIf youre using the Ent Book card, I suggest that you check their calcs to make sure that you get the correct discount up to the max of $35, as it says in the book, not $25. Also, be aware that they add 1.5% to your bill for the pleasure of using your credit card. I dont know of too many other restaurants that impose this unnecessary extra charge on diners. It is mentioned on their website but you need to hunt around a bit to find it right at the bottom of their About section.
Quite affordable Lebanese food. It’s certainly not my favourite, although it is severely popular and hard to get a table, I find the quality of the meats not as good as other in the area and I feel in this case you ‘get what you pay for’. But tasty food, fill up on a budget and still have a nice meal
Not your average Lebanese. El Karim’s soujouk sliders combine the tastiest spicy lamb with grilled haloumi on crsipy flatbread served with hommous and a sumac salad. We tried this from the specials menu along with za’atar battered fish strips served with El Karim slaw. This included finely sliced cabbage and cucumber with toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds – excellent and refreshing. a kafta dish served from the oven (not a wooden skewer in sight…) with a creamy tahini and pine nut sauce. Yummy enough to mop up the sauce from a big basket of bread. We had a few other dishes too but these were stand out. A good feed for two for around $65. BYO and a good but small wine list.
Not impressed at all. Samka harra is not a squishy fillet of fish with a strange sauce. Not worth the trip there at all and definately won’t be coming back. Only positive was the service the ladies were very nice.