It might be shocking to learn this, but Ali Baba’s in the city’s West End has been around for 18 years already.
The inconspicuous restaurant on Ontario Street serves healthy and wholesome Libyan dishes, including lamb, fresh salads and wine drenched chicken marsala.
Salah Ali has been the owner since its inception.
Before that, he went to school for metallurgical studies and worked in that industry.
“I really wanted to be my own boss and missed the foods of northern Africa,” he said.
Ali opened a chipstand and then a restaurant in the Four Sisters Motel in the West End.
The name Ali Baba brings Salah back to his days of playing soccer.
“I was on a team with Italian players and ‘Salah’ was hard for people to remember in the heat of the moment. I would say call me Ali, which is my last name, and that stuck. From there, I went with Ali Baba,” he said.
The African restaurant experience is inspired from Salah’s days of growing up in Tripoli, the capital city of Libya.
“I arrived in Sudbury in 1985 and missed food from my home country. I would call up my mom, sister and sister-in-law for recipes. I get a lot of the flavour of my dishes from them,” he said. “It was always $12 for the first minute to talk long distance. I would quickly get to the point and gather recipes and tricks.”
Ali Baba customers have the option of ordering meals off the menu or going in as a group for a banquet style serving of selected dishes.
The banquet-style serving begins with a flavourful bruschetta style bread and ends with a flambéed banana dessert complete with ice cream, with numerous courses in between.
This allows customers to test out a number of dishes in one sitting.
Ali’s chicken marsala and lamb is cooked to perfection. He said the trick with lamb is to use New Zealand lamb cuts.
His chicken marsala is also something to write home about.
“People have called from as far as British Columbia, asking for help in perfecting their attempts at chicken marsala,” he laughed.
Another great meal is his rice and vegetable dish. The basmati rice, with its distinctive nutty nuance, is mixed with a chicken base, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric.
Every once in a while, customers are treated to Ali’s fresh pot of Libyan soup. He said it is the best soup on the planet and takes six hours to make. It features lamb, mint and fresh herbs.
Ali Baba Restaurant is located at 833 Ontario Street in the west end of the city.
Hours vary each night, with lunch being served five days per week. Customers can call (705) 670-2710 for reservations or group bookings.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
