It’s all good at Sabbaba

Those all-too-rare moments when all is good in the world – why can’t they happen more often? It was a cruisey Sunday with a nice bit of sunshine followed by a cruisey early evening.

All was good in at least my bubble and rather than to tempt fate into the kitchen, we headed out to Newtown for a casual dinner care of a Jump on It voucher.

One of the many wall murals inside Sabbaba, King Street, Newtown

I often pass Sabbaba in Newtown while in transit; its bright yellow signage standing out from the hustle of King Street. From the street it looks lively and vibrant, and on this Sunday evening, they were handing out samples of their popular falafels to passersby.

Graffiti portrait art lines the walls where diners sit in to dine, while Sabbaba also does a busy takeaway trade as Jack Johnson casually strums away in the background. Some also just walk in for a piece of two of baklava which is made onsite.

‘How to Sabbaba’ is explained to us, and it’s a new experience for me. Select your meal to be served in a pita pocket, plate or bowl, and then select a filling to go with an array of dips and/or salads.

Little Creatures Pale Ale and Original Pilsner

Our voucher included a beer or glass of wine; the former option quite posh with Corona, Pure Blonde or two brews of Little Creatures. We opt for the latter two, a clean and refreshing Pilsner, and a sweet and fruity Pale Ale.

(A bit of beer trivia: the Pale Ale has 5.2% alcohol content while the Original Pilsner has 4.6%; I never would have guessed by taste.)

Cutlery holder and menu on the tables

Within only minutes of ordering at the counter, our meals are brought over looking very large and every bit as vibrant as the restaurant itself.

I was informed that the pita pocket was the lighter feed, the plate the biggest while the bowl was salad-heavy – something for everyone and every occasion it seems.

Bowl with crumbed fish

I offset my healthy salad bowl with a crumbed fish filling – the fish of the day being barramundi. The crumb outer is fried to a dark tone, zingy with lemon and herbs, but the thin slice of fish inside is still silky smooth.

Pita bread

The bowl includes one dip of tahini, one halved pita bread and an abundance of salad: mixed leaves, shredded red cabbage, a village salad of diced tomato and cucumber, tasty chickpeas, salty pickles and super-fresh tabouli.

It may well have been the largest bowl of salad I’ve ever eaten and also probably the healthiest main meal (fried fish aside) ever. The chickpeas and tabouli were the favourites although the cabbage was also surprisingly flavourful.

Dips from the plate

The plate included all the same salads except the mixed leaves, and mostly smaller servings. This was made up for by an extra pita bread (making four halves!) and other dips of hummous, babaganoush and a fiery red salsa that stood out in a sea of beige dips.

Plate with lamb shish

This plate had the lamb shish filling; cubes of could-be-more-tender lamb in a mild spice seasoning. The meat wasn’t dry, especially when dunked into one or more of the dips, but the slight chewiness made it a little bit of hard work.

And if the giant plates and bowls weren’t enough, dessert followed as part of our voucher. Sabbaba has a surprisingly large variety of desserts, from a tonne of different rum balls to Turkish delight to cookies – but there was no going past the baklava, especially as we were sitting right next to the syrupy pastry-laden cabinet.

Tulip baklava (left) and log baklava (right)

The most popular is the log baklava, we’re told, though I have a thing for the shape of the tulip ones. The baklava are made fresh on premises while some of the other nutty slices and the pistachio nest are bought in.

My tulip baklava is perfection. I bite from the crispy, syrup-doused, layered corners of filo pastry and am rewarded with an immediate sugar hit, a touch of natural saltiness from the nuts and instant happiness. The centre is crumbly and I make sure to pick up every last bit of falling filling – with the sticky bottom of the baklava.

The main dine-in area

Dinner at Sabbaba was fun and new, and it was a great venue to freshen up Middle Eastern cuisine and my own dining-out experiences. I’m keen to try the chicken shawarma and lamb or beef kofte next time, maybe in a pita pocket, just to change things up. However it’s served up, I'm sure it’s all good.