Why I don't hate Monday

Maha! While everyone else was slaving away at another miserable Monday, I was enjoying a delightful three courses with my friends at Maha Bar and Grill. Yes I know you hate me, but please do keep reading.

For starters we had the mezze which incorporated lots of yummy things to spread on warm Turkish rolls. The best tastes were the beetroot dip and the marinated olives, the rest were all good but not rave worthy. The only negative I can say at all about the lunch was that a second serving of rolls should have come out as soon as the first were finished. Instead everyone was left to pick at the dips with forks, until some forward thinker on our table requested more bread, and once this request had been satisfied there was little left to spread on the new rolls. But this was a tiny inconvenience and for the rest of the meal I was continually impressed by the attention to detail and wonderful standard of service.

So next course, the sahen kbeer (large plates) which was blissful. I could have eaten the entire plate of butter fish that came to the table, it was mildly chilli seasoned, oh so tender and perfectly cooked. Gosh I think I am actually drooling while typing. There was also a vegetarian option of cheese filled ravioli, nice but not exceptional. The sides however were exceptional, a refreshing cucumber and lettuce salad evenly coated with a zesty cream dressing and a bowl of fried rice with mustard seeds and almonds. The meat eaters present did inform me that the goat was very good, but not as good as the fish. This can be proven by the reluctance of our only male dining companion, who was told to 'be a man' and finish the last forlorn looking steak.

The best part of the meal and the real reason we all gathered at Maha was the fabled Turkish Delight filled doughnuts. Yes, they are amazing. I could have eaten all three, but restrained myself. So go on, you've been meaning to try them and you should. They reminded me of the poshest jam doughnut known to humanity and they really do go down a treat in comparison to the ulcer inducing sweetness of say the Vic. Market variety. Equally fantastic though was the coconut cake topped with honeycomb mousse and complimented by what tasted like a bread and butter ice-cream. Gosh if I went back for dessert at Maha I would have trouble choosing whether to have the doughnuts or the cake.
The final component of dessert was a shot glass of chocolate cream with a rose water froth, though it was in no way unpleasant to spoon this sweet stuff into my glutinous gob, it was definitely punching above it's weight when placed in the ring with the other sweets.

The final part of this exemplary lunch was the Turkish cologne that was spritzed onto our hands. The fragrance has wafted around with me all day, constantly reminding me of just how wonderful a Monday can be.