Review | Mecca Bah

On a chilly Melbourne evening, E and I headed out to the Docklands for a nice dinner. Since it was a bit later than usual (9pm!) we hadn’t made any reservations anywhere, but decided to simply wander to wherever our hunger took us.
We walked past every restaurant there, and finally ended up at Mecca Bah. We walked into the warm restaurant and were greeted with smiles and we were happily seated at a table by the window.

I loved the décor inside the restaurant, it really set the mood. We decided to order a few of the Mezze dishes and a Turkish Pizza to share. After asking a few questions to the helpful waitress, we ordered a serve of the Pan fried Haloumi, the Kataifi wrapped Middle Eastern cheeses and the Moroccan spiced calamari. Out of the pizzas, we decided on the Spit roasted lamb, rocket, yoghurt & sumac.

All three Mezze dishes arrived quite quickly and we were so excited to dig into them – they all looked great. The calamari was served with some Lebanese cucumber and mint. There was a very light batter on the pieces of calamari – it had a really interesting flavour! Even though it was quite a warm and spiced flavour, it was never overpowering, and combined with the fresh cucumber and zingy lemon juice, it was just so tasty! The calamari was cooked really well – it was very tender and a delight to eat.

The Haloumi was our second favourite of the Mezze dishes. It was served with a pomegranate molasses which was delicious. The combination of the sweetness of the molasses with the salty sharpness of the haloumi was perfect. I also really liked that it was served with some alfalfa since I hadn’t eaten this in a really long time! I would definitely recommend this dish.

In my previous review I mentioned two different types of ‘food heaven’ – well, prepare to meet a third! I shall call it Kataifi Heaven. Kataifi wrapped Middle Eastern cheeses. These were probably the most amazing, delicious thing that I have ever tasted. Ever. Really. The slight crunch of the delicate pastry, the sweet, mellow flavour of the cheese filling, and the most amazing honey you may ever taste. All combined in a delicious little parcel. This dish has the perfect combination of textures and flavours. When I tasted these, there was no talking. I closed my eyes to take in all the flavours, and all of the perfection. When I say “I definitely recommend these”, it is much much more than a simple recommendation. Please, do yourself a favour – taste these.

A little while after our Mezze dishes had been cleared, the pizza was delivered to our table. Yum! This was so tasty! The pizza dough was so nice – lots of places these days serve up dry pizza dough, but this one was great. The spit roasted lamb was so tasty – it was also very tender. I really didn’t want this pizza to end.

Feeling up for dessert, we ordered the Sticky date & banana pudding. A few minutes later, we were digging into it. It was so moist! The combination of date and banana with the vanilla ice cream was stellar, and we were delighted to find some honey around the plate – a delicious extra touch! 

I am so sure we will be back soon to try out the rest of the menu at Mecca Bah. I was very impressed at the reasonable prices of all the meals, considering what a great location the restaurant is in. Next time I think we will try a Pide.. and of course, more Kataifi heaven!