Turkish cuisine with a hint of British influence – Babaji

Babaji. What does it mean? It is simply a manner of addressing your father in a lot of cultures, including mine. However, taking cue from the manner in which his Turkish wife referred to her father, the British owner decided to attribute this name to this restaurant while paying a gentle homage to the Turkish culture.

Originally based in London, Babaji specialises in modern Turkish cuisine that combines authentic recipes from different parts of the country, and presents them with a touch of contemporary flavors. You’ll be surprised how majority of their ingredients are sourced from their very origins in Turkey!

Located in the heart of City Walk 2, this upmarket restaurant offers a fine dine ambience coupled with soothing evening tunes that sets the perfect atmosphere for a sophisticated, albeit relaxed dinner.

Uludag Gazoz

In this sweltering Dubai heat, which makes you feel like you’re walking in a furnace, nothing is as good a respite as a refreshing drink.
For us, drinks always come first and we were overjoyed to try out this Turkish specialty, which our server Faye very fondly described as the Turkish version of Sprite.

Fizzy, but not too strong, and with a slight hint of sweetness, the Uludag Gazoz is famed as a legendary drink, with a local tagline that asks the customer to be as legendary as the drink is.

Well, we definitely give our thumbs up to this (pun not intended)!

We tried a couple of other drinks as well, which included their famous fruity iced teas.

Starters

When you’re at a Turkish restaurant, you can be sure you’ll be fed plenty. This spread would look like it was everything we had, but these were just the starters.

From left, there’s the Coban Salad, otherwise known as the shepherd’s salad. Then there’s Turkish Tabouleh, which is followed by Homemade Humus, Kisir and Cacik. And then, is probably one of the best items off their menu, the Oven Baked Halloumi.

Tabouleh

Take a closer look at this tangy Tabouleh I dug into at Babaji. I say tangy, but my words don’t do justice to how refreshingly lemony this salad was. I know some people don’t like their Tabouleh too sour, but I loved how the tanginess cut the strong flavors of parsley and dill.

While you’re still admiring the picture, don’t forget to check out the slightly out of focus, but equally delicious Coban Salad to the right. Translated to shepherd’s salad, this one comes with the basic ingredients of vine tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, parsley and Turkish pepper, highlighting things that would be easy to source for shepherds when they get hungry.
We were also treated to a large sized freshly baked Turkish bread that came piping hot and utterly soft.
Do you like your salads to be basic or fancy?

Oven Baked Halloumi

My favorite starter among that lovely spread was undoubtedly the Oven Baked Halloumi.

In fact, I didn’t know I would love Halloumi so much until that night I dined at Babaji. The Halloumi discs were baked in a skillet that gave them a golden brown sizzling coat. It was sheer perfection how the cheese was cooked to a warm outside and slightly stretchy inside.

What made it more interesting was the addition of roasted vine tomatoes. Their sour flavor perfectly balanced the creaminess of the cheese.
Friendly tip: have it hot!

Kisir, Homemade Humus, and Cacik

When at Babaji, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Just like Faye spoilt us with this extensive selection of starters. He kept saying he’ll get a little of this, and a little of that, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by an impressive spread of Turkish delicacies.
Three of these were the Kisir, Homemade Humus, and Cacik.

Kisir, as Faye described, is a bulgur wheat salad and is a must preparation during women’s gatherings. Even though the ingredients are quite humble, the textures and tastes are so strong (think wheat, pomegranate, tomatoes, coriander), they push you into taking the next spoonful as soon as you’re done with one. And then the next, and the next.

The Homemade Humus is a Turkish version if the Middle Eastern-Mediterranean classic. This one though, in my opinion, was slightly creamier, and went perfectly hand in hand with the freshly baked bread. Also that sesame garnish adds a unique flavor, so don’t miss this one.

The Cacik, which is sometimes confused as a Greek dish mainly due to its ingredients, is a creamy cooling mix of yogurt, garlic and cucumber, topped with red and green Turkish peppers.

One of the things that stands out in the menu at Babaji is that they mark Gluten Free on items where applicable, so you’re in the know when you want to make a healthy choice. In this case, for example, the Humus and Cacik were both gluten free, which kind of pushed me towards licking those plates clean, fully content that I’m making an effort towards not consuming too much of gluten.

Although, let’s just conveniently ignore that bread I earlier mentioned about!

Pide

There is such a thing like Turkish styled pizza. Only, it’s called Pide.
Made from leavened dough that’s flattened with fingers to give it its unique shape, Pide is known for its rich flavors and variety of toppings.

This thin, crusty and wood fired pizza comes from three different regions of Turkey, Black sea, Aegean sea and middle Anatolia.
Babaji is proud to call their Pide ‘perfect’, and they even promote a hashtag #perfectpide for it.
However, since Pide was definitely not the last thing on our agenda, we opted for just one. The Pide Develi originates from the same region the Pide chef hails from, so it was only fair to try out this variation. Topped with diced beef, tomatoes, Turkish green peppers and parsley, it offers a unique savory flavor.
I have already decided I’m going back soon to try out all their Pide options including Kiymali, Caramelized onions & walnuts, and Patates.
Which one would you try?

Manti

While Manti might come across as a Turkish version of bow tie pasta, it’s actually the Turkish counterpart of ravioli. While they were still contemplating over who got ‘inspired’ from whom, the Italians from Turks or vice versa, we decided to simply sit back and dig into the deliciousness all these countries have brought right to our table.

Filled with rib eye beef, the Manti ravioli is topped with yogurt and Turkish chili flakes. What distinguishes this Manti from other types of Manti across the region is the manner in which is it made. Offering a very rich and smooth flavor, this variant is cooked in butter that gives it a slightly salty taste and a glistening look.

Alinazik

Lamb is something I have just begun to fall in love with. I’m in that phase where I want to try everything lamb. So it’s quite impossible to ignore it off the menu.
This time I unfortunately did, because there was so much food already, but it was as though the chef almost read my mind and sent across their lamb specialty to our table.

Alinazik combines the classic regional ingredients of eggplant puree with yoghurt. This gluten free dish is then decked with mutton pieces made using the best end of lamb. Tender and juicy, just the way I love it, this dish wonderfully mingles tangy yogurt with a mouthful of the meat.
Try this out if you love lamb, and especially if you like your meats with yogurt.

Chicken Topkapi

This was one of the dishes at Babaji that I had my eyes set on from the very start. The Chicken Topkapi, apart from being gluten free, brought back wonderful memories from my visit to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Often referred to as the Sultan’s meal, thanks to its palatial reference, this rice based dish features a tender cooked corn fed chicken outer that’s stuffed with spiced pilav rice and raisins. The fact that it is cooked with all those chicken juices makes the rice really luscious.

And look at that slightly burnt, crisp covering that makes you want to bite right in. Don’t forget to swipe left for a sneak peek inside.
It is served alongside tomato salsa and fresh leaves salad.

Kunefe, Baklava and Kabak

Turkish desserts, oh my!
I have always been in a love hate relationship with them for the simple reason that they are super tempting, but at the same time, super sweet. It taps into that sweet tooth craving person inside me that doesn’t exist 90% of the time.
But anyway, to our surprise, we were presented with not one or two, but three different Turkish favorites.

The Kunefe, as we all know it, is a sugar dipped dessert layered with crispy kataifi on top and sweet cheese within. Topped with pistachio, which is probably their national dry fruit, this one presents a sweet bite.
Towards the left are two different baklava varieties. Baklava is another signature sweet from Turkey and we got to try their pistachio and walnut varieties. What I love the most about these is the flaky pastry layers on top and the crunchy sugar coated dry fruit mix within (which is basically everything).
The last one was something quite unexpected, or maybe I’m an amateur when it comes to signature Turkish sweets. Kabak is a gluten free dessert that combines smooth textured pumpkin garnished with walnuts. It is topped with clotted cream for a beautiful orange and white combination.
My favorite from these was definitely the kunefe, closely followed by the other two sharing the second spot. Which one is your favorite Turkish dessert?

Turkish Tea

There is no better way to end a Turkish meal than with Turkish Tea. This lovely blend at Babaji comes with sugar cubes, just incase you like yours sweet.

For me, the best part about Turkish tea is the petite glass and decorative plate in which it is presented.
Do you prefer Turkish tea or Turkish coffee? Let me know in the comments below!

Babaji

Location: City Walk, Al Safa Street, Al Wasl Area, Dubai, UAE
Contact: 04 3854605