Location: Ali Baba restaurant (www.alibaba-restaurant.ro ), in Bucharest is located in Blvd Muncii area, on Sos. Mihai Bravu No 213, near the junction between Calea Calarasilor, Blvd Basarabia and Blvd Decebal. Far from being the strong point of the restaurant, the location is still easy to reach, due to the presence of the metro nearby. In fact those who live in the area and come here for lunch, or dinner, are enough for the local ,the capacity of which does not exceed 100 seats. There is also a terrace, of course, with around 30 seats, open during the warm seasons of the year.
Cuisine: Opened at the end of 2008, by a Turk with Swedish citizenship, passionate with cuisine, involved in retail with fruit and vegetables in Romania, Ali Baba offers an oriental menu, with dishes from the Lebanese, Turkish, Syrian and Iraqi cuisine, cooked by chefs from Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, with large experience in the area. “I cook too, many times.” says the owner, Altunci David. The investment stood at 125,000 Euro and the location is rented.“Our menus are very rich, although we did not include all the Turkish dishes, we tried to bring variety adding dishes from other oriental cuisines also. We have soups of all kinds, oriental and European salads, chicken and veal cooked in the oven and on grill, with rice and potatoes and Oriental desserts. There are 14 dishes cooked every day, displayed in the shop window, for customers to see what they eat and that everything is fresh.” says Altunci David.
A detail that attracts the customers and gives personality to the restaurant is the permanent presence of the owner, a cheerful and very open character, who goes to every table, talks to everybody and makes sure people are served as they should. Paradoxically, the customers are 80 per cent Romanians, due to the high number of similarities between the Romanian and the Turkish cuisine. Arabs, Turks, Italians and English people come here as well.
The oriental cuisine, in the centre of which there are the well-known kebab and shaorma, sold at every street corner, includes Asian and Balkan influences. The food is light and healthy, as the sauces are simple and natural. The lack of dishes made of pork, difficult to digest, is another element that supports healthy nutrition. The lamb dominates the Turkish cuisine, but the chicken and the veal are just as demanded. Veal or chicken Ras as fur (chunks of chicken or veal, fried in the pan with onion and red pepper and pomegranate), veal or chicken Sharhat (chicken breast or veal in lemon sauce, coriander and mint), shaorma, kebab, skewers or minced meat spiced with highly flavoured spices, are the basic dishes of the Turkish cuisine.
The garnishes that can be ordered at Ali Baba are based on potatoes and simple or briami rice, but there are also boiled and fried vegetables. But the big star of the Turkish cuisine is the aubergine, prepared in various ways and served either as main dish, either as garnish. Karniyarik – very popular in the traditional Turkish families is a dish that contains aubergines mixed with onion, garlic, tomatoes and minced meat, cooked in the oven.
Although Turkey produces and consumes a lot of fish: anchovy, mackerel, code, this cannot be found in the menu of Ali Baba restaurant.
Although it is light, the Turkish menu can prove a real challenge for the stomach through the large number of dishes eaten together. The meal starts with meze (appetiser) including a salad, which can be Fatush (green salad, tomatoes, onion, pepper, mint, cucumbers and parsley), Tabule (tomatoes, parsley, wheat germs) or olives, with cold appetisers Humous (a chickpea pasta), Baba Ghanouj (aubergine pasta with sesame), Sanclis (dried cheese, thyme, pepper, red onion and parsley), Labneh (yoghurt paste with mint) or even cabbage rolls with veal, that can be eaten with white bread, or bread with yellow cheese or meat. The cold appetiser can be replaces by a warm appetiser made of chicken or yellow cheese fried bullets, fried chicken wings, Falafel (chickpea balls with sesame paste), Balila (barley, almonds, pistachio and lemon) and spiced potatoes. The main dish including one type of steak with garnish is followed by a dessert: Baklava, Kasta, Kilimanjaro, rice with milk or Ali Baba Night.
Ayran, light yoghurt mixed with water and salt is the main drink that accompanies most of the meals. The Turks also drink beer and wine and between the meals, the black tea and the Turkish coffee are always present. At Ali- Baba no type of alcoholic drink is served
Setting: The atmosphere is both relaxed and mysterious, created with the help of the oriental music, the difuse light and the setting, full of oriental elements. The walls are covered with pictures with renowned oriental characters, with Ali Baba and the cave with fortunes in the front line, story that gives the name of the restaurant as well. The columns and the vaults specific to the oriental architecture, the drapes with elaborated embroideries and numerous adornment objects, such as palm trees, camels and opulent chandeliers, combined in a space that reminds of the “One thousand and one nights”. The chromatics is warm and elegant, with shades of red, yellow, black and white.
Ali- Baba: Mirodenii si esente orientale puternice intrepatrunse cu farmecul irezistibil al celor o mie si una de nopti ale Seherezadei
Locatie: Restaurant Ali Baba (www.alibaba-restaurant.ro ), din Bucuresti este localizat in zona Muncii, pe Soseaua Mihai Bravu la nr 213, in apropiere de intersectia cu Calea Calarasilor, Bulevardul Basarabia si Bulevardul Decebal. Departe de a fi punctul forte al restaurantului, locatia este totusi usor accesibila, datorita prezentei metroului in apropiere. De altfel, clientii care locuiesc in zona si vin aici fie la pranz, fie la cina, sunt suficienti pentru localul a carui capacitate nu depaseste 100 de locuri. Exista desigur si o terasa, cu aproximativ 30 de locuri, deschisa in perioada calda.
Specific: Deschis la finalul lui 2008, de catre un turc, cetatean suedez, pasionat de arta culinara, implicat in comert cu legume si fructe in Romania, Ali Baba ofera un meniu oriental, cu feluri de mancare din bucataria libaneza, persana, turceasca, siriana, irakiana, gatite de maestrii bucatari din Turcia, Liban si din Irak cu experienta bogata in domeniu. “Gatesc si eu de multe ori.” spune proprietarul, Altunci David. Investitia a fost de 125.000 de Euro, iar locatia este inchiriata.
“Meniurile noastre sunt foarte bogate, desi nu am inclus toate preparatele turcesti, ci am incercat sa aducem varietate adaugand si preparate din alte bucatarii orientale. Avem ciorbe de toate felurile, salate orientale, dar si europene, carne de pui si vita gatita la cuptor si la gratar cu garnituri de orez si cartofi si deserturi specific orientale. Sunt 14 feluri de mancare gatita zilnic, expuse in vitrina, sa vada clientii ce mananca si sa stie ca totul este proaspat.” spune Altunci David.
Un amanunt care atrage clientii si personalizeaza restaurantul este prezenta permanenta a patronului, un personaj jovial si foarte deschis, care trece pe la toate mesele, sta de vorba cu toata lumea si se asigura ca oamenii sunt serviti asa cum trebuie. Paradoxal, clientii sunt in proportie de 80 la suta romani, datorita numarului mare de similitudini dintre bucataria romaneasca si buctaria turceasca. Mai vin aici si arabi, turci, italieni si englezi.
Bucataria orientala, in centrul careia se afla binecunoscutele kebab si shaorma, vandute la orice colt de strada, include influente din Asia si din Balcani. Mancarea este usoara si sanatoasa, pentru ca sosurile sunt simple si naturale. Lipsa preparatelor din carne de porc, greu de digerat, reprezinta un alt element care vine in sprijinul alimentatiei sanatoase. Carnea de miel domina buctaria turceasca, dar si cea de pui si de vita sunt la fel de cautate. Ras as fur de vita sau de pui (cubulete de vita sau de pui calite in tigaie cu ceapa so ardei gras si sos de rodii), sharhat de vita sau de pui (piept de pui sau vita in sos de lamiae, coriandru si menta), shaorma, kebab, frigarui sau carne tocata si condimentata cu mirodenii foarte aromate, sunt felurile de baza ale bucatariei turcesti.
Garniturile care pot fi servite la Ali Baba sunt pe baza de cartofi sau de orez briami sau simplu, dar exista si legume sote. Insa marea vedeta a bucatariei turcesti este vanata, preparata intr-o multitudine de feluri si servita fie ca fel principal, fie sub forma de garnitura. Karniyarik – foarte popular in familiile traditionale turcesti, este un fel de mancare care contine vinete amestecate cu ceapa, usturoi, rosii si carne tocata, pregatit la cuptor.
Desi Turcia produce si consuma mult peste: hamsie, macrou, cod, acesta nu se regaseste in meiul restaurantului Ali Baba.
Meniul turcesc este unul usor, insa se poate dovedi o adevarata provocare pentru stomac prin numarul mare de feluri servite impreuna. Masa debuteaza cu un meze (aperitiv) forma dintr-o salata, care poate fi Fatush (salata verde, rosii, ceapa, ardei, menta, castraveti si pantrunjel), Tabule (rosii, patrunjel, germeni de grau) sau de masline, alaturi de gustari reci precum Humous (o pasta din naut), Baba Ghanouj (pasta de vinete cu susan), Sanclis (braza uscata, cimpru, ardei, ceapa rosie si patrunjel), Labneh (pasta de iaurt cu menta) sau chiar sarmale in foi de vita servite cu lipie alba, cu cascaval cu carne. Gustarea rece poate fi inlocuita de o gustare calda compusa din crochete de pui sau de cascaval, aripioare prajite, Falafel (chiftelute din naut cu pasta de susan), Balila (orz, migdale, fistic si lamiae) si cartofi picanti. Felul principal, compus dintr-un tip de carne cu garnitura, este urmat de desert: Baklava, Kasta, Kilimanjaro, orez cu lapte sau Noapte Ali Baba.
Ayranul, un iaurt subtire batut cu apa si cu sare este bautura de baza care acompaniaza majoritatea meselor. Turcii mai beau si bere si vin, iar intre mese ceaiul negru si cafeaua turceasca sunt indispensabile. La restaurantul Ali Baba, nu se serveste insa niciun fel de bautura alcoolica.
Decor: Atmosfera este in egala masura relaxata si misterioara, creata prin intermediul muzicii orientale, luminii difuze si decorului incarcat de elemente orientale. Peretii sunt acoperiti de picturi cu personaje orientale renumite din cele “O mie si una de nopti” ale Seherezadei, la loc de cinste fiind Ali Baba si pestera cu comori, poveste care da si numele restaurantului. Coloanele si boltele specifice arhitecurii orientale, perdelele cu broderii elaborate, dar si numeroasele obiecte artizanale precum palmieri, camile, lustre si candelabre opulente, s-au imbinat intr-un spatiu care aminteste de “O mie si una de nopti”. Paleta cromatica este calda, si eleganta, cu nuante de rosu, galben, negru si alb.
