Catch a no-rules Sydney restaurant with a big following in Melbourne

Baba’s Place, the ultra-cool Sydney restaurant that smears taramasalata on shokupan toast and swirls bouillabaisse through bolognese and noodles, is coming to Melbourne in February. True to its genre-crossing personality, Baba’s chef Jean-Paul El Tom is teaming up with Lee Ho Fook’s Victor Liong for a one-off party that breaks all the rules.

The event – the first in Melbourne presented by Good Food Events, now a year-round program – will be held on the rooftop of QT Hotel in its new Secret Garden bar, and QT’s executive chef Nic Wood will be joining the action too.

Baba’s Place opened in 2021 in the industrial backstreets of Marrickville (about seven kilometres south-west of Sydney’s CBD) as a collaboration between friends Alexander Kelly, James Bellos and El Tom, who wanted to create a single restaurant that honoured the richness of the migrant experience in Australia. The three have Macedonian, Greek and Lebanese heritage, respectively.

With its crochet blankets, doily tablecloths under clear protective plastic, mismatched chairs and Turkish floor rugs, it felt like entering a time capsule or an older relative’s suburban home. But the menu is anything but.

There might be tarator fish, a Middle Eastern staple, served with roti or rice noodles tossed with tahini and bean sprouts, as they look beyond their families to celebrate the many cultures they grew up around in Sydney’s west. An early signature dish paired elements of bouillabaisse, such as prawn, with lamb ragu for a richer take on the Sichuan noodle dish zha jiang mian.

After meeting El Tom and Kelly at an event in Melbourne last year, Liong had a simmering idea to do an event together.

“We are all from suburban Sydney and shared similar stories,” says Liong. “I admire their creativity, youthful passion and uniquely stylish hospitality. Doing events like this gives us an opportunity to appreciate each other’s craft.”

At their Melbourne event, expect Lee Ho Fook’s crunchy sweet-sour red vinegar eggplant, a crowd favourite, as well as Baba’s Place’s barbecued chicken wings with toum, and, of course, the Greek-Japanese mash-up of tarama on shokupan.

After a raft of snacks from Liong and El Tom, Wood will step up for mains, starring wood-grilled O’Connor sirloin with mortadella XO sauce and sides. Drinks by soda makers StrangeLove will include sake-yuzu highballs and a whisky-mandarin cocktail.

Sunday, February 4, 5pm to 8pm at Secret Garden, QT Melbourne, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne

Tickets are $129 per person for a sit-down four-course dinner and cocktails, available at goodfoodevents.com.au