Mecca Bah opens at Cairns Harbour Lights
THE tastes of North Africa and the Middle East are coming to Cairns, with national restaurant group Mecca Bah set to open in Cairns.
Mecca Bah has secured a ground floor lease at Harbour Lights near Trinity Inlet, adding to its restaurants in Melbourne, Brisbane and
Canberra.
The moved has been hailed as enhancing the existing dining precinct.
General manager Julian D’Souza said the restaurant was expected to open in early April following a fit-out during the next three months.
"We do get quite a few people from North Queensland at our Brisbane restaurant so we are confident it will be popular," he said.
"Our recipe is quite simple. We’ll have a funky fit-out, good service and a relaxed atmosphere.
"It’s meant to be a place where you keep coming back, rather than a special occasions restaurant where you’d come twice a year."
Chef Cath Claringbold and Damian Trytell started Mecca Bah in Melbourne about seven years ago.
Ms Claringbold has since moved on while Mr Trytell now owns the Canberra
business.
The Cairns restaurant will be the project of Garry Simonian, who owns the successful outlet in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and his brother Coco.
They are also planning to open restaurants in Brisbane CBD and at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
Mr D’Souza said the Mecca Bah menu had essentially stayed the same, offering Moroccan, Middle Eastern and North African cuisine.
"We use flavours that we know are well accepted," he said.
"At the same time it’s not ‘bastardised’ Middle Eastern cuisine, and we know Middle Eastern people who come to us do enjoy the food."
As many as 50 staff are expected to be employed, though not all will work at the same time.
Harbour Lights manager Stephanie Doyle, who also manages The Pier at the Marina, said Mecca Bah would help create "a dining and entertainment precinct from the yacht club to Mondos".
"It should be great for Harbour Lights and great for Cairns," she said.
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Dining precinct: Harbour Lights manager Stephanie Doyle says Mecca Bah arrival will create a dining precinct from the yacht club to Mondos. Picture: CHRIS HYDE
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