Gigibaba

Lazy Lazy Lizzy…  I have eaten at Gigibaba three times in the last four months yet I still haven’t written about it.  This is not to say that it doesn’t deserve to be written about and that I haven’t enjoyed myself immensely on every occasion, it is purely down to my own laziness.  The fact that I keep going back should really speak for itself.

This Turkish Restaurant is still very popular and doesn’t take bookings so I usually try and get there early or otherwise on a school night to guarantee a table or a seat at the bar.  The menu changes daily, so every visit is a surprise.  The good thing about a changing menu is that you are always forced to try something new rather than just ordering ‘the regular’. The bad thing about a changing menu is that you never know when you are going to be able to have that mind blowing Babaganoush again….

Gigibaba is a hard place to find as it doesn’t seem to have a sign out the front.  If you get stuck it is near Wooden Spoon and a pizza place on Smith Street.  The first thing that I noticed in the restaurant was the multitude of giant light bulbs hanging from their cords on the ceiling, I will be trying to replicate this effect at my new house. It is a cosy restaurant seating only 25 people with the main focus being the bar.  It is highly likely you will be sitting at the bar unless you come in a group of four or more.  I personally love sitting at the bar as you feel more involved, can spy on other people’s dishes and smell the aroma of Turkish coffee being brewed in front of you.

The food is fresh and simple with the focus being on the main ingredient.  Do not come to Gigibaba expecting to eat an Chicken Tagine with Rosewater, Vodka and Butterfly wings rather you will probably be ordering delicious lamb kofte (I hear it is made by the chefs mother?), sardines on a thin crouton, squab pigeon, cauliflower and pomegranate salad or the chefs own version of an Israeli Shaksouka.  I think that there could be a few more adventurous items on the menu as there were when Gigibaba first opened because there is no doubt that the chef Ismail Tosun can cook.  I get worried that he might lose his passion and disappear again.

I recommend you go to Gigibaba with one or two close friends that don’t mind sharing and order your courses sporadically throughout the evening over multiple bottles of wine.