BABA

Mezze, charcoal grill and cocktail bar: inspired by the flavours of the Levant.

BABA Restaurant and Bar in Edinburgh

http://baba.restaurant

Baba Restaurant – Edinburgh – Mamma wears Prada

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to be invited by the lovely Kylie from Edinburgh Gossip Girls to try a new restaurant in George St. Baba restaurant opened the 15th of November and the magnificent food they offer is inspired by the flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.

Can I first start by saying that when it comes to food I’m extremely picky… I like fresh, simple flavours and I’ve never been really keen of spices, etc .

We then got sat at the table and were presented with a cocktail menu to die for.

One tasted completely different than the other, unique flavours and presentations, I cannot even tell you which one I preferred as they all were delicious!

Trust me, you will be surprised at the amazing flavours you will experience.

Welcome to Edinburgh's newest opening, BABA - OH! Taste

Brought to you by the team behind Glasgow’s The Ox and Finch, BABA is the newest restaurant to open on Edinburgh’s George Street and will be the new flagship restaurant in the recently launched Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square hotel.

This exciting new project is the result of a partnership between Ox and Finch‘s Jonathan MacDonald and Daniel Spurr, and Katherine Arnold and Robbie Bargh from London-based Gorgeous Group; a company at the forefront of global restaurant and bar concepts and designs; with the aim of introducing the vibrant flavours of the Levantine kitchen to Edinburgh.

To lead BABA’s kitchen brigade, David Barnett has been appointed as Head Chef.

The result is a menu that we believe will bring an unforgettable culinary experience to both hotel guests and Edinburgh locals.

We have been overwhelmed by the success of Ox and Finch in Glasgow, and are so excited about bringing a completely new offering and dining experience to the people of Edinburgh.’

Joanna Blythman's restaurant review: Baba, Edinburgh ...

A FICTIONAL Mr Baba lolls on an Ottoman carpet on the back of the menu at Baba, the new restaurant on Edinburgh’s premier artery, George Street.

A modern expression of Orientalism, or evidence of a more enlightened appreciation of the intricacies of Middle Eastern cultures?

What little there is of the hummus is much better than average, largely because it’s not stingy with the tahini, it’s drizzled with zhug (the Yemeni pounded green sauce with coriander, parsley, and chilli), and strewn with toasted pine kernels.

The only shortcoming of the mealy butter beans mashed up with green tahini and smoky baba ganoush is that there isn’t quite enough.

Baba doesn’t appear to have the Levant in its DNA, nor is it taking Middle Eastern cooking to a new inventive level, yet it’s still one of the best bets for eating on George Street.

Baba, Edinburgh, restaurant review - Scotsman Food and Drink

Our bigger dish of monkfish (£12) consisted of dill-strewn chickpeas in a deep and dark red tomato sauce, then slices of white meat, with a charring that looked like snowmobile tracks, and a crumbling of light and creamy feta on top.

However, if you wanted to try just one thing, the herb topped chicken shawarma (£9.50, or £11 for lamb) is a bit of a steal, with a metal dish filled with all the lunchtime eating paraphernalia you could possibly want – charred chunks of chook, pickled red cabbage, a bolster of hummus, hot garlic tahini and pouches of pitta to stuff.

Oh, and you must have one of the Baba signature hot drinks (£3.50), not only because they come with four pimped-up medjool dates (we had two dark chocolate covered versions with crystallised ginger and a pair topped with creamy fondant and chopped walnuts).

When every dish was licked clean, there was a period of mourning for the things I hadn’t tried, especially when the waitress raved about her favourite dip (muhammara, aleppo chilli and chopped walnuts, £4).

Baba is the fairy on the top of the Christmas tree that temporarily distracts you from the Fingerlings and Glimmies at the bottom.

BABA Edinburgh | Edinburgh Restaurant Reviews | DesignMyNight

The venue is split between the cocktail bar and the restaurant, where a bespoke charcoal grill acts as the centrepiece of the open kitchen.

Here they cook a variety of Scottish lamb, beef and seafood dishes Levantine-style.

The menu is a mixture of traditional mezze – such as hummus with zhug, baba ganoush and muhammara, along with those with a twist, such as their kibbeh pastry featuring haggis instead of lamb.

The bar serves up a variety of tasty cocktails, incorporating a variety of spice, pickles, pomegranate, rose, and za’atar.

Middle Eastern promise at Baba, Edinburgh | i-on Magazine

Olive Oil Negroni, £9, and cauliflower fritters, zhug and crème fraîche, £3.50, whet our appetites; and our selection of eight dips including beetroot hummus; whipped feta and hazelnut dukkah; labneh, cherry tomatoes and harissa, and babaganoush with pomegranate and mint, served with hot pitta straight from the grill, £17 for all, were an assortment of extraordinarily good authentic flavours from the Levantine region, and beautifully presented.

Mains featured intensely flavourful squid with merguez sausage and salmorejo, £9.50; tangy ptitim (giant cous cous), preserved lemon and harissa, £4, and smoky chicken shawarma, grilled over hot coals and served with hummus, harissa tomatoes, garlic tahini and pitta, £9.50.

Excellent desserts include homemade ice cream (cardamom coffee, and tahini, were both standouts); and an olive oil cake to die for.

A bottle of Lebanese Blanc de Blanc, Château Ksara, Bekaa Valley, £29, was the perfect accompaniment to our meal, which was rounded off with another excellent cocktail: an Arabiaca Pick-Me-Up: a frozen shot of dark matter Scottish spiced rum & aged semillon raki infused with coffee, £5.

BABA is a very welcome addition to the George Street dining scene and is not-to-be-missed if you like the full flavours of the Middle East.