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Irish Times
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Baba'de restaurant review: You won't eat like this anywhere else in Ireland
Baba'de Address : The Mews, Baltimore, Co. Cork, P81 TC64 Telephone : 028 48112 Cuisine : Turkish Website : Cost : €€€ I'd expected Baba'de, Ahmet Dede and Maria Archer 's more casual follow-up to their acclaimed two-Michelin-star restaurant, Dede in Baltimore, west Cork , to focus on Turkish street food. It does – but there are also rogue dishes at incredibly reasonable prices. You're as likely to get seafood in a fine dining foam as a kebab on flatbread. The setting is the old Mews site , where Dede formerly held a Michelin star as head chef – a 30-seat cottage a few steps from their two-star flagship. The mood is stripped back: bare tables, a short menu split into sea, meadow, garden and dessert, and a wine list that starts at €35. We go for the entry-level red, a chilled Bobal from Valencia (€35) that works across the summer menu. Celebrating? There's a grower champagne, Pierre Moncuit Coulmet, and a strong showing of by-the-glass options. Dede's içli köfte (€16) is about as far from its street food roots as you can get without a wine pairing. If you're sniffy about foams, rethink your position. The yoghurt-garlic sauce is whipped to the brink of collapse but hits with refreshing acidity. On top: dots of isot pepper and fresh mint leaves. Four bulgur dumplings surface – crisp spheres above the froth, sealing in spiced lamb. And under them – because this dish doesn't stop – is a slow-cooked ragout of Fastnet Farm lamb, thick with tomato and heat. Layered, precise, and technically sharp – it is influenced by a two-star signature dish from Dede, served here for the price of a Negroni. Dede's hand shows again with the squid erişte (€15), another dish that arrives under a blanket of aerated sauce – this time a whipped roast pepper velouté, a vivid orange, fizzing at the edges like embers. It comes in a black bowl, dusted with chives and isot pepper, topped with a single curled piece of baby squid. READ MORE Baba'de restaurant: Chef-proprietor Ahmet Dede. Photograph: Andy Gibson Baba'de restaurant: The site of the former Mews in Baltimore. Photograph: Andy Gibson Beneath, tagliatelle-style pasta is cut short to match the thin strips of squid running through the sauce. Traditionally, the dish uses offal – not seafood – and never a red pepper base. But of course it works. Puffed rice, almond crumble and pomegranate molasses pull it squarely into cheffy territory. After two composed, high-wire plates, the menu shifts gear. Ali's hummus (€8) comes topped with crispy chickpeas, red onion and smoked paprika and house-made sourdough. In Turkey, hummus is eaten straight with a fork, like a vegetable side dish, but I fancy it as a dip, so order more of the bread (€2) to swipe it up. The Adana kebab (€16), a thick sausage of grilled lamb, lands on a charred flatbread, streaked with chilli mayonnaise, pickled beetroot and yoghurt. Pickled onions and torn herbs lift the richness, while the bread soaks up the juices. It's satisfying. You ditch the cutlery and just dig in. A rival plate of chicken shawarma (€11) feels almost polite by comparison: barbecued chicken breast, smoky and succulent, spread across another flatbread, topped with garlic yoghurt, sumac and a dusting of crunchy chicken skin. [ Comet review: Is this Ireland's next Michelin star restaurant in the making? Opens in new window ] It would be enough to offer just the hits – a signature from Dede, a knockout Adana kebab – but the menu keeps moving. Baba'de-style fried chicken with brown butter dip lands at the table beside us. Cured haddock with seaweed dashi, and cod with confit leeks (the most expensive dish at €23), are making the rounds for fish lovers. The langoustine spring roll seems particularly popular. There are dishes for people who want fireworks, and others for those who just want to be fed – children, anyone not up for lamb ragout in a yoghurt espuma. One plate looks like a tasting-menu showpiece, the next a weeknight favourite. Somehow, they all belong. Baba'de restaurant: Haddock lakarde. Photograph: Andy Gibson Baba'de restaurant: Içli köfte. Photograph: Andy Gibson Baba'de restaurant: Langoustine spring rolls. Photograph: Andy Gibson Baba'de restaurant: Twomey Clonakilty beef. Photograph: Andy Gibson Baba'de restaurant: Annemin sütlaç. Photograph: Andy Gibson Dessert is annemin sütlaç (€13), billed as 'mother's warm rice pudding'. It's a bowl of warm, loose sütlaç with a scoop of cold brown butter ice cream and a dusting of crushed nuts. It's restrained, with rice that's soft but not overcooked, and a punch of brown butter to finish. This is modern Anatolian cooking, structured around a Nordic-style menu layout, with quietly cheffy execution and a top-tier prep kitchen doing the heavy lifting. It's a lucky dip in the best way – bewildering at times, with no telling whether the next plate's a two-star throwback or a late-night classic. Still flinching at the word 'espuma'? Stay home and eat yoghurt with a spoon. Otherwise, get to Baba'de – the food is bold, the prices are ridiculously reasonable, and you won't eat like this anywhere else in Ireland. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was €116. The verdict: 9/10. Fine dining meets Turkish comfort food at Ahmet Dede's latest restaurant. Food provenance: Glenmar Fish, Anthony Dwyer, Michael Twomey and Walsh's butchers, and David Bushby. Vegetarian options: Oyster mushroom shawarma, wild chanterelles with mushroom consommé, bulgur köfte, and fennel, goat's curd and beetroot salad. Wheelchair access: Accessible room with no accessible toilet. Music: Modern Turkish pop, rock and jazz mix.
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Cork restaurant named best in Ireland at Irish Restaurant Awards
A popular Cork restaurant has been named best restaurant at this year's Irish Restaurant Awards All-Ireland final. Dede at the Customs House in Baltimore, one of only five two-star Michelin restaurants in Ireland, was named best restaurant at the awards ceremony held at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin on Monday. Dede is run by Turkish-born chef Ahmet Dede and his business partner Maria Archer, and offers a fusion of Turkish and Irish foods. Together, they opened Dede after purchasing the village's Customs House in 2019, and the restaurant has since been awarded two Michelin stars - one in 2021 and one in 2023. The restaurant was also crowned the All-Ireland winner at the 2024 Irish Restaurant Awards, continuing their success at the awards this year by winning best restaurant for the second consecutive year. Posting on X following the restaurant's win, Dede wrote: "Amazing thank you @restawards for this incredible award, what a wonderful achievement again from the best team in the world so proud of you all. Consistently getting better and keep pushing for more that's the spirit and the dedication for what we do. Thank you all and congratulations to all other winners." Ahmet Dede and Maria Archer at The Customs House, Baltimore. Picture: Miki Barlok John Kelly of the Lady Helen Restaurant at Mount Juliet Estate in Kilkenny was awarded best chef in Ireland, and renowned Chef Neven Maguire was also honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award, recognising his contribution to Irish food and hospitality. The All-Ireland final of the 2025 Irish Restaurant Awards took place at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin on Monday, where over 1,000 of the country's top hospitality professionals, including owners, chefs, managers, and staff, gathered to celebrate the finest establishments in Irish food and drink. Now in its 16th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards received a record-breaking 165,000 public nominations for restaurants, cafés, and venues across the country - the highest in the Awards' history. 💫Amazing thank you @restawards for this incredible award, what a wonderful achievement again from the best team in the world so proud of you all. Consistently getting better and keep pushing for more tats the spirit and the dedication for what we do. Thank you all and… — Ahmet Dede (@chefahmetdede) May 20, 2025 Entries were submitted by the public via The Irish Times website, media partner of the awards. In the lead-up to the national final, regional awards ceremonies were hosted in Kildare, Cork, Sligo and Monaghan, where county-level winners were revealed across a range of categories. The national winners were selected from these regional champions. Each year, funds are raised for chosen charity causes at the All-Ireland final of the Irish Restaurant Awards. This year, substantial funds were raised for both Friends of the Elderly and Tourist SOS. Speaking on the night, president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Seán Collender, said: 'At a time when our industry continues to face significant challenges, it's more important than ever to come together and celebrate the strength of Ireland's food and hospitality sector. These Awards are about acknowledging the incredible talent and tireless work of those in our restaurants, cafés and kitchens across the country. 'They shine a light on the resilience and creativity that define our industry. Behind every meal served is a team of passionate professionals dedicated to delivering unforgettable experiences. 'This year's awards have once again highlighted the extraordinary standard of culinary talent across every region. The Michelin Star Lady Helen Restaurant Head Chef John Kelly. 'I want to extend heartfelt congratulations to all of our winners and nominees - your commitment and passion inspire us all.' In response to his win, Chef Kelly of the Lady Helen Restaurant at Mount Juliet Estate, said: "This award reflects the creativity, passion, and teamwork that drives our kitchen every day. 'The Lady Helen is a celebration of the finest local ingredients, brought to life by an extraordinary team that shares my commitment to creating exceptional dining experiences."
