Mecca Bah

Mecca Bah is like an embodiment of the maxim, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The place has been a beacon of warmth and activity on the terrace above the Coles supermarket in Manuka for some years. Who knows what, if any, life would be found up here if it wasn't for this restaurant.

It spills outside to a decent-size seating area demarcated by low walls, heaters, cushions, lighting and little burners that give it all a sense of an exotic party, with the Bah bar also on the terrace.

Inside, the Moroccan luxe vibe continues with coloured cushions and banquettes, rows of tealights, and seating broken into different sections. The space seats 120 people, but doesn't feel massive, so well have things been divided and kept intimate.

We're greeted with warmth and professionalism at the door, then passed on to the wait staff. It's clear that whoever is managing the floor has put an emphasis on service. Despite dealing with a large number of diners, this is something Mecca Bah works hard to get right.

It's been perhaps 18 months since we last ate here, but the menu and even the wine list feel familiar. We're torn between ordering dishes we know and like and living on the edge with something new.

In the end, we mostly play it safe but we do have one dish that's new for us - chickpea-battered mussels with almond skordalia ($15). This comes as quite a big plate of about 14 pieces. They appear to have been halved before being battered and deep-fried. I don't really get the logic of chopping them up, but they're good. The robustness of the chickpea batter suits the robustness of the mussels and the batter is hot and full of flavour.

The Turkish bread is always hot and plentiful here; it's served crisp from the oven with dips - a super-smoky baba ghanoush, a thick and gently cheesy labneh, which we like, and hummus ($15.50). This is filling, but is nevertheless the way to start.

Next we head for the Turkish pizzas, as we're suckers for the thin bases, the big flavours and the way they're shaped like boats, the pastry twisted together at the ends.

Duck with shallots, garlic, coriander and saffron hollandaise ($25.50) contains pretty much just that. There's quite a lot of it all too, including the duck, decent meat, the coriander, which we like, and the creamy hollandaise, which I'm not sure adds much to this pizza.

The sardine pizza ($21) is filled with good sardines. You've got to love the roughhouse taste of these little fish, great with the caramelised onion and piled with rocket. I'm just wishing the roast tomato wasn't here. It reminds me of the old sundried tomato staple of the antipasto plate that had its day and is not ready to make a comeback yet.

The lamb meatballs baked with egg and spicy tomato sauce ($25) is another old favourite. It comes in the ceramic dish in which it has been baked. The sauce is good, rich, deeply red, heavily spiced and hot, with the taste of cumin quite prominent. There are perhaps only five meatballs in here, which is fairly minimal, and a couple of less-than-runny-yolked eggs baked on top, but this is a fine comfort dish.

We also order grilled chicken ''shish'', which is accompanied by yoghurt and fennel seed with couscous ($26.50), but in the end this dish never arrives. We're not put out as we have clearly ordered more than we can eat, but the guy we pay as we leave is upset and most apologetic. This is the kind of error he doesn't want to see on the floor, which is a good sign of a commitment to making your evening sing.

If it had arrived, I'm wondering whether it would have come on the long skewers, rather theatrically hanging from a kind of rack that I spy at a nearby table.

Another good thing at Mecca Bah is the highly decorative look of not only the furnishings, but also the plateware. It's colourful, coherent and Tunisian themed.

The wine list is serviceable, with a pretty good range at the cheaper end and one or two of each variety offered by the glass. As we go to print, it's getting a spruce up with a new list on the way. Mecca has also recently sourced Moroccan, Lebanese and Turkish beers to go with the Moroccan food, which is welcome news.

The wine service is good, the waiter turning up with the bottles, which he places on the table while he pours, so we can inspect the label. There is, however, rather a longish gap between a glass of wine being finished and a second being offered.

There is a gap, too, between the mains and the offer of dessert, but, when it comes, it is as generous as ever. A big slice of flourless orange and almond cake ($13.50) is dense, warm and likeable. As are the three big scoops of ice-cream ($11.50), of which the intense and violently coloured berry is a standout.

Mecca Bah feels pretty much unchanged, but that's not to say it is resting easy. It's focused on service and has been a familiar, warm, buzzy and fine place to spend a Friday evening.

Food 2/4

Wine list 2/4

Style 4/4

Value for money 3/4

Service  3/4

Scores out of four are a quick reference to key highs or lows. They do not relate directly to the score out of 20.

11 Something went wrong. 12 Not so great tonight. 13 Fine for a cheap and cheerful, not so for a place that aspires to the top end. 14 Good. 15 Really good. 16 Great, when can we move in? 17-20 Brilliant.