Babel | Progressive Lebanese Fare in La Mer
Offering the fancies of progressive Lebanese cuisine in a sophisticated setting, Babel is the newest spot in La Mer that takes the count of licensed restaurants in this Meraas development up to three. Quite contrary to the other two, Babel features up to a series of tables dressed in white and brown hues, bathing in tungsten yellow light.
A compact lift that takes us one level up opens up into a gorgeous dim lit seating with a full bar and an outdoor terrace (that is obviously not summer friendly). While the interiors did justice to their self-claimed progressive nature, we were eager to find out if their food followed. Read on to know more about what we tried and what we loved.
Fish Display
A fresh fish display on the ground level that showcases the catch of the day, was something that came highly recommended from the staff there. As soon as we were seated and offered water, we were asked if we would first like to visit the seafood display and place our order so our choice of fish would be ready in time.
Well, you know me. This kind of fish is not really my cup of tea, so I steered clear of placing the order, and instead just focused on the pictures. My date, on the other hand, ordered a grilled red snapper and fried lady fish. More on these two in a bit. Keep reading.
Pre-starters
Fresh loaves of brown and white bread accompanied with a selection of condiments kept us busy while our aperitifs arrived. While the nuts, olives and pumpkin seeds were fair, what I really found interesting was the grilled vegetable mash. This one made a perfect dip with the bread. I didn’t really try the seaweed since I was quite skeptical about it’s taste.
Mezza
The mezza selection at Babel packed quite a punch. Right from options like Hommus Pesto (I really wanted to try that) to Mousabah Shrimps and Octopus a la Provencale, the menu spelt progressive in every way. We settled for the server’s recommendations.
Hommus Beiruti
Mixed with a herby base of parsley, radish and mint, this mezza dish was more like a cross between hommus and tzzatziki. I loved the fresh minty flavor it offered. Plus it went great with their freshly baked pita breads.
Shrimps Beiroutieh
Juicy and pan fried, the little shrimps in this dish came with a mushy mix of chili peppers, tomatoes and onions on the side. The pine nut garnish added a nice crunch to the veggie mix.
Calamari a la Provencale
While I am not a big fan of calamari, which my date felt was a tad bit chewy, I loved the lemon garlic dressing the calamari was prepared in. Believe it or not, I used the dressing as a dip for my chili potatoes and loved every little garlicky bite.
Chili Potatoes
These are undoubtedly my all-time favorite when it comes to hot mezza. Little cubes of spicy, lemony goodness, albeit not spicy enough to satisfy my Indian taste buds, these chili potatoes went well with the bread. Had it not been for the mains, I would have just wrapped them up in the bread and eaten as is!
Kale & Halloumi Salad
This was actually my favorite of the lot (not more than chili potatoes of course!). I never expected a salad, and a kale salad at that to be this good. Prepped up with grilled halloumi cubes, lots of fresh kale, quinoa, micro greens, cherry tomatoes and crunchy walnuts, this was everything healthy in one bowl.
Red Snapper
Coming back to the fish which we chose from the fish display, the first one was the red snapper. We asked for this to be grilled and it was absolutely wow. Carefully filleted and de-boned, the fish was skinned clean and grilled to a melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The side tahini sauce made a remarkable accompaniment to the fish. I had never tried tahini as a combination with fish before, but now I know what magic it can add!
Lady Fish
Fried whole and to a very crispy perfection, these lady fish were the bomb. I must admit we couldn’t eat them all because we were so full of fish. But what we did do was give a piece to our local cat, and she gave her mark of approval as well!
Grilled Chicken Breast
Being a chicken lover, this one was my preference over the fish. Moreover I am glad I ordered this, because the chicken was done absolutely right. Coated with a pesto-like sauce, the chicken breast pieces were grilled to perfectly tender. They were served along with a generous side of cheese bread and potato wedges. This, in all fairness, is what my idea of a perfect meal looks like.
Chocolate Ganache
One of the best desserts I’ve had in a very very long time! The chocolate ganache was, put very simply, the inside of a lava cake, or to use a progressive term – a deconstructed lava cake. Super chocolatey, super gooey and very very creamy, this skillet based dessert was topped off with melted caramel sauce to add an added creamy factor to it. It was served along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to balance the hot with cold.
Ghazlieh
Very similar to cotton candy, but with a creamy mouhalabieh base underneath, this dessert was quite new to me. With flavors of milk, sugar and rose water, fluffed up and topped with caramel crisps, this dessert is worth a try.
Dessert Accompaniments
A fresh fruit platter along with a selection of jams made lovely accompaniments to our desserts. The jams featured an assortment of fig, date, pumpkin and bitter orange flavors. My favorite was date and fig.
Babel
Location: S30, La Mer South, Jumeirah Beach, Jumeirah 1, Dubai
Contact: 04 5269069
