Sea Sweet Patisserie (CLOSED)

What is it?
A patisserie serving European and Middle Eastern sweets. Sea Sweet is a well-known brand name in Lebanon – this is the first outlet in Australia.

What's it like?
Sleek and modern. The shop is split in two with European desserts on the left, Middle Eastern sweets and biscuits on the right. The decor is a mix of chocolate browns and shiny whites. You'll find a small number of tables at the back but most locals prefer to sit outside, nursing traditional brass pots of muddy Arabic coffee and watching the world pass on by. Newcomers will appreciate the detailed labelling and descriptions on every dessert. Takeaway is significantly cheaper than eating in.

What should I order?
Knefe cheese ($13.90 eat-in/$7.90 takeaway) is a cheeseburger made for sweet tooths. Take one ka'ak sesame bun, slick the insides with syrup and then sandwich around a generous square of creamy knefe cheese coated with semolina. A quick grill results in a toasted sesame bun with a stretchy-sweet core of syrup-laden molten cheese.

What else?
Kashta (thick clotted cream) is celebrated here in an endless choice of desserts. You'll find it hiding under pastry, layered between shortbread and wrapped in pint-sized, fluffy pancakes. Sea Sweet might be the only place in Sydney to serve kashta ice cream ($14.90); you may detect a subtle yoghurt tang beneath the pistachio nuts. Otherwise go all the way and order the Beirut Delight ($14.90), an island of pure kashta cream smothered with honey and a tumble of crushed pistachios. You'll also find kashta on top of the fruit cocktail ($14.90), a refreshing fruit salad piled in a parfait glass atop a bed of smooth avocado puree that works a treat.

Does everything come with kashta?
No. Chocolate beklava is a modern twist on a traditional favourite, with chocolate-flavoured filo pastry drizzled with stripes of chocolate icing. Grab half a kilo of baklava take away for $13.90 – by the time you get homw you should be ready for more.