Zumzum

Ph: 9348 0455; 645 Rathdowne St, CARLTON NORTH 3054

middle eastern, $$ -, * for Food
Open Wed-Sun noon-3pm Tue-San 6-10pm, Closed Mon public holidays; Licensed, BYO , Corkage $3 person; MC V
Chef Ayman Hashish (5-12-08) Owner Dahouk White (5-12-08)

Mietta's Review
If you're feeling down in the dolmades go to Zumzum. The only Middle Eastern eatery along Rathdowne St, it offers a refreshing style of eating. By sharing many of the delicious dishes among a group, with small bits and pieces to taste and sample, it brings people together. A shopfront room inside and some outside tables. Inside the noise reflects from the cafes hard surfaces outside one is serenaded by the passing traffic - take your pick.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 12/20 "Arrive unannounced at Zum Zum, even midweek, and you'll be lucky to score a table: locals adopted this casual cafe-restaurant when Middle Eastern cuisine was still a novelty in Melbourne"

The Age Cheap Eats 2008 "On a strip dense with flash eateries, unassuming Zum Zum holds its own. The decor only hints at the Middle Eastern menu - a lonely-looking fez nestled among wine bottles behind the counter and a parade of hookah pipes"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 13/20 "Has this Rathdowne Street Middle Eastern become an institution, or what? The formula is tried-and-true, from the pumpkin and terracottacoloured walls and the star lamps hanging from the ceiling to the generous, uncomplicated food"

The Age Cheap Eats 2007 "In Carlton's mini Middle East there are outdoor tables for balmy nights and a lamplit Moorish interior for cold snaps. Whatever the conditions, there's always garlicky hummus, baba ghanoush, and unpronounceable lahmi b'ajeen (buttery filo stuffed with lamb, pinenuts and pomegranate essence)."

The Age Cheap Eats 2006 Although this diner does a well-stuffed takeaway falafel complete with pink pickles, it's far more than a kebab joint. The shop-front space, with Ottoman tiles on warm-toned walls, fills up with folk who crave Zum Zum's tagines

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 13/20 "For the uninitiated, the dazzling mosaics and mirrors on Zum Zum's facade provide the first clue to what's in store at this bustling Rathdowne Street restaurant. That's if they can see past the pavement tables crowded with locals, who'll weather most weather for their fix of Dahouk White's delicious Middle Eastern food."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "WHEN it's full house at this single shopfront cafe, regulars decamp to the pavement. From their kerbside seats (warmed by gas heaters in winter) they can see into the diner, its walls painted the deep reds and oranges of a desert sunset and hung with Moroccan tiles. And as a bonus, they can hear themselves think as they mull over a menu of modestly priced Middle Eastern standards."

The Age Cheap Eats 2005 "STARRY Ottoman light shades and colourful Moorish tiles hint at the origins of the food at this petite cafe. But the big giveaway is the scent of spice wafting from the tiny kitchen"

The Age Cheap Eats 2004 "IN a city where Middle Eastern food is the buzz, zum zum leads by at least two lengths. Not only is the one-room space smartly dressed with pumpkin-coloured walls, sky-blue ceilings and twinkling mosaics, the cafe's wine list is a firm favourite. But the food's the sure bet"

Herald Sun Donna Coutts 17/7/04 "Fast efficient service, super dooper food. No bargains. Who cares?"

The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'We're big fans of Middle Eastern flavours and Zum Zum always hits the spot for us.Fresh tastes from the kitchen borrow heavily from Lebanese,Moroccan and Egyptian traditions while managing to find a modern,Australianised Middle Eastern Flavour too.A perfect place to order big and share with the group.'

AGFG 2004, score 13/20, two courses for $25 or less The Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, Dani Valent, 25/5/03. Try the pan fried haloumi with za'atar and chicken harissa.

The Age Good Food Guide 2003. Score 13/20.