Lazy lunch with friends

An event brought me to this small eatery on Gough Street, just north of Hollywood Road (NoHo - north of Hollywood).

A friend's baby shower was being thrown here and I was attending as one of the many pregnant guests.

The restaurant's name is Babylon (which I started calling "baby-lon" instead of "ba-buh-lon") and it's one of the newer additions to a formerly quiet street that is now ripe with places to eat.

Babylon is small, so if you go with a larger group, make sure you have a reservation.

They have a small bar and the bartender was mixing up refreshing non-alcoholic drinks for the many mommies-to-be at this luncheon.

Seating here is for about 20-30 diners. It's cozy and maybe a little cramped, but for the shower, it was just right. The menu for lunch was surprisingly long.

It was the regular set lunch menu served at Babylon and included spaghetti Bolognese, braised oxtail in red wine sauce, pan-fried turbot fillet with risotto in lemon sauce, and char-grilled Canadian pork chop with vegetables and gravy.

There were a total of nine mains to choose from served with the soup of the day or minestrone, and coffee or tea. Prices ranged from HK$78 to HK$148 ($10-19) per set and for an additional HK$15 you could have the dessert of the day.

On the day we were there, the desserts being served were creme brulee and cheesecake.

For my meal, I ordered the braised oxtail in red wine sauce. Oxtail used to be an inexpensive cut of meat that has now become a popular item on many restaurant menus.

Requiring long cooking times, dishes made using oxtail are usually rich, with the meat and vegetable flavors concentrated in the sauce.

My oxtail dish was served with rice and came with lots of vegetables. Most of my fellow diners ordered the pan-fried turbot fillet, which was served with risotto in lemon sauce, but no additional vegetables.

The turbot was cooked well with a crispy skin and tender flesh and the risotto was creamy and lemony, but the presentation lacked color that vegetables would have added.

For dessert, I ordered the creme brulee. Served in a small ramekin, it was the perfect size as a dessert for me. Those that ordered the cheesecake thought it was good, but preferred the creme brulee.

The food here will appeal to many Hong Kong diners. I did not come here expecting foams and cutting-edge dishes, but for decent food at reasonable prices for a friendly gathering, it was a great venue.

It's casual, the food is tasty, and the service is friendly.

Set lunches at Babylon are HK$78-148 per person (plus 10 percent service charge), and for dinner expect to spend HK$200-400 per person (plus 10 percent service charge).