Mecca Bah

Posted by: wineandfood | 19 October 2011, 12.05am

Why spoil good ambience (its not like Canberra has an overabundance of places like these) and reasonably tasty food with such inattentive service. I feel sorry for the owners who clearly do not understand what is happening on the table front. It was not a busy night by any means so the lack of attention comes down to slack service. No excuses.
Also agree with a previous reviewer - don't understand the cut-your-own pizza thing - especially when you are sharing. Awkward not trendy.

Food:			Visit: Tue 18 October 2011 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: poppy1 | 19 June 2011, 3.26pm

Attractive venue let down by poor heating for a crowded layout, uncoordinated and amateurish service and overpriced food. Despite holding a Friday night booking for four we were seated at a table located up against a glassed wall adjacent to an external access door. When we asked to be moved to a warmer spot we were told that all other tables were taken for large groups, leaving the impression that they make more from them so were not fussed if we were cold. With a little thought the layout could be changed to avoid locating tables against the external glass wall during winter.

Service was all over the place. Staff did not appear to be assigned to specific tables and it was left to guests to keep track of orders. Our wine bottle was taken by the waiter who first served it and the bottle then disappeared. When it could not be found a second bottle had to be provided and we were charged for both.

Midway through the meal we were presented with the bill for another table!

The quality of the food was average, with the feel that it had been prepared and cooked in bulk and was unattractively presented. The food lacked the flavour levels you expect to find in Middle Eastern cuisine and the use of some spices was heavy
handed. Prepared items were dumped on serving plates with little thought given to appearance.

Pricing is for the middle to high end of the Canberra market but the food and service fall well short of that standard. Unless you are content to pay high prices for the location and surface appearance of Mecca Bah you will find much better value elsewhere.

Food:			Visit: Fri 17 June 2011 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: phillippo | 31 March 2011, 10.41am

There is no doubt that the food is delicious and well presented and our group of 7 all enjoyed the reduced banquet (without dips and desserts). If we had had the full banquet we could not have got through it. You would have to be really hungry.

The food arrived pretty much all at once which meant the table was totally cluttered with dishes and glassware. Furthermore the pizza was not precut. With all the other dishes, cutting with the blunt knife provided was difficult and made a total mess of the dish. Either provide precut pizza or an efficient cutter.

We booked, but were not given the option of sitting inside or outside. Some of us had not come prepared for outside dining and were cold. In winter it could be important to get a table inside if windy.

Food:			Visit: Wed 30 March 2011 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: msfussy | 8 February 2010, 2.13pm

Had a very pleasing dining experience.The service was excellent and the food was brilliant.The decor could probably do with a bit of a more Morrocan feel,but would certainly recommend as a top place to eat for the price.

Food:			Visit: Sat 6 February 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: gwendolyn | 3 May 2009, 11.45am

I regret waiting so long to visit this great resturaunt. The decor is beautiful and although we were sitting outside, the heaters gave plenty of warmth.

The mezze food is sensational, the tagine and pizza were great too but I wouldn't reccommend the calimari as it was a little bland compared to everything else. All the waiters were very friendly and competent so it doesnt seem like Mecca Bah has any problem with it's staff anymore. I will be a regular here!!

Food:			Visit: Sat 2 May 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: lucy-blue@hotmail.co.uk | 2 May 2009, 4.32pm

Dinner was wonderful. The food was all generously portioned and the flavours were perfectly balanced. The soup to start was a perfect warmer on a cold canberra night, the tagine we had was full of flavour and the lamb was melt in the mouth! Our waitress was just lovely, young and pretty, she was a delight, working hard and chatting to all her customers so that we felt that our every need was attended to with ease and care. We really had a great time, the restaurant was packed and were pretty sure everyone else had a good meal out too! thanks so much, we will definitely be back.

Food:			Visit: Fri 1 May 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: twent8 | 26 April 2009, 12.09pm

My parnter and I dinned at Mecca Bah last night and really enjoyed what was a cold, wet and dreary night. We arrived just before 8 with out a booking and were told the only spaces available were outside by the heaters. I wasn't really impressed, however just as our entrees arrived (around 10mins) our waiter informed us that a table had become available inside, and how the night changed. The inside atmosphere was excellent. We were seated just near the cosy fire and place really seemed busy. Our new waiter check on us many times for fresh drinks and if we were happy with our meals, which we were. The food was really good, thoughts echoed by tables near us.
I have read some of the reviews on here and I was not expecting alot in service.... but hey it is Canberra, however I was pleasantly suprised. Food, and atmosphere were excellent and the service was attentive, relaxed and informative. I would happliy return with friends again, although with a booking.

Food:			Visit: Sat 25 April 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: MsSubs | 23 March 2009, 10.49am

I brought a couple of interstate guests to Mecca Bah on the weekend, on the promise of a good dining experience. To start with, I should mention that a commendable feature of Mecca Bah is its ambience, an aspect that few Canberra restaurants pay any attention too.
Now to the food: The Mezze dishes were delightful and the mains were nice but nothing special, I certainly expected a bit more by way of flavour complexity for $20++ mains.
And the bad news? The service. The staff seemed perpetually rushed off their feet. A simple request for a fork was met by a harried "Just one minute!!" by a waiter bolting past. Our mains arrived an hour after we arrived and it was almost impossible to get our water glasses refilled. A manager could be heard yelling at staff a number of times, well within earshot of the diners. I do not put the problems with service to the floor staff but rather to management. Having worked in hospitality for a number of years, I do not think that such a harried, cafe-like attitude is necessary in a place with fairly fixed meal times, if they have enough staff and have organised them well.
Another thing, when re-filling the water jugs the staff constantly left the tap going even as the jugs overflowed while they waited on other tables. I must have seen this happen at least a dozen times in the one night. Really quite inappropriate given our water situation.
I think there are other places in Canberra that would be more capable of delivering a good overall dining experience.

Food:			Visit: Sat 21 March 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: barbev | 12 February 2009, 1.20pm

Having been fans of the original Mecca Bah in Melbourne, we looked forward to a meal at the Canberra version. But on the night, the service was so appallingly bad that it made Fawlty Towers seem like a well-run establishment,and we had a horrible time. Fortunately the food - when it eventually reached our table (an hour's wait for entrees!) - was generally pretty good. But we were exhausted at the end of the meal, feeling that we'd had to fight all night for food and service.
Just unlucky, perhaps, to have scored a young, totally inexperienced waiter on his first night on the job - apparently without any prior training. There seemed to be no-one in charge of the restaurant and it was left to another waiter to take over our table and apologise for 'the boy'.
It is truly astonishing that diners can have such an experience in a restaurant that claims to be among the best in Canberra. The four of us agreed that this was undoubtedly the worst experience we'd ever had, anywhere in the world. Pity the food was good, we won't be eating it again!

Food:			Visit: Mon 9 February 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: rfl | 28 December 2008, 1.59pm

The entrees were good but the mains were really bland and oversalted, but the real killer was the snotty attitude. Who do these people think they are? Dreadful. I wont go back,not unless I hear that it has changed hands and menu.

Food:			Visit: Thu 13 November 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: jono171 | 20 November 2008, 11.38am

On a busy night slower service can be excused to a degree, but after reading these other reviews, there seems to be a pattern. Despite both indoor and outdoor areas being almost full, there were only 4 staff on the floor including the bar. Furthermore, it took almost 25mins for our dessert orders to be taken. Luckily, the interesting menu and wonderful flavours will see us return at some point.

Food:			Visit: Wed 19 November 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: babyboomer52 | 24 October 2008, 9.41am

We were looking forward to an enjoyable dinner experience.

After waiting too long for service, an entree of turkish bread with dips was suggested by our waiter to slate our hunger. A dessert spoon of three dips with bread eventually appeared along with one of our two wine selections. The miniscule serving was indicative of what was to come.

That was also the last we saw of that waiter and another was assigned to "look" after us.

The main courses were no better with four of the seven dishes comprising one kebab and plenty of filler (rice, tabouli, lettuce etc). Not good value for money.

We didn't bother with coffee or dessert as some of us had to work the next day.

Food:			Visit: Thu 23 October 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: TheGastronaut | 28 September 2008, 9.29am

In my experience, the Mecca Bah at Manuka presents one of the Canberra restaurant scene's most troubling paradoxes: the food is sublime, the decor is lovely but the service is abysmal. I keep going back because those battered mussels are exquisite, and the tagines and pizzas present a delicious and carefully-crafted alternative to the generic Turkish fare that is the closest comparable cuisine around, but drinks take an eternity, water has to be almost begged for, and the staff are spectacularly unattentive. The dilemma is that I will want to keep recommending the Mecca Bah to my friends because of the wonderful food but it will always have to come with an advisory about the sloppy service. And my biggest recommendation is to the management - give all your service staff good old-fashioned notepads to record food orders. I am tired of orders coming out wrong because I am supposed to be impressed by the waiters' memory skills which, frankly are not that good - just write it all down and pay proper attention to your customers and we'll all be happier.

Food:			Visit: Sun 28 September 2008
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Posted by: sweet kat | 5 June 2008, 10.34pm

Compared to other restaurants in Manuka, Mecca Bah is a haven of good food at good value in a great atmosphere.

The staff were warm and friendly, if a little rushed off their feet at the time. The decor was very inviting, and the acoustics made for easy conversation which is not something you get in most modern restaurants.

As a group of 4, we tried the lamb, chicken and vegetable tagines, plus a chicken kebab. I advise ordering extra Turkish bread to go with the meal to soak up the delicious sauces.

For dessert, the baked apple ice cream is a must!

Food:			Visit: Thu 5 June 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: cat and mouse | 21 May 2008, 9.52am

Tomato and eggplant pizza and vegetable tangine were inedible. I think the lid had fallen off the salt shaker when both these dishes were cooked. Paprika over done to the max. Didn't want to spoil what was meant to be a special occasion otherwise would have had something to say at the time.

Food:			Visit: Sat 17 May 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Canberragirl77 | 20 June 2007, 8.43am

It didn't get off to a good start as they made a mistake with our booking and our party of four had to sit outside on a very cold Saturday night! There were heaters, but Canberra gets very cold in winter.
The food was just ok and I thought a little over-priced. They also made a mistake with our mains order and one main came out 25 minutes after the rest. We didn't stay for dessert - too cold and unimpressed.

Food:			Visit: Sat 26 May 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Cravon | 14 April 2007, 11.09pm

The Service was the only thing we were able to experience. On the Thursday before trying Mecca BLah, we called to make a reservation. We were told, "We don't accept reservations just come in on Saturday"

When we arrived on Saturday, we were asked for our reservation, and even though there was only 4 of us, they turned us away because we didn't have reservations...which they wouldn't allow us to make.

This is complete idiocy. Although after listening to people that were leaving the place, and the reviews above, I'm glad we didn't have to endure the below average food and exorbitant prices.

Food:			Visit: Sat 14 April 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Registered user - name withheld | 29 March 2006, 5pm

Went with two friends on a Friday night - the atmosphere was buzzing and the service was friendly and informative.
I had vine-leaf wrapped fish which was a delicious light alternative. My two friends sampled the tagines, but found them slightly bland and watery.
We all loved the icecreams though, and will definitely give Mecca Bah another go. Glad to see it has finally arrived on the Canberra dining scene.

Food:			Visit: Wed 29 March 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 20 March 2006, 6.09pm

Only three stars for both food and service because they do not allow you to take leftovers home, despite the fact that you've paid for it. If it wasn't for this the food and service would have been fantastic.

Food:			Visit: Mon 20 March 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 9 March 2006, 5.23pm

Great atmosphere, very nicely decorated. Service was good. Food, however, is below average and expensive. For the price, there are much better places to go to in Manuka.

Food:			Visit: Thu 9 March 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 8 February 2006, 4.25pm

The staff were outstanding and their suggestions and knowledge of the menu were spot on.

Food:			Visit: Fri 6 January 2006 Mealtime: breakfast
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 7 February 2006, 6.06pm

This restaurant offers good service, atmosphere and food for something that's opened so recently. The entrees were especially nice, however the portions were very small. A chicken kebab ordered as a main course consisted of one kebab - not great for those who were sharing. Total bill was $240 - 2 courses for 5 people, so it worked out quite expensive. They don't take bookings nor let you take leftovers home. So even though it was a nice restaurant, I probably wouldn't go again.

Food:			Visit: Tue 10 January 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 7 February 2006, 12.50pm

Great food, and a fun atmosphere that won't burn a hole in your pocket. Absolutely worth a visit.

Food:			Visit: Mon 6 February 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 2 February 2006, 11.01am

The facility was nice but the service was poor. The cooks were blaring loud music to drown out the also too-loud awful pop songs. The staff were either awkward or rude, we could not quite tell. The food was good but not worth dealing with the unpleasant atmosphere.

Food:			Visit: Thu 2 February 2006 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 4 January 2006, 5.29pm

The Mecca Bah restaurant was truly outstanding. The food was superb, the service was excellent and the atmosphere was great. I highly recommend this restaurant!

Food:			Visit: Tue 3 January 2006 Mealtime: breakfast
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