• Simple Turkish food from an old favourite: dinner at Alba’s

109 Elgin St
Carlton 3053
03 9347 0006
http://www.ablas.com.au/

Simple Turkish food seems to be trending Nouveau Potato lately.  Last week, M and I added to this with dinner at Alba’s – a casual spot conveniently located on Elgin Street.  This family run and owned establishment opened in 1979 with a focus on traditional, home-style food.

We were seated upstairs, which was empty when we arrived but filled up with large groups later in the night.  Our assigned waitress was very pleasant and attentively waited to serve our table.  One of the other waitresses had a disinterested manner.  I suppose the service depends on who is serving.

We ordered the mixed dips to share.  The labnee was made with thick yoghurt, herbed and drizzled with olive oil.  The baba ghannooj was nice and smokey with a soft texture.  The top was sprinkled with chilli, a nice addition.  The hummous was blended with tahini and also dusted with powdered chilli.


There is a vegetarian section on the menu but mostly of small dishes.  The falafels were crunchy on the outside but a bit too dense in the middle and verging on dry.  They were served on tomatoes with tahini, parsley and coriander.


The green beans were soft and subtly flavoured with lemon and tomato.


M claims to have tried many baklavas but that Abla’s has the best out of all the restaurants she has visited lately.  I agree that this dessert was much better than the one we ate at Hellenic Republic.  It was crammed full of crushed nuts delicately flavoured with honey and spices.  The pastry was light with more layers at the bottom carefully dipped in rose water.


The food was nice.  Simple and not over stated.

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