Israeli food has become cool in recent years. Almost every middle-class household owns at least one cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi, while the Palomar has been a destination venue in London since its doors opened in 2014. Expectations are now markedly higher than a decade ago, and while Bala Baya did shows flashes of potential genius, it was left wanting in several areas.
The success story behind Israeli cooking is down to its location. Geography means that the country’s cuisine takes influences from across the Mediterranean, Levant and broader Middle East. Travel to Israel (as your reviewer has done regularly) and diners benefit from a hectic, somewhat spontaneous and party-like vibe in almost every venue. It’s always going to be harder to replicate this in more staid London, particularly on a weekday lunchtime with the country just emerging from the pandemic. Nonetheless, chef Eran Tibo has good tools with which to work. He trained under Yotam and the venue where he gets to practise his trade is an on-trend location; white-walled, low-lit and situated under a railway arch between Southwark and London Bridge.
So far, so good. Our server was full of enthusiasm and the menu also promised much. Everything is intended for sharing, with vegetarian offerings comprising half the list – a pleasingly high ratio – and fish/ meat options (split equally) the remainder. We were recommended to choose up to six dishes and opted for five. However, we only ate four since Bala Baya – despite being half empty when we visited – got one of our orders wrong and was unable to prepare our requested dish sufficiently quickly (unfortunately we were time-constrained). Of the ones we did get to sample, style over substance would probably be the fairest summary. Prawn baklava (pictured) was an aesthetic masterpiece and the arguable highlight of our quartet; something genuinely novel, combining the pescine and sweet, with lime in various forms – syrup, cream and dust – providing a mediating balance. The monkfish was also a success, but more as a function of its harissa caramel and lemon aioli than its tempura batter, which was overly greasy. Aubergine mess was over-complicated with the presence of lychee as incongruous, while Baya’s take on cauliflower crumble could have been cribbed from an Ottolenghi cookbook and bordered on the homemade.
Bala Baya is full of good intention (as well as being fairly priced). I would like to return with more time and of an evening to see the venue’s full potential, but there are certainly better Israeli options currently available across London.