I’d heard a lot of good things about BABA and when fellow foodie Plate Escapes said she would come through from her normal stomping ground Glasgow to Edinburgh to try BABA for lunch, I was delighted that I had an excuse to finally try it too. Perched on the corner of George Street and Charlotte Square we headed inside on one of the hottest days Edinburgh has ever experienced! Not to worry though, the food was exactly the picky, light offering that you’d want on a hot summers day, full of flavour.
We ordered a round of refreshing mojitos to cool ourselves down while we perused the menu. We were both eyeing up the BABA Express menu where you get to choose a snack + dip + pitta + grill for £14.50. The offerings and flavour combinations all sounded mouthwateringly good. We decided to share and have a mezze of different things. BABA described their food as being inspired by the flavours of the Levant, countries such as Turkey, Cyprus and Lebanon.
I ordered the lemon and chilli halkidiki olives to pick at and Sharon ordered the falafel, saffron tahini and zhug, which I’m so glad she did as the Middle Eastern Hot sauce (zhug) similar to a salsa verde or chimichurri sauce, was so moreish when paired with the falafel.
Photographs do not do the dips justice. The vibrant purple of the beetroot hummus accompanied whipped feta and pistachio dukkah was my favourite but the baba ganoush, pomegranate and mint wasn’t far behind, I couldn’t get enough of dipping my pitta into them!
Now I’m not normally a fan of chicken on the bone, I know, I know…. The date and barbecue-glazed chicken leg, merguez sausage and sweet corn combination has converted me, the chicken with the chorizo like sausage in that glaze was perfect. The sea bass, grilled chicory, smoked anchovy and harissa was a great choice from the grill, the two dishes really compliment each other.
What a feast, BABA I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to sample your delicious menu. I would highly recommend the Express Menu , a real bargain at £14.50 for seriously scrumptious food that will fill you up, we couldn’t eat it all!
Tuggy Tucks In 