Little Georgia and Bab Tuma seem to be sharing the same location in Cluster E, JLT. Located at the base of Saba-1 Tower, it’s the one with the big, orange Bab Tuma sign on the wall, and the easily-missed Little Georgia sign at the restaurant entrance.
The interior is very much a mix of the two, with some space for lounging, shisha smoking (which is back now that their license has been renewed), and there’s a small stage where live performers…um, perform. The menu is mainly Bab Tuma with a page dedicated to Little Georgia.
The friends I was with all chose the Bab Tuma mixed grill.
I chose Khinkali from the Little Georgia menu. Khinkali are hugely popular Georgian dumplings made of twisted knobs of dough, stuffed with meat (in this case beef), or vegetables and spices. These giant dumplings are served with sour cream and Little Georgia’s weren’t too bad (I’ve had better). The mixed grilled was better but even that wasn’t the best I’ve had.
Service was friendly if a little slow. When eventually our food arrived, and we found they had forgotten my dumplings altogether. So, I had to wait for another 20-minutes, by which time my friends had all finished their food. I wasn’t offered an apology, mind you. No, instead they gave me some cock and bull story of the dumpling being made fresh which took time, blah-blah-bullshit-blah.
If it’s Arabic food you want, there are many much better options in JLT, starting with Bait Maryam in the next-door cluster. Although I am not an authority on Georgian cuisine, I can’t imagine what’s left of Little Georgia is anything of a representation either. My recommendation for those looking for authentic flavours of the Caucasus, try Plov House in Cluster W.
Waste NOT. Want NOT.
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