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Shukah bar and restaurant brings Armenian flavours to Windsor

Roslyn Grundy
Roslyn Grundy

Shukah, a new Armenian restaurant in Windsor.
Shukah, a new Armenian restaurant in Windsor.Georgia Haynes

During trial dinners before throwing open the doors at Shukah in Windsor last week, Garen Maskal's Armenian aunts took him to task over his manti, the little pasta dumplings he fills with spiced lamb rather than the customary lamb-beef combo.

But Maskal, who also runs CBD restaurant Sezar and Glen Waverley's Black Toro, is determined to do Armenian food his way at the casual Chapel Street diner.

His manti are bigger than usual, bedded on garlic yoghurt and dashed deliciously with chicken stock and brown butter. He gives mac'n'cheese an Armenian twist using mograbieh (giant cous cous), and reworks baklava as a sundae, crowning layers of walnut praline, vanilla ice-cream and salted caramel with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

Fried cuttlefish and manti dumplings at Shukah.
Fried cuttlefish and manti dumplings at Shukah.Georgia Haynes
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The 40-seat split-level dining room is punctuated by an open kitchen, where head chef Sean Thomas (ex Gingerboy) stokes the Mibrasa charcoal oven, from which come wild green and feta borek and pomegranate-glazed lamb shoulder. There are 12 kerbside seats out front and later this year they'll add a rear courtyard for about 25.

Maskal expects the liquor licence to arrive any day so they can start mixing cocktails using ingredients such pomegranate, sumac and dill.

Open daily 5.30pm-late.

104 Chapel Street, 03 9521 3858

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Roslyn GrundyRoslyn Grundy is Good Food's deputy editor and the former editor of The Age Good Food Guide.

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