Babae — Restaurant in Victoria

We had lunch at Babae Restaurant at the elegant Vera’s Hotel in Ballarat. How simple that sounds. In fact we shared a most outstanding experience at the finest restaurant in the district, Babae. Arrival at the door of this beautifully restored old building is the beginning of an occasion.

We’re led down the entrance hall with its beautiful floor, large hall table nursing splendid greenery, and past the most inviting library, into the restaurant. Your heart beats a little faster. This lovely room is filled with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows overlooking a wonderful water garden. The water sparkles making patterns on the walls, soft splashes, calming.

There are seven tables, well spaced for conversation. The kitchen is open, a floor show. Chairs are chosen for comfort as well as aesthetics, a little stool is tucked under the table for handbags. Everything has been so carefully considered. Our delightful hostess - she deserves the title, she is no mere waitress - welcomes us and unfurls our napkins; the journey begins. Cocktails first, of course!

The simple design of the menu belies what is to come. As each item of food is presented to us our hostess details its origin, its composition. We begin with mushroom parfait with onion marmalade - it’s almost too pretty to eat! This little morsel is topped by edible flowers from the garden - Babae Restaurant is serviced by its own extensive kitchen garden - the parfait so smooth it’s like liquid velvet. Then it’s a tapioca crisp with smoked Tuki trout and Yarra Valley roe, delicious, followed by a Long Paddock ‘Bluestone’ gougere. So rich, so creamy, don’t let it run down your chin!

We next have beautiful hot, hot, sourdough bread with wonderful Inglenook butter and - dehydrated Vegemite! Who would have thought? It’s utterly delicious. Our next delight is lemon cured Hiramasa Kingfish, served with pickled quince, walnuts, garlic chips. The Kingfish melts in the mouth, the flavour delicate, subtle. We’re thinking it doesn’t get any better than this.

Until … the buttermilk poached pork arrives with choucroute, Pontiac potatoes, bacon crumb, and served with a delightful concoction of Beluga lentils, ham hock, Harcourt apple. Oh so good - the pork soft and tender, the ham hock salty, oniony. The potatoes perfect. I didn’t mention the Brussels sprouts, Brussels sprouts like you’ve never tasted them. All absolutely delicious.

To complete this wonderful menu there was steamed pudding. Well sort of. Dear little puddings served with golden yellow saffron poached pears, pistachios, meringue, crème Anglaise. Our hostess recommended that we try each thing separately, then together. How wise; the complexity of flavours in this lovely dessert was deep, warm. I meant to ask what was the flavour in the meringues, it was gorgeous. And so, with excellent coffee, ended our splendid meal.

A few notes to add : each dish was served in such style, lovely pottery dishes, little bowls, little jugs, wooden planks, all of the same genre but all different. The cutlery weighty, yet dainty too. The hostess always attentive but never intrusive. The entire meal timed perfectly, no part rushed, nothing left too long. The kitchen cabaret was magic, we were right there able to observe every move, each dish being plated, as if choreographed. And yet - there was no kitchen noise. No pans clanking on the stove tops, no chatter, no dinging bells, no whooshing of fans or whirr of dishwashers. There was no kitchen smell, so inviting on arrival, not so much at the end of the meal.

Thank you to you all at Babae for the most outstanding, memorable experience. If I was a professional food critic I would award you 20 out of 20, and would be short changing you. We are now...

Had the best lunch after a long time, first of you walk into the beautiful waiting area with fire place and enter the open kitchen dining area had the pleasure to sit infront of the kitchen. Staring with the snakes the mushroom parfait, tomato tart and garden fig seems like a mouthfull but as soon as you bit is disappears with amazing flavours. Then comes the scallops with a subtle taste perfectly cooked trout balancing it with sauce vierge and corn sabayon. The a duck cooked to perfection giving it the time it deserves to rest with fortune Cabbage, Pickled ruhbab and wolf berries gives it a good combination of richness and freshness. I was already full at the time but can't say no to the Harcourt baked apple with kanaf pastry and cardamom ice cream to calm your sweet tooth with yum and crunch. This is what you get when you have amazing management and chefs that get good/local produce to do justice with it. Thanks to the owners who work there and greeted me, head chef Hunter and amazing sous chef and a great host who gives the wine to need to appreciate the food. Had a great time Thanks guys and...

Our experience at Babae was truly exceptional. The atmosphere felt intimate and relaxed, with only a few tables and the chefs cooking right in the same room—it made the whole evening feel personal and special. Nothing was rushed, and the vibe was wonderfully laid-back.

The staff were absolutely lovely—friendly, attentive, and genuinely charming. Unlike many fine dining spots that can feel a bit stiff, Babae was bright, welcoming, and full of positive energy. From the moment we walked in, we felt like part of a family.

The food? Incredible. Every course was crafted with such attention to detail, and honestly, we couldn’t even pick a favorite—they were all that good. The next day, we dined at a two-hat restaurant, but it didn’t come close. Babae completely set the standard for us.

We’ll definitely be back. More people need to...