Peony: We have been to Bavel many, many times. Every time, we were impressed by all the complicated and bold flavor combinations that work so well. However, this time I was a little bit disappointed by the flavors. I liked the scallop crudo and the endive salad. They lived up to the expectations I have for Bavel appetizers. For the tomato-strawberry salad and the turmeric potato flatbread, I found the flavors were too strong, and the sauces overpowered the base ingredients. The fish was not impressive, although I liked the sauce on top of the fish skin. The meaty part of the fish was a little bland and slightly chewy. For the mushroom kebab, I found that the spices were too strong and the purée tasted a bit bland in this combination. I wonder if the dishes we ordered this time had too light base ingredients for the strong sauces and seasonings. Perhaps previously, when we got prawns, duck, and chicken as the base ingredients, they worked better with the sauces and seasonings.
Warrior: This was not my favorite meal at Bavel, but it was still delicious overall. The grilled dorade and roasted oyster mushrooms were excellent as always. Peach cobbler was delicious. The tomato-strawberry dish was gorgeous, though I felt the dollops of burnt harissa detracted from rather than enhanced the dish. The scallop crudo with calamansi lime juice was good. The turmeric potato flatbread was good, but I would have preferred no cheese or at least a cheese less briny than feta. The endive arugula salad was rather generic and didn’t have the deliciousness I associate with Bavel. Using only endive as the base for toppings (like the chicken gizzard dish at Bestia) would have more potential in my opinion.
