Restaurants: Balabaya, London, amazing flavours of the Levant
Website: https://balabaya.co.uk/
Lunched at Balabaya, a really impressive restaurant in the Israeli/middle eastern flavour space – a cuisine that I’m increasingly drawn to.
Chef Eran Tibi is Israeli born, but his parents are from Syria and Tunisia. He began his career in marketing, before switching to the kitchen, and did the obligatory stint at Ottolenghi, before founding Balabaya in 2017. It’s a beautiful space nestled into the arches in Southwark.
I’ve been a few times and I always enjoy it. The food is spot on: sharing plates of flavourful, innovative takes on the middle-eastern theme, with plenty of vegetables in the mix. They were on form on this visit.
The wine list isn’t the best in the world, but it’s good, and the interesting thing is the inclusion of several Israeli wines. I just wish they’d included some of the really interesting producers in Israel. It’s actually quite a ‘commercial’ list with bigger players. But I did find the Thymiopoulis Xinomavro for just a bit over £50, so I was happy.
This is a great place to eat. With a bit of extra work on the wine list, this would be a must-visit. If you aren’t going to be ordering wine, then it’s definitely a must-visit. The food is excellent.
