"The Best Version": Modern Middle Eastern Diner Nour Is Entering a New Era Under Head Chef Ibrahim Kasif
After nine triumphant years serving Sydneysiders its award-winning dishes, this Surry Hills stalwart has appointed a visionary chef to lead it into its next decade of dining.
The head chef stereotype (or so the movies would have us believe) falls somewhere between a tyrant and a god, but this is a far cry from the reality of most culinary professionals. A case in point is Ibrahim Kasif, who could reasonably justify an excess of ego given the soaring calibre of Stanbuli, his stylish mod-Turkish diner on Enmore Road, which closed in 2022. And yet, this accomplished chef is so humble, he almost turned down the opportunity to lead the kitchen at Esca Group's much-acclaimed and Hatted Middle Eastern restaurant Nour.
"My last big venture was my own, so when that ended, after 20 years of cooking, I was ready to take a little bit of a break from it all. I'd been out of the kitchen for about a year and my first instinct was that I wasn't quite ready to get back into it," Kasif says of Esca Group Co-Founder Ibby Moubadder's first failed effort to recruit him.
Convincing Kasif that he was the chef to usher Nour into a new era would take Moubadder two further attempts — as well as some soul searching. "I didn't know if I wanted to be typecast as a Middle Eastern chef who only cooks Middle Eastern food," Kasif shares. "But then I had a long, hard look at myself in the mirror and thought, 'You know what? This is my strong suit. This is something that I love and something I'm passionate about.' Why fight it? I may as well embrace it."
With his decision made, Kasif was faced with the potentially daunting task of inheriting a kitchen firing on all cylinders. Far from being brought in to rescue a failing venue, Kasif would be stepping into the large and lauded shoes of Nour's celebrated outgoing Executive Chef Paul Farag.
"This is something that I love and something I'm passionate about. Why fight it? I may as well embrace it"
"Paul has a unique way of doing things which is really special. He's set such a great structure in his kitchen and you can see how he's put his own stamp on the menu," Kasif explains. "Seeing that was really helpful because I've also got my own take on Middle Eastern food, having a Turkish background. So it was reassuring to hear Ibby and [Paul] lay down that challenge for me — to be creative and put my own stamp on things.
"It's the first time in my career I've inherited a kitchen from another head chef, but it's been really easy in lots of ways. I just had to come in and maintain everything Nour was already doing brilliantly, but gradually put my personal stamp on the menu as well."
Our aforementioned stereotypical Head Chef would no doubt want to pack a new menu with all kinds of gourmet showboating. However, true to form, Kasif has taken a more sincere, quietly confident path.
"When you think of something as humble as braised green beans, for example, which is such a common dish in the Middle East, there're lots of versions of it depending on where you grew up — whether you come from a Turkish or Lebanese or Greek background. My approach is not just about elevating that dish, it's also about giving it the same love that the mum or grandmother of the household would give it," Kasif explains. "When [Ibby] tried my version, he smiled, looked at me and said, 'You know what, my mum would be so proud of this.' That's really special for me."
However, this isn't to say Kasif's food is in any way restrained or playing it safe. While underpinned by a sense of tradition and a profound understanding of food's power to bring people together, there are plenty of surprises on Kasif's plates. Standout dishes from his first Nour menu include woodfired stuffed mussels with pine nut rice and chicken fat butter; dry-aged half duck mishwee (a type of skewered kebab) with baharat spices and ottoman quince sauce; woodfired mushrooms with burnt leeks and a firey muhammara dip; and tabbouleh with horseradish cacik, sesame leaf and another surprising element.
"Our tabouli has raw yellowfin tuna mixed through it. It tastes like a tabouli, it looks like a tabouli, the flavour is tabouli, but the genesis of the idea to add fish came from making the best version of a tabouli and then thinking, there's all this delicious lemony salad dressing at the bottom of the bowl that would be perfect for lightly marinating some raw fish, curing it in the style of crudo," Kasif says. "I just want every dish we serve to be the best version we can make it. There's nothing wrong with those recipes or condiments in their traditional form, but for me, the question is always, how do we elevate it? How do we create the best version of it? That's what drives me as a chef."
With a seasoned team led by an accomplished head chef, a coveted spot on Crown Street in Surry Hills' hospitality heartland and a reputation that continues to go from strength to strength — including a recent 15.5 rating from Good Food, the highest score the restaurant has ever received — Kasif's philosophy in the kitchen isn't merely creating the best versions of his dishes, but also the best version of Nour.
Find Nour at 3/490 Crown Street, Surry Hills. Head to the Nour website for booking details.
Images: Jiwon Kim
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