Mecca Bah, Manuka

It is a slightly chilly night when me and a friend go in search of a cosy restaurant in Manuka to eat and catch up on a few hours worth of chatting. After a drink and a few sweet nibbles at the Wine and Cheese Providore outside at Manuka Plaza, we take a little wander around. It is early, so we are in no big hurry. After a lovely little browse at Paperchain bookshop, we start some conversation around choice of restaurant. As often does, Kopi Tiam comes up as an option, but since I have been there quite recently (see previous post) I suggest perhaps somewhere different. We eventually settle on Mecca Bah, having been a very pleasant experience on previous visits.

One nice thing about Mecca Bah, especially when taking guests from out of town or for a special occasion, is the lovely decor and atmosphere. Outdoors is excellent for summer and warmer days and evenings, with a water feature, Moroccan influenced styling and well placed greenery. Inside is so cosy and quite intimate, despite being fairly large. At nighttime, the lighting is dimmed a lot, (including in the toilets!) which seems to enhance the lush colours of the fabrics surrounding the couches on the edge of the room. There is also a fireplace with a coppery rangehood, which adds greatly to the atmosphere. I think it would be quite a romantic place for a date!

Unfortunately, the lack of bright lighting also means flash photography, which meant a lot of my photos were a bit washed out. It also meant I couldn't capture accurately the decor, it looked quite ordinary with a flash. Oh well!

The outdoor area at Mecca Bah

As we consult the menu, we realise that it is going to be a difficult choice. Mecca have a very comprehensive Mezze menu which means that it is a genuine option just to share lots of mezze plates and feel quite satisfied, especially for lunch. Every mezze plate I have tried there so far has been fantastic and there is a good mixture of vegetarian and meat dishes.

The main sized dishes are also wonderful and this is where we have some trouble deciding. After some consultation with the waitress we decide on a combination of mezze and mains. We have two mezze plates to start, the Spicy lamb and pine nut boureks, and the kofte. The boureks come out on a colourful Moroccan plate, and both dishes sit atop a bed of thick and delicious yoghurt sauce. There are three servings to a plate. Both dishes are very tasty, particularly the meaty, moist kofte which is great with the yoghurt giving a luscious, tangy edge to the dish.

Kofte with yoghurt sauce


Lamb and Pine Nut Bourek

Our next dishes were the mains choices, a Chicken tagine with tomatoes, almond, sesame seeds and honey. I have tried this dish several times before and it has become a favourite. The sweetness of the honey is offset by the tartness of the tomato and the couscous at the base of the liquidy tagine combined with the sesame gives a pleasant grainy texture to the dish. The chicken is fall apart luscious and perfect cold weather food, satisfying to the body and spirit.

Chicken tagine with Tomato, Honey, Almond and Sesame

We have also ordered a Moroccan spiced calamari with Turkish bean salad. The calamari has been braised until incredibly tender and moist, the texture so far from the rubbery calamari I have tried at many restaurants. The tomatoey, oily, spicy marinade is in great contrast to the simple bean salad the calamari sits atop. With both long green beans, parsley and butter beans, the salad adds a freshness to the dish that works well with the rich calamari meat.

Moroccan Spiced Calamari with Turkish Bean Salad

Mecca also have a good selection of wines both by the bottle and the glass. I am not a big drinker but decide on a rose as a good match for the dishes, and choose a glass of the quirkily named 'Jose the Rose', which is quite sweet, but nice and cold and refreshing with the rich dishes.

At this point, the stomach capacity is diminishing, but my friend and I are so tempted by the dessert menu that we decide we can fit in a little more. I can't resist the icecreams, particularly as they come in a three scoop serve which means you can try three different flavours. I choose baked apple, date and vanilla and raspberry sorbet, and am not disappointed. My favourite is probably the date and vanilla, the milky, fragrant icecream studded with sweet sticky pieces of date. My friend has the pistachio maamoul, which is a bit like a dense shortbread pastry mounded over a thick, coarse pistachio paste. It is tasty, but I think I prefer the icecream to finish. We also partake in some of the T2 teas on offer, with more unusual varieties such as lemongrass and ginger and turkish apple.

Trio of Icecreams - Raspberry Sorbet, Baked Apple and Vanilla and Date

Pretty tea tray with Moroccan tea glasses!

So, a lovely finish to a lovely meal. Mecca Bah really is quite unique in its place in the restaurant scene in Canberra for several reasons, including that of being the only Moroccan restaurant that I know of. I am also quite impressed with the fact that the high quality of food and service seem to have been maintained since its opening, unlike many other restaurants that I have experienced here, which start out wonderful and then get sloppy as time passes.

All in all, highly recommended! And don't forget this one guys for major romantic brownie points.... :)