We visited the contemporary, Middle Eastern fine diner, Baraka, at Quest Mall to get a taste of their newly launched kebab festival, and it was a wholesome experience.
Keeping the Middle Eastern topography in mind, the diner has intelligently incorporated hues of deserts, including a beige palette, earthy tones, and pastel green, with a tree of life in the centre adding the perfect touch of ornamentation. The maroon accents add the right touch of cosy comfort to the décor.
Like their popular Middle Eastern dishes, the kebab fest too boasts preparations from Saudi Arabia, Istanbul, Iran, Morocco, Persia and more. We started the gustatory trail with kebab Istanbul, a deliciously juicy minced lamb item smothered with spices and char-grilled to perfection. The pieces were smokey and best had with pita bread, fresh veggie salad and harissa and labneh dips.
With the kebabs, you get unlimited portions of pita, salad and dips, and there’s a strong chance of ending up tasting all the kebabs on the menu. The Afghani chicken kebab has chicken strips marinated with hung curd, paprika, red bell pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and an in-house spice mix, providing a hint of heat to the preparation. Sipping on Limonana — a classic lemonade mint slush — offered a sweet relief.
We moved on to the Iranian kobideh kebab — a minced chicken, marinated with a hint of saffron, pickled green chilli, parsley, green olive, olive oil, and the special kebab mix. If you are looking for an alternative to the lamb kebab, this is a must-try. The Persian saffron kebab turned out to be our favourite. The distinctive taste of saffron lent a creamier and richer flavour to the meat, and it is definitely rare to find in any other city diner. While we were a little apprehensive that Middle Eastern kebabs would be intensely smoky, the diner ensured they were low on smokiness but packed with flavours, to suit the Indian palate. We washed it all down with Turkish Delight — a refreshing cocktail of vodka, coconut water, rose and fennel.
We ended our meal with a warm and delicious bowl of Umm Ali — a sweet, creamy Egyptian dessert served with a twist. While it is usually made with puff pastry sheets, this one has croissants layered with boiled milk and assorted nuts.
All Kebabs priced at Rs 449+
Meal for two: Rs 1,600+
Reservation: 8981626868