Review: Bala Baya, Southwark

So. Bala Baya describes itself as a Middle Eastern restaurant, as do a few review sites that perhaps keep their info updated. But older reviews and articles, that no-one ever updates, call it an Israeli restaurant. It doesn’t take much nouse to realise why they have re-badged themselves “Middle Eastern” as thoroughly as they can! However, it did make us pause and consider whether we should be patronising an Israeli restaurant. Obviously we decided “yes”. Even with a whole heap of research and background-checking it might still be impossible to know how the folks who own & run the place feel about the current Israel-Gaza conflict. They don’t represent the Israeli state, they certainly don’t support it openly (or their restaurant would still be proudly badged “Israeli”) and they really only tangentially support it fiscally in any way, perhaps with some taxes somewhere. It felt like poor form to boycott a place if you don’t even know where they stand. Enough politics… on with the food!

They are tucked away under railway arches in Southwark, but have created a light and airy space, modern and sleek but comfortable and relaxed. The staff looked after us very well too. Cocktails gave a good early sign, clear and punchy flavours. We went with two meat dishes and two veg.

The “aubergine mess” that came first was a solid take on babaganoush, dollops of creamy tahini added, and little chunks of lychee in the mix too. This was a charming variation on the usual pomegranate seeds, the sweet rose taste of the lychee obviously fitting very nicely in the Middle Eastern vibe. Two hot pittas were among the best I’ve ever had, nicely browned with a nutty flavour. Next up was a courgette flower stuffed with cheesy polenta and drizzled with harissa’d honey; a nice take on the dish with a bit of pep from the harissa and gutsier flavour from the polenta, but I’ll be honest I prefer it as a light, summery affair of fluffy ricotta.

Brisket on “Moroccan doughnut” (to my mind, a small butter-soaked bagel nicely toasted?) was the dish of the day. The meat was perfect juicy fibres, and the glaze and sticky sauce added a mass of pleasantly rich and spicy flavour, along with a vivid yellow tahini cream on top. Kebab dumplings contained very full-flavoured bits of lush lamb marinaded in spices, but the dumpling itself was just okay; neither soft-n-silky nor crispy, it was simply a container for the lamb. The sweet date jus and pine nuts worked well with the meat.

So this was £40 each before drinks. Although done as sharing plates, effectively a starter and a small main each. It was all very nice but – and judging value is so tricky these days, trying to track against the rampant (necessary) inflation of menu prices everywhere – I’m gonna have to say that this was a tad over-priced for what it was. And £12 for the cheapest red wine by the glass doesn’t help. I’m not wanting to hurry back because the food was genius, and I’m not wanting to make it a “useful local” because it’s not great value. But it was a good meal.