Babble Bar and Cafe

4 Izett St 
Prahran, VIC 3181

http://www.babblebarandcafe.com.au/

I’VE FINISHED WITH UNI!! Well, sort of. As of October 24^th, I’ve officially finished the last lecture of my pharmacy degree. I may have exams and an entire year of internship coming up, and I’ll definitely be coming back to do a PhD, but it’s still nice to finally not have to sit in endless lectures about drugs and more drugs. 

So this dinner at Babble Bar and Cafe, being on the Saturday right after I finished uni, turned into something of a semi-almost celebration. It certainly was the right place for it – the open fire crackling merrily in the corner and the high wooden ceilings made the restaurant feel like a cosy and intimate ski lodge, and the wooden verandas would be great for a drink when Melbourne’s weather stops being perpetually disgusting.

Golden Gaytime ($16)

Having just finished a day of work and an entire degree, it didn’t take much to convince me to order the Golden Gaytime ($16) off the extensive cocktail list. This delicious concoction of Bailey’s, butterscotch schnapps, Tia Maria, and cream was completed with a rim of caramel and crushed nuts. I once again proved how much of a lightweight I am when Chris made me stop drinking about half way through.

Jerk Spiced Calamari ($18)

We shared a starter of Jerk Spiced Calamari ($18) that was resoundingly mouth-watering. The thick, sticky sauce drizzled on top of the calamari was bursting with Middle Eastern spices, and the calamari itself was cooked to melting tenderness.  

Babble Beef Burger ($24)

For mains, Chris ordered the Babble Beef Burger ($24), which looked the part, but was unfortunately disappointing. The chunky patty, whilst juicy and pink, was very bland. The addition of melted cheese couldn’t really be tasted, though the smear of sweet and smoky capsicum relish gave the burger some much-needed flavour. The chips on the other hand, sliced thin and dusted with rosemary and sea salt, were great dipped into the wicked aioli. And although we left the salad largely untouched, I found the addition of coriander and mint to your usual salad greens to be a bold and ingenuous move. 

Fresh Pappardelle ($24)

Fresh Pappardelle ($24)

Feeling like something uncomplicated and comforting, I had the Fresh Pappardelle ($24), which was served with a ragout of duck, cooked in Pedro Ximenez until it’s sticky and almost toffee-like in sweetness. The liberal addition of fresh parsley lightened up the hearty combination of pasta, duck, and cheese. 

Sticky Date Pudding ($12)

Chris was chomp-asaurus-rex today, so we had no trouble fitting in dessert even after the substantial mains. We unanimously agreed on the Sticky Date Pudding ($12), which turned out to be a wise decision indeed. We interspersed the bites of hot, fluffy pudding with spoonfuls of cooling ice cream, swirled in the sticky butterscotch sauce.

Babble is a great place to go if you’re after something low-key and casual, yet a little bit special. The menu doesn’t push too many boundaries, but it does have some clever bits here and there, and overall reads (and tastes) like a more refined version of pub grub. The two hours we spent here, surrounded with affectionate hospitality, were enjoyable indeed.

Rating: 13.5/20 – babble in babble.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.

Sweet and Sour Fork dined as a guest of Babble Bar and Cafe.