A touch of Arabian Nights in the Valley's Emporium complex, Mecca Bah is an equally gorgeous replication of the original Mecca in Melbourne. A Middle-Eastern inspired oasis, the interior is ornamented with luxurious Arabic fabrics, Moorish hanging lamps, plush cushions and bolsters. Outdoors, wrought iron garden chairs and long, cushioned benches are arranged around a star-shaped, two-tiered water feature.
Drifting in from the semi-open kitchen, the smell of fresh bread from the wood-fire oven assails you. Mezze, perfectly suited to communal dining are tempting and varied, and constructing a full meal from the mezze menu isn't a bad way to go. The Turkish bread is excellent, accompanied by dips such as hummus and babaganoush. There are also sweet potato falafels with tahini and a Tunisian carrot salad: a blend of fragrant, garlic-heavy harissa vinaigrette, sweet roasted carrot and kalamata olives.
Tagine, the seminal dish of Morocco, can be sampled here in a variety of flavours, from chicken with tomato, almond, sesame and honey, to mussels with harissa and preserved lemon. The Turkish pizzas are superb. To finish the meal, there is Middle-Eastern halva ice-cream, Lebanese lady fingers, and gently perfumed Turkish delight.
Unfortunately, Mecca Bah "do not except [sic] bookings", and the restaurant gets incredibly busy both at lunch and dinner.
Fiona Davies, January 2006
