Ethnic Eats – Sampling the World’s Cuisine Without Leaving Vancouver

Sometimes I don’t blog about things because I want them to stay a secret. And sometimes they’re just too much a part of my regular eating habits to occur to me to write about. Babylon Cafe is one of those places that I frequent regularly, but haven’t blogged about yet. As you can see from the line up in the photo, the it’s no secret and I can tell you that there is a line for a reason. Standing inside the tiny shop with the cold air outside and the heat from the cookers while the small space fills with aromas of garlic, onion and cooking meats one of the simplest pleasures. My stomach was grumbling in anticipation of greasy goodness the other day while my shawarma was laid out with hummus, onion, tomato, hot sauce, tabbouleh and finally, lamb.

You get in and you get out. There’s not a lot of room, so people stand around outside eating hungrily (especially late at night) and the deconstructed shawarma plates that are often available at other Lebanese places are not on the menu here. It’s probably just as well, because walking down the street trying not to spill hot sauce out of your wrap is hard enough, but well worth it.

_____________________________________________

Babylon Cafe
708 Robson Street, Vancouver