TL;DR: I will just leave it at this, A1 proved to be really delicious food. It is an institution to itself in Melbourne and there are many good reasons for that. The lack of ambiance gets made up for by having some of the tastiest fare, quickest service to the table, and mouth-watering treats aplenty.
For ever since many a people have been able to remember, Brunswick and this place in particular, have been a big mecca in the Melburian Lebanese community, and those reasons become really apparent quickly just from just a mere visit to this place. It has it all going on here, part eatery, part speciality store, and part international groceries - experience has often found these places to suit the best of all worlds when it comes to a specialised and focused eating experience and here is absolutely no exception. The proof is in the pudding from expansion due to it being so popular, and each location boasts some accolades.
Upon short notice, an event had brought me down to Melbourne along with my parents. This was going to be a quick and short stay (only about two to three days tops), with not much time to really do any exploring around town. Right upon touching down in town, the schedule was almost in full gear. There was a place to be in the late afternoon/evening, and checking into the hotel was not viable for another few hours, plus it happened to be around lunch time. What insured was a bit of a drive, which led us into the Brunswick area of town. It was getting busy around this time of day, with all sorts of places open for lunch; after finding a good place to park the car,
Spending so much time up north, it kind of makes you forget just how much more buzzing a place - even something considerably low-key - can be within Sydney, and particularly Melbourne. Buzzing was definitely the key word with A1, as a combination of hawk-eyes and competitiveness was vital to secure a seat during the high time. And what possibly makes this more striking is from the outside, this looks like any old crappy bakery (regular, Middle Eastern-based or whatever) and is a lot bigger on the inside.
An under-rated - or possibly over-looked aspect - that really distinguishes these sort of places usually is if the specialty fare is able to be bough as groceries. When that is the case, the make-up of the food is more authentic and better value, and that is only said because it is apparent at A1 in Brunswick. All sorts of Middle Eastern and Lebanese groceries are able to be purchased, including drinks from the fridge. While you wait for the food to arrive, this is worth having a squiz even out of mere interest.
A lot of adjectives could be rattled of in order to give an idea of how it is with aesthetics, the vibe, and whatnot. To put brevity into it, the whole set up is fairly rough, the service is efficient and impersonal (don't take that to heart - it really gives it an odd charm that is hard to deny), and through it all they are certainly doing something right - almost every table here was filled up with patrons, and I could infer that many of them were return clients.
When it comes to the service, after grabbing a spare table and a menu that is lying around, just queue up in line (and it can get quite long, have someone in your team stay at the table) and order it at the counter then pay. In not too long, one of the waitstaff will be making their way through the labyrinth of tables and place it down before you know it. Separate counters are there for the sweets/coffee and savoury fare.
Lebanese in the name of the game here, and the focus of the game is on pastries, pizza and even some kebabs. Most of the individual items are less than $10 a-pop, and is easily shared between a couple of people. These are some pies, pizzas in a distinct style, and even just the bread with a few dips and/or olive oil mixture on top. Wraps are also available, and always act as a good buy. Even more so than the individual items, the platters act as a good additional option to share around some mezes with a few garnishes and still won't break the bank. What makes it even better is that everything is made from scratch and to order; if you get the right angle you can see the cooks going at what seems like the speed of light preparing dozens of pizzas at a time. For something sweet, the cabinet displays a few different specialties from the region, all available with the usual range of tea and coffee. For something cold, there are the fridges giving out all the usual suspects and even some more specialised drinks in the grocery section.
Though what is possibly the big draw-card here is the catering menu. For a small price per unit, across the board there are the popular favourites of pizzas, pastries, pieces of kebab, breads and whatnot. The standout here - with several days advance needed - is the whole spring lamb.
Among the three of us, it was getting a few items to share around the table. It might not have been the biggest menu, but it is one of this modest menus that manages to be difficult to decide what to get. My dad is a bit versed in the Lebanese cooking from his years as a young man around here and Adelaide, so he knew what he was doing.
The first order was a bit of an accidental one, since according to my dad's words he was going for one item but possibly requested another one with a similar name; this meaning, what he thought would be a plate of three small cheese pastries ended up being a big piece of cheese pie each. These were delicious, the cheese that filled the pastry was haloumi and each bite of it was light, fluffy, and with a flavour that was not too strong. I honestly don't think I had haloumi grated until then, and it did pretty well.
There was also some kafta ordered, as well as a chicken tourak platter. The former being the delicious lamb skewers, the spices and the meat are a winning combination. They came with some pita bread, and labne dip which is all you need for a decent wrap. And there is plenty of pita bread to go around - they are generous here. The chicken tourak wrap, had chicken fresh off the spit all nice and juicy rolled into delicious pita bread, served alongside a good selection of sides - fries, pickled cucumbers, turnips, some coleslaw and garlic paste. The fries were decent, and the garlic paste was brilliant with a bit of pita bread dipped in. I recall tying one of the pickled vegetables which had a good vinegar bite to it.
Afterwards, the prospect was up about going to get some coffee and sweets. It was fairly clear I was going to try and get a coffee afterwards, and that was a way to rope in some sweets. One unfortunate aspect is they don't do the Lebanese coffees here but just the espresso-based beverages. That was a bit of a draw-back, but nevertheless it was onto getting a doppio for me. I can't remember what bean they use here, however it was not a bad one at all. It had a good, smooth taste and was a decent strength. Pipping hot, well extracted, and everything. This might not have been the most perfect cup, however it was certainly competently made. The first course managed to do well.
It goes without saying that a couple of sweets were acquired alongside the coffees. At the time, the option range was not very big. From the small selection, two a-piece was gotten of baklava and semolina cake. Both were delicious, the baklava with the whole heap of honey it has, and the almond-based notes of the semolina cake. These are the kinds for those who might enjoy a sweet here and there, but not quite be too fussed on everything being so sweet. We have two-for-two here.
Coming from someone who is a Brisbanite, you do not often see somewhere like this up here to often. That is somewhere in which in spite of everything appearing so rough around the edges, fairly ad-hoc in how operations are done, but ironically so endearing that all those reservations easily get balanced out with the addition of food that is good quality, good value, and fantastic flavour. Also, the fact that this town (Melbourne) is more so associated with Lebanese than Brisbane gives it a novel appearance at least from my own perspective. This is the real sort of dining experience that will leave an impression, with the whole vibe, truly delicious fare, and a combination of locals knowing its whereabouts and out-of-towners merely stumbling upon it - that proves a charm all on its own.
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