Baba

Posted by: Restaurantlover | 8 May 2011, 11.14am

I had eaten at Baba's about a year ago and had good memories about the restaurant, so when friends suggested Brunswick for dinner I recommended Baba's to them. One of the highlights I remembered was their slow cooked lamb and I was looking forward to sharing that with others. Unfortunately, we were to be disappointed! We ordered the set menu at $39 per person which (we were told) included dips (which were good), carrot fritters (which were good), chicken skewers (which didn't appear and instead turned up as meatballs), a bulgur dish (which was just ok), calamari on lentils (which turned out to be 2 huge plates mainly of lentils and a few tasteless calamari pieces), and then... when that was finished, the main dish would come out (the lamb). After labouring through the lentils we threw the towel in and asked for the main to be brought out but were given another, this time larger, tagine of... meatballs. Apparently the kitchen had run out of the lamb, hadn't told the wait staff, and no one even bothered to tell us when they brought the meal to the table. I had to ask about it and then was told the story. The staff were apologetic, but I would have expected a reduction on the bill at the end of the night(since the slow cooked lamb was really one of the main selling points for the set menu), but this didn't happen. Apart from having alot of meatballs and alot of lentils, I found the venue very noisy. I remembered this from last time but surprisingly management had decided to ADD to the din of shouting diners with a two piece acoustic band, making it quite impossible to have a proper conversation. Disappointed by the whole experience and can't say I'll be recommending it again.

Food:			Visit: Sat 7 May 2011 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Review-Person | 22 January 2010, 8.27pm

This year, in order to eat out more I decided to be a sheep and follow the reviews in the weekend newspapers. This place came up in Sunday magazine and so off I went.

Had I known this place was a bar that does food, I would have given it a miss. After flipping through pages and pages of drinks we got to the food section at the back of menu. Dips, Meze, Pides, Bigger Issues and Safari are the categories. My partner and I both chose from the Bigger Issues since we wanted something substantial for dinner. My partner chose the Tomato Ragu ($15) and I had the Baked Salmon ($21.50).

My partner's dish arrive in a small clap pot about the size of the a saucer. As the waitress sat it on the table we wondered if she was going to bring out the rest of his dish. Sadly, that was it. Five mouthfuls and he'd finished. According to him, it tasted like it was out of a tin.

My salmon sat in a larger clay pot surrounded by lentils and garnished with mirco herbs. Unfortunately, it was way over salted and I had to share half of my meal with my partner. We both had a second dinner when we returned home.

For what the food is, this place is way over priced. The Ragu should be moved to the mezze as in no way is it a main course meal. Or add some bread or something.. anything!

The staff are pleasant and the set up is nice, but I don't plan on returning.

Food:			Visit: Sun 17 January 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: marlowe | 2 March 2009, 9.39am

This place just didn't do it for me. The waiter sat down with us to take our order like we were all mates, which I don't like. One of the mains came served in chicken wire fencing which I cut myself on,the basic dishes were jazzed up with groovy and unnecessary ingredients, I don't need dinner to try to be this groovy.

Food:			Visit: Sat 31 January 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: mel13 | 1 March 2009, 9.42pm

I cannot recommend Baba highly enough. Baba has great food and friendly service. We started with the smoky eggplant dip with pide and a bowel of juicy olives. Let's just say we must have licked this one as we finished off the plate completely clean. The calamari dish with the lentil and pomegranate was a surprising combination that worked really well. It had such simple typical Turkish ingredients that complemented each other. A must is the Turkish pizza. Simple presentation on a wooden block, the mouthwatering Turkish salami and yoghurt pizza was amazing.
This is a fantastic place to come and experience traditional Turkish flavors and produce at their best. Being Turkish myself I have finally found a restaurant that I can take my friends to and truly experience what we can truly offer. Have to end the night with mint tea or the Turkish coffee (made to perfection) with the superb rhubarb and rose petal panacotta with rhubarb and pomegranate jelly.
The staff was friendly, helpful and very attentive. Highly recommend and already planned to go back soon with family and friends.

Food:			Visit: Sat 28 February 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: M&B | 1 December 2008, 12.16pm

We tried an early (1730) dinner to see if this was a suburban alternative to Meccabah - and it is although without the views.
We were the only diners there (it WAS very early) however the staff and the food were ready to go. They serve a nice selection of small dishes with plenty of non-meat options, and the wine list was interesting.
We particulary liked the carrot & saganaki fritters & the spinach with cumin, pinenuts & currants. However we werent keen on the calamari dish - the calamari were very small & almost nonexistent, & we werent sure about the calamari/lentil combo. The bowl of olives, while very tasty, were pricy for the quantity.
The ambience was nice & i imagine it would "rock" with a full house, however some attention will need to be paid to the window seats during summer as the sun & heat will pour in.

Food:			Visit: Sat 1 November 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Pork Belly | 29 November 2008, 10.40pm

I went on a Saturday night expecting service to be slow. I was pleasantly surprised as our waitress was very attentive and the food came out real fast. The fit out is very grungy with concrete floors, high ceiling and funky light fittings. The music seemed much louder than what it actually was because the acoustics of the place weren t great resulting in a lot of echo.

In terms of the food, the small servings means you get to try a lot of different dishes. Hence, this place is great for larger groups so you can try a bit of everything. We started with the beetroot/goats cheese and basil dip which was ok, but lacked a little flavour and perhaps would have been better with pine nuts or some other kind of nut added to it. My advice would be not to stuff yourself too much with the breads and dips and leave plenty of room for the other food.

The grilled zucchini and sheep s yoghurt sounds bland, but was absolutely delicious with pumpkin seeds, pomegranate and currants in a very sweet sherry type sauce - this worked very well with the freshness of the yoghurt.

The roasted pumpkin salad with chilli honey and croutons was also tasty with the right amount of coriander, however, I thought perhaps there was not enough pumpkin and a little too much croutons.

The surprise of the night was the baked prawns with a parsley and pistachio crumble. I would put this dish up there with the dishes served at very high end restaurants. The creamy flavour of the pistachios worked extremely well with the prawns. I would go back for this dish alone!

The Turkish pizzas are served on a large wooden block and are very thin, so you get to taste more of the toppings. We had the spiced lamb kofte with sweet onion puree with coriander yoghurt, currants and toasted pine nuts. By this time I was extremely full so did not fully appreciate this dish. The base was nice and crispy and the toppings were just the right amount and not over powering.

I couldn t leave without trying the rhubarb and rose petal panacotta with rhubarb and pomegranate jelly. The jelly was nice, but I thought the panacotta was a little too firm and not delicate enough.

I would recommend this place to friends and would definitely go back.

Food:			Visit: Sat 29 November 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: HighStandards | 18 November 2008, 11.06am

I wish I wrote about Baba a lot earlier. I've been to Baba about 6 times for dinner since it opened. I was there the first weekend it opened its door and have been delighted with the choices and the flavours. The small servings of the "entrees" were fantastic in addressing any groups dietary requirements and so far, my friends and I have always walked away very satisfied with the flavours and portions. The dessert tasting was always a drawcard. I order it always and tell everyone else with me to order it or they'll miss out. The portions were just right and perfect to share the mmmm's. The service improved steadily. The number of wait and kitchen staff seemed excessive and there was a momentary sense of panic that the food's good value might not stay for very long.

Well, true enough on 9th of November, dinner... the food was not spectacular anymore. To be fair, remnants of the flavours were still present in the food but there was a sense of cutback. This sense of holding back also enveloped the dessert tasting course. No!!!!! Sadly, it is true. They were uninspired and haphazard. I was very, very disappointed and it was quite unfortunate that we were there for a friend's birthday dinner after I staunchly recommended Baba yet again. Unfortunately, I cannot do so anymore. It's lost its punch and showed its lack of consistency with its offering.

One thing that has remained consistent: Baba's inability to find the right restaurant temperature. It's either too cold or too hot.

Food:			Visit: Sun 9 November 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: debha | 9 October 2008, 10.26am

I felt a bit silly ringing up to make a booking for 4 on a Wednesday night, but Baba was surprisingly full, especially for such a large restaurant, so it had quite a vital buzz about it. Everything we ordered was really very delicious and beautifully presented with some fresh, interesting dishes we had not seen elsewhere. Smallish portions - for the hungry the chicken pot would be a good choice. There were some service difficulties, which I hope will be ironed out with time & staff experience (some odd muckups with our order, and food slow to arrive - you know when everyone starts picking at the garnish on their plate in an effort to pretend everything is fine!). The eggplant dip (it had a fancier name on the menu) was impressively smoky and not to be missed. I would have bought a bucket of the stuff if they were in that business! I also particularly enjoyed the pide with Turkish sausage. The eggplant & tomato ragu would be a good choice for vegetarians. If you judge your meal by the taste and the look and not by your watch you'll be very happy with your night out. Order plenty of the mezze and that should keep the food flowing to your table, and they were all so good. One note: the food comes as it is ready and not entrees and then mains, so check you receive everything you ordered as it's a little hard to keep track for the simple-minded of us! The website for Baba is a great design and I hope they spread that look through the restaurant. (A small thing: The menu covers made from old record covers were fun & funky, but Baba is a slicker operation than that and the under-graduate ironic cool cafe thing doesn't suit the image they're going for either in the rest of the restaurant or on their website.) Our little group all agreed we would try Baba again.

Food:			Visit: Wed 8 October 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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