Baba's Place — Restaurant in Sydney

My overall experience is quite different to the amount of people that recommended me this place. The ambience is definitely lovely and has that kitschy feel. However, the service I received from the person looking after us was sincerely beyond a level of shocking.

Firstly, the food had some hits and misses. The fish was really good and fresh, however, the steak tartare felt more like a savoury apple crumble from the amount of nuts and crunchiness it had, lacking the meat element of a stake tartare dish. The other food like salads and rice dishes felt quite plain and could have been skipped. Our recommended BBQ chicken tasted divine. However, our chips had a hair or a follicle that was deep-fried with the potatoes. When I pointed this out, it really threw off our table to want to eat more, and the restaurant assistant took it back to the kitchen, noting that it was hard to tell as the strand had been deep fried. They later advised that it was the hair of the brush used to coat the chips or the chicken.

I was offered more chips to compensate the issue. In reflecting at the time and now, I truly feel that this is not quite sufficient for a dinning experience that warrants an impeccable experience, bearing in mind that an apology was not offered. Thus, I had rejected this offer and kept eating in sadness and disgust as our table’s order was quite extensive.

When we paid for the bill, this was where the service went down hill. I will preface by stating that this was the first time that I have ever spoken up regarding the quality of food presented to me at a restaurant. We had expressed that we should not have been obliged to pay for the chicken, given what had occurred, and we were told “but you ate almost all of it.” When my friend and the waiter got into a heated discussion, I then had to jump in and calmly explained that for the amount of food we ordered ($260 for 2 people), in addition to having a reputation as a unique place to eat, we would want a comfortable eating experience that exceeds expectation which was simply not provided. I had also mentioned that whether or not the hair was growing from a head, or was detatched from a brush, the food was given to us contaminated and posed as a potential bio-hazard if swallowed. The assistant then said “I highly doubt that” in response to what I had mentioned. We were then offered to be compensated 2 side dishes that had a total of $20 to which I was not satisfied, given the situation that occurred. As well, we were told that since we were taking away the left overs, the representative did not feel this this was fair, and therefore the conversation was awkward in terms of how it was going to be delt. They then said that they did not want to compensate the BBQ chicken because it was $68 dollars and was the most expensive dish we had ordered. I was very polite and calm in sharing this feedback, whilst stating that they have to put themselves in our shoes, and imagine how would they feel if they spent money on food that was not served or delivered to its best standard.

In adverse situations like this, I can understand that it is a business. The choice of words used to resolve our query and as well the way that it was handled was however really poor i. my opinion. It was overall disappointing that I was recommended by many people to visit, only to share after that I had the most sour dinning experience I have had, thus far. In the end, the restaurant representative had compensated the BQQ chicken, and rolled their eyes and passed over the eftpos machine. I truly believe that if this situation was tackled right at the time of us flagging the hair/strand/brush follicle, by offering to compensate the dish right there and then, or given us free dessert as a sign of good gesture, it would of really turned around and repaired the experience that we had.

Unfortunately, I do not see myself coming back here. I would strongly encourage the owners and the management team of this restaurant to address these valid concerns, and train their staff on how to handle...

(3.5 stars) Baba’s Place clearly speaks to the new residents of Marrickville. They flock to this homely warehouse makeover with its mismatched chairs and plastic-on-lace tablecloth settings for family-style dining. The dishes are nothing you couldn’t come up with at home with the right clash of cultures. Home-made yoghurt ($22) topped with chickpeas, garlic chive oil, almonds and a dark pita crumb; the cucumber salad ($18) with sesame, burnt shallot and shiso; and the warm potato salad ($18) with egg sauce, dill and capers, were all good examples of suburban dishes you’ve likely made your own version of at your place. The exceptions to this rule were an interesting beef tartare ($28) overlaid with blackened roasted corn, funky fermented daikon, and a zippy hot sauce, and the signature pink taramasalata squiggles ($14/each) sitting on Japanese milk bread with a sprinkling of bottarga and whey-pickled cucumbers.

Despite being informed by Callan Boys that Rachael Trewin has compiled “a smashing drinks list”, I struggled with a complete lack of Chardonnay to find something to suit the wacky mix of cuisines. We grudgingly took a 2020 Bertrand Bespoke Field Blend ($75) but instead of extending to greet each dish (like Chardonnay would have) it outstayed its welcome after one glass. Boys also cooed over the confit tuna ($32) cooked in oil and presented as a patty that looks like canned meat with roasted fennel, lupin beans and spring vegetables. I didn’t like it at all.

Menu prices here are steep, so the set menu ($80/each) probably represents the best value. You won’t leave hungry either: our table of five was swimming in Pure Black barley-fed Black Angus sirloins with the arrival of three tagliata steaks sandwiched between red pepper sauce and chermoula. They were accompanied by two springy green collections of cos lettuce ($14), herbs, and pumpkin seeds, lightly dressed in verjuice vinaigrette. Semolina cake ($16) had more pretty piping but I struggled with the super-sweet collision of honey, cream cheese, persimmon...

Such an incredible incredible dining experience. Week 3 since opening and they were packed to the brim! Which is amazing post lockdown for a new restaurant! I think what truly transformed it for us were the cultural & family stories that went into the making and sourcing of every dish or drink on the menu. It just added to the entire experience for our group of 4. The menu itself is quite small, which makes it super easy to pick and share! From the labne, to the scallops, to the noodle to the fried fish, everything was full of flavour, had an interesting story behind it and really just takes you to the rich cultures and diversity within the suburbs of western Sydney, which is exactly what this restaurant wants to do! I hope the team here keep sharing their stories and background and bringing more cultural knowledge and flavours to the people of Sydney! We had the lovely Alex look after us that evening, and loved our dining experience. Because he took it from just food, to food with a story, and an experience to remember surrounded by the things they grew up with! It trumped as the best dining experience of the last 12 months for me and there have been some amazing openings in Sydney!

If I had to say one thing that needs a bit of work is the acoustics in the space. It just gets so loud and echoey and you do have to kind of talk really loud to be heard even at our small table of 4.

You guys keep doing you! Will definitely be back +...