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Babel
Restaurants & Cafés
Ambiance, check. Quality, check. Creativity, check. Babel proves that the classics can be upgraded without having to tamper with quality or tradition.
The more you dine at genuine Lebanese restaurants the more convinced you become that these fellas have always had a knack for serving. From their generosity, all the way down to their efficiency and suaveness, restaurant establishments all over Lebanon raise the bar for any newcomer. But the celebrated touch of Lebanese hospitality has been fading into oblivion like everything else authentic the country has stood for. Built like a Babylonian castle inside and out, the restaurant’s architecture alone is worth a trip.
The menu encompasses all the customary dishes you’d expect to find on a Lebanese menu but the chef has gone the extra mile of adding a touch of individuality in pairing ingredients as well as in presentation. If you begin looking (or nibbling) at the fundamentals you’ll see that the meat used, whether served raw or cooked, is undeniably superior. The mixed grills are succulent and certainly not to be missed. Despite that, building up your appetite with some of the favoured local mezza and the not-so-common hors d’oeuvre is of paramount importance.
The ‘maajouaa’ (which apparently means disoriented) is a large ball of baked kebbe, stuffed with akkawi cheese and nuts, gorgeously showered with a handful of crushed pistachios. The hummus Istambouli is not your average chickpea dip. Embellished with diced walnuts and a hot chilli paste, the appetiser tickles you pink and psyches you up for the feast to come. Throughout your dining experience, you’ll be spoilt with meticulous service and an atmosphere that’s second to none. Perhaps a narguileh is your confirmed ticket to a prolonged stay.
2 comments
After escorting some Australian owners of a famous Lebanese restaurant in Melbourne, “DUNIAZAD”, for site seeing, food came next on the list. My task wasn’t easy, bearing in mind that Melbourne is well known to be one of the Culinary Capitals of the World. In general, some Lebanese restaurants have succeeded in impressing their customers with their ornamented decoration settings while their plate offerings are either limited or not first grade, or with their table services that are not “up to expectations”. A connoisseur in the business with a critical eye and taste will not be fooled by this; this is the case of our Australian visitors. Keen to present the best in their Melbourne “DUNIAZAD” restaurant; the owners visited many types of restaurants throughout Lebanon. Amongst all their visits, BABEL, Dbayeh, exquisitely stood out from all the rest. BABEL was EXCELLENT all the way along; the generosity and the amazing varieties of the plates, and the outstanding service all at reasonable cost, not to forget mentioning the astonishing decor. I am neither a writer nor a reviewer in this matter, yet I am just a person who travelled the world, same as my Australian visitors, and are able to point out a normal, good, or excellent restaurant, and BABEL Dbayeh proved to be one of those EXCELLENT food experiences. Thank you BABEL.
The concept of this restaurant is excellent , not to be compared with no other restaurants. The new wave of the lebanese cuisine is the Fusion , a total fiasco for our rich cuisine. But Babel knew exactly how to do it.Its cuisine is in fact is a mix of original syrian , lebanese ,and regional recipes, they didnt invent it they just highlighted on their menu. And the main mezze dishes were unchanged :tabbouleh , Kebbeh Nayeh. Babel , Great restaurant , Great concept...