Maha Restaurant
Head underground on Bond Street for Shane Delia’s hatted Middle Eastern flagship.
Overview
Tucked into a sub-basement on Bond Street, Maha is where it all started for chef and restaurateur Shane Delia. Nearly two decades on, his CBD flagship is still flying the flag for modern Middle Eastern dining in Melbourne. It has held a hat in The Age Good Food Guide every year since 2009. The kitchen treats the region's age-old flavours as a starting point rather than a rulebook, with Mediterranean influences (and a nod to Delia's Maltese roots) along the way.
After 18 years of feasting, Maha has loosened up. À la carte is now on offer at lunch seven days a week and at dinner Sunday to Thursday, while Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for set menus. The Soufra ($145) is a generous shared spread built around a 12-hour roasted lamb shoulder. The Seasonal ($190) piles on extra snacks and lets you pick your own main and dessert. Both come in vegan versions, and wine pairings start at $75.
Ordering your own adventure? Kick off with a Hokkaido scallop in 'Beirut butter', a wagyu bourek bun with celeriac and black truffle, and the house flatbread with tomato sumac butter and whipped smoked hummus. From there, it's Turkish beef dumplings with burnt Urfa butter and smoked yoghurt, wheat and garlic dumplings with blue swimmer crab, or a baked-to-order mushroom bourek wrapped in yufka pastry. Big spenders can go all-in on the steak service, headlined by a 1kg MB9 wagyu rib eye. Either way, the Turkish delight doughnuts with rosewater honey and walnut ice cream are a non-negotiable finish.
Short on time? The express lunch (two courses for $58, three for $68) is a smart CBD move. And when dinner's done, Delia's cocktail bar Jayda is right next door at 19 Bond Street.
Images: Julia Sansone
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