Zaffi, a multi-million dollar two-level restaurant and bar on Little Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD, is open. And excitingly, until 4am on weekends.
Owned by Chady Khouzame (the Carter Sydney), the restaurant and bar will pay homage to Khouzame’s Lebanese heritage, offering relaxed, mezze-style dining featuring Australian-Lebanese cuisine. Heading up the kitchen is ex-Rockpool and Chin Chin chef Graeme Hunt, who slings dishes such as grilled halloumi with Blue Mountains’ honey and thyme zaatar from Lebanon; prawns with garlic and aleppo pepper; and slow-cooked short ribs with a pomegranate dressing. A must-order is Hunt’s baklava soft serve – a twist on the Macca’s OG with pistachio, walnuts and honey. We’ll take two, please.
From the outside, all that’s visible is a neon pink sign – a nod to the fun to come. Inside, the ground-floor level gives off industrial chic vibes, with exposed brick walls, hot pink booths and velvet silver seats. We can imagine date nights, hen’s dos and family lunches going off. Downstairs however, past the neon-pink wall, is where the real fun begins. Head down for late-night drinks, partying and dancing on the tables.
“The name ‘Zaffi’ means ‘celebration’ in Arabic, so we wanted to create a space where people not only come to celebrate, but also where people know you’re going to have a good time. For me, those spontaneous nights are the best kind of nights,” says Khouzame.
And, we’re not kidding about dancing on the tables. “We literally raised the roof to allow people to dance on tabletops,” says Khouzame.
Zaffi is open from Tuesday to Saturday, until 4am on weekends. Whoever says Sydney’s nightlife is dead just doesn’t know where to look.