One of the good aspects of having a food blog is the loads of suggestions to try new/not-covered-on-the-blog places to eat, Alibaba Café was one such suggestion, the fact that they serve a mix of Arabic, Persian & Bhatkali cuisine was enough to try this place.
I am not a hard-core meat-eater, I don’t relish it the way my brother or friends do , so what follows is their impression about the food.
About Alibaba Cafe & Restaurant:
Located on MM Road near Frazer town, this place was started by Mr.Abul Lais and it took them about 2 years of trial and error to perfect the food they offer now. The dark wood furniture décor and ambiance mimic a typical Middle-east cafe with a rooftop Sheesha lounge (which was closed at the time we went).
We stuck to the word of mouth dishes and wanted to sample at least one from each cuisine:
– Hummus & Pita Bread
– Shish Taouk (boneless chicken cooked over charcoal)
– Bhatkali Biryani (Chicken)
– Moroccan Pot Tea
Hummus & Pita Bread – easily one of the best Hummus I have had in Bangalore, very smooth texture and the generous amount of olive oil did enhance the taste. Pita Bread tasted like an Indian Phulka, but the hummus made my day 🙂
Shish Taouk – nothing extraordinary about it – wasn’t bad either. But I would order or try something else during my next visit.
Bhatkali Biryani – This was the show stopper – unlike any Biryani I have tasted; the spices jelled so well with the long Basmati rice & the special Bhatkali Pickle is the best side-kick to have with a biryani PERIOD
We polished at least 5 to 6 servings of the pickle 🙂
Moroccoan Pot Tea – huge disappointment except the nice looking kettle.
Replicating another country’s cuisine in a different geography is always tough due to the availability of authentic ingredients. The food offered here is unlike most Bangaloreans (who have never tasted such food) are used to – go on try this place, it’s worth a culinary adventure.
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