Bavel: Restaurant Review
Bavel is a middle eastern restaurant in downtown L.A.’s Arts District. The chefs creating the magic are Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis, also known from the popular Bestia restaurant.
Even though I live in Chicago and only go back to LA every couple of months, Bavel has been at the top of my list each visit . You definitely need to book it a few weeks in advance, so I made the reservation a month before one of my LA trips this past spring.
The day finally came, and I was so excited to try all the dishes people had raved about like the hummus, the oyster mushroom kebabs and the babaganoush. The first thing I noticed about Bavel upon entering the restaurant, besides the pretty green vines dangling down from the ceilings, is that it was LOUD. I had read that a typical night there averages at 92 decibels, which is apparently potentially damaging. Seated at a table of six, right in the middle of the restaurant, we pretty much had to scream to hear each other, but it was still a fun vibe!
The first dish that hit the table was the baba ghanoush. WOW. I was not expecting it to be that amazing! It was smokey, had some tahini, with a mushroom and eggplant salad, and a fried curry leaf on top. It was complemented by a side of fried pita. Dipping that fried pita into the baba ghanoush was something I could have continued to do the rest of the night. But don’t worry, I saved room for the rest!
We ordered the regular hummus (although I’ve heard great things about the duck ‘nduja hummus). It was deliciously creamy, spiced up a bit with green and red chili paste. It of course came with some amazing pita as well. Overall an excellent version of this classic!
The last dip was the farm cheese. Made with rose za’atar, olive oil, maldon, and a side of buckwheat loaf. This was another delicious dish we found hard to put aside.
Next up we were served a series of veggie dishes - the artichoke and cucumber, carrots, and turnips.
The artichoke and cucumber salad was very light, refreshing, and tangy. It had an orange blossom vinaigrette and rose pickled onions that added a nice zing to the dish. My sisters said even said it tasted magical.
The moroccan carrots were cooked to perfection, and even looked like perfection, with little slices sitting nicely atop some meyer lemon infused yogurt. The combination of carrots and yogurt was delightful.
The coal roasted turnips were probably the least exciting dish of the night. The pieces were somewhat large, so when you bit into one it was quite wet... but I suppose they were hydrating.
The malawach came next. Malawach is a traditional Yemenite Jewish and Israeli fried bread. The bread was layered and crispy, and came with grated tomato, dill crème fraiche, aged egg, strawberry zhoug. You take a piece of bread, spread all the ingredients on top, and you have some amazing and unforgettable few bites.
One of my favorite dishes was the oyster mushroom kabob. The mushrooms arrive at the table still pierced with the thick kabob stick, which the waiter then removes in front of you. The mushrooms are seasoned with sumac and sit atop a lovage and cardamom puree. So delicious! Each bite was juicy, flavorful, and meaty, and the puree added a very nice dimension. I’d definitely recommend trying this, even if you’re not a mushroom fan.
Last dish was the slow roasted lamb neck shawarma. This was a large portion, and is designed on top of a huge piece of laffa bread. At this point I had a hard time eating any more bread. But the lamb neck was tender, rich, and perfectly flaky, served with some pickled vegetables that complemented it beautifully.
For dessert we had the rose clove chocolate donuts and the licorice root ice cream bonbon. Both had a great combination of textures and flavors, but to be honest it was hard to have more than a few tiny bites after such a hearty meal!
I liked my experience at Bavel because the dishes have both modern and classic takes on middle eastern cuisine. As as a Persian girl, I enjoyed flavors such as sumac, cardamom and rose which are staples of Persian cuisine. The food at Bavel definitely lived up to the hype, and I’m already looking forward to going back!