Put this venue on your must-try list.
For years, Pakington Street has been kicking goals on the region’s restaurant scene, continuously welcoming an array of brand new and exciting ventures that redefine the way we eat, going on to become classics in our dining repertoire.
Representing one of the best eateries to join the Pako strip in recent years, Baah Lah! Dining has been giving the local foodies something to truly get excited about since arriving in 2019.
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Baah Lah’s elegant, produce-driven menu is all about Singaporean flavours and techniques, channelling head chef and owner Brian Anderson’s heritage. With a decade spent honing his craft into something approaching peak deliciousness, Anderson has crafted a menu boasting Singapore’s combination of Malay and Chinese cuisines with a focus on land and sea dishes that are ideal for sharing.
Standout smaller items include pan-fried pancake with shallot, they D.I.Y bao’s, steamed Singapore-style oysters, shaved Waygu beef, and the Pork Siew Mei with crispy chilli, onion, pork, and soy.
The quality doesn’t falter in the larger dishes, with the hero dish being the ‘Aylesbury X’ Roasted Duck, the charcoal roasted Pork Char Siew, the sticky BBQ pork, and the pan-seared Barramundi with fresh green curry and rolled rice noodle, all of which promises a seasonal explosion of flavour for all.
Satisfying the sugar cravings won’t be challenging either, with inspired and sensational dessert options that has seen Coconut Crème with seasonal jam, brown sugar and five-spiced sorbet, and deep fried ice cream with walnuts from the farm, scotch fingers and salted caramel.
Stamped with innovation and packed full of personality, Baah Lah! places seasonal and locally sourced produce at centre stage, delivering a polished, evolving menu that reflects the best of the region and surroundings, with much of that grown at the family farm in Katandra (including walnuts, mulberries, apricots, boysenberries, lemon), and at a Werribee greenhouse that works with local Indigenous community members who are working towards their certificates in Horticulture, supplying the likes of baby corn and Asian vegetables to the restaurant.
But amongst the gastronomic delights, the other big item on the Baah Lah! agenda is the emphasis on craft beer, with a specially curated collection from all Australian brewers, as well as a number of local wines and all Australian spirits (with the only exception being the tequila).
Giving a whole new meaning to the notion of provenance, Baah Lah’s standout quality goes beyond their menu, and into the décor and crockery. The photographs lining the room come from the eye of Anderson, and partner Amy Evans, of mushrooms foraged from Daylesford, while the seasonal dishes are served in ceramic plates and bowls crafted by Anderson himself in the couples own Pottery studio. The DIY method even extends to the chopstick holders, soy bottles, and water bottles, when they can’t make it themselves, the resourceful duo source supplies from surround local businesses – from the candles and the flowers to the hand soaps and moisturiser. It’s this ethos and approach to business that really sets Baah Lah! apart from any other eatery on the popular dining strip.
It’s quite clear, Geelong’s dining fare just got a whole lot more lavish with Baah Lah! Dining.
Baah Lah! Dining is located at 1/100 Pakington Street, Geelong West. Book now via www.baahlahdining.com
