Sheesha lounges seem to be all the rage these days with new establishments popping up all over the state. Hindley Street is really where it all started with several places offering the flavoured water pipes. While the toxic substances from sheesha are masked with more pleasant flavours, this particular past time, which is quite popular amongst youngsters, is just as bad as smoking.

Sheesha Lounge Plus is located in the centre of Hindley Street. While the place is considerably large, the inside is under utilised as sheesha is best smoked outside for the ventilation. This particular business boasts over 40 different sheesha flavours and their “sheesha artists” under go 12 months training before they are allowed to produce sheesha.

We wandered in at about 2:30am on a Sunday morning looking for some sustenance to soak up all the alcohol. The menu is fairly simple and straight forward with your Middle Eastern favourites such as homous, lebna (home made yoghurt cheese), kebabs and manakeesh. They also have more typical fast food such as chips, burgers and pizzas.

As an temporary hangover cure, I ordered the Mince Lamb Manakeesh. Manakeesh is a Middle Eastern flat bread that is either sliced or folded and the dough is either topped or filled with various fillings. In my particular case, the manakeesh contained minced lamb, mint, tomato and garlic sauce. The dish came out after a 15 minute wait and was nicely presented on a wooden chopping board.

The minced lamb was well seasoned and nicely spiced. The tomato was ripe and the mint was refreshing. The garlic sauce prevented the dish from being too dry and it balanced out the saltiness of the lamb. The manakeesh was baked to a light golden brown and had a nice thin consistency. It wasn’t too oily and the serving was surprisingly generous.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed, especially on the inside. Most of the sheesha smokers congregate outside where things are more vibrant. The cost of the meal was $8.50 which is fair. None of their dishes are above $10 which makes the sheesha smoking experience more palatable.

Not the typical place I’d venture out for a meal, but it was a pleasant surprise.

WHERE: 74-78 Hindley St, Adelaide