Bab Tooma Syrian Restaurant
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
With two locations, on Leeds Road and Wilton Street, Bab Tooma is an up-and-coming local favourite for authentic Middle Eastern and Syrian Food, especially kebabs and grilled meats. The restaurant is well-presented, with warm, friendly interiors and Levantine decoration, and of course, the mouth-watering scent of herby marinades. There’s an open kitchen and friendly and attentive staff.
Guests can enjoy both cold and hot mezze spreads. The colds include the Muhammara Special, with hot pepper, ground almonds, breadcrumbs and other secret ingredients, and the Fatoush Salad, with tomato, cucumber, green pepper, fried bread, olive oil and pomegranate sauce. Hots include authentic falafel, fried up from fresh ingredients, squeaky Halloumi cheese served with warm Arabic bread, and Armenian favourite Sujuk sausage, a dry, spicy cured meat which undergoes lengthy fermentation to obtain its rich flavour.
Bab Tooma is an up-and-coming local favourite for authentic Middle Eastern and Syrian Food
Main courses can be put together to your specification from the kebab menu. Alongside donner kebab you’ll find shish taouk, chicken fillet, lamb fillet and chops, and a vegetarian grill option. These can be combined and paired with rice, chips, and pickles. Or, why not try the set menu options, ‘The Feast’ and ‘The Beast’? Sweet desserts include kunafa, strands of filo pastry cased in sweet syrup, and baklava, rolls of pastry around ground-up nuts and honey. You can also get middle-eastern style drinks such as mint-infused lemonade.
If you’re eating at the Wilton branch, nearby you’ll find Bradford’s iconic Alhambra Theatre, a regionally and indeed nationally important centre for the dramatic arts, and the City Park, featuring the UK’s largest water feature, with a hundred computer-controlled programs. There’s also the National Science and Media Museum, with exhibits on the history of cinema, photography, television, advertising and video games. This makes Bab Tooma an ideal place to stop for lunch or an evening meal if you’re visiting Bradford for a day out.
