RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK New Iraqi restaurant Babylon raises the bar for Middle Eastern dining in Seoul

A mixed platter of grilled meat at Babylon Restaurant in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, Aug. 5 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Seoul has no shortage of kebab stands of varying quality. In smaller supply are more formal Middle Eastern restaurants, and most of the ones I've tried were slight letdowns. Babylon Restaurant, a newly opened Iraqi eatery nestled in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, raises that bar.

Babylon is owned by Abdulkareem Adnan, who has been in the restaurant business here in Seoul for about 17 years, working out of a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop in Namdaemun Market called Adnan Kebab. This new restaurant is quite a step up in ambience, offering a comfortable, modern space for customers to actually sit down and savor some pretty fantastic food.

The dishes are mostly faithful to the flavors of Adnan's homeland of Iraq, but there are a few cases where ingredients and sides have been modified, either catering to local tastes or based on local availability, such as the sneaky appearance of what may have been chipotle mayo as a dipping sauce — probably not standard in Baghdad. Either way, the food seemed more coherently authentic than the menus at many other Middle Eastern restaurants here.

A bowl of lentil soup in front of a plate of eggplant mutabal at Babylon Restaurant in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, Aug. 5 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Meals start very satisfyingly with a complimentary bowl of lentil soup. The menu has vegetarian-friendly options, but if you opt for meat, you definitely won't be disappointed. There are platters which let you try a sample of various meats, but my favorite was the Iraqi kebab lamb skewers. The meat was delicate and tender, exquisitely flavored.

Fish maskouf, a signature Iraqi grilled dish, is presented here in a way that is strongly reminiscent of various Korean restaurants. It is served butterflied, with the fleshy parts on top and the bones on the bottom, and takes some skill to eat.

The accompanying sides of spiced red rice, grilled vegetables and a tomato-based sauce infused with some heat made for pleasant additions to the hearty mains.

Fish maskouf at Babylon Restaurant in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, Aug. 5 / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

The mutabal, a dish of pureed roasted eggplant, had a delightfully tangy and smoky flavor and was perfect for scooping up with the fresh pita on offer.

Of course we can't critique a Middle Eastern restaurant without trying its falafel and hummus. The hummus was well-liked, but one dining companion said the falafel needed more herbs. However, everyone agreed it was fried well, and still pleasant to eat.

Babylon Restaurant is open for business in central Seoul's Samcheong-dong, April 4. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Babylon is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Follow @babylon__rest on Instagram for more information.