Moroccan Cuisine

Posted by Thomas Alan Gray Jul 29, 2009

We stopped by Moroccan Cuisine tonight, just to try something new, in response to a flier offering a 20% discount.

We were the only customers at 6:30, which should be getting into the peak dinner hour. An ominous sign, I thought.

To start, Said (sa-yeed), our host, welcomed us with traditional Moroccan tea, poured at the table into small pretty glasses. The tea was hot and incredibly sweet, with a hint of mint. Refreshing, once you get used to it. "Back home," explained Said, "we don't drink like Coke and cold drinks, only tea. Tea with breakfast, tea with dinner. Even when it is very hot, we drink tea, and it is refreshing."

Said brought a basket of flat bread, like pita or nan bread (I forgot to ask him what it was called) and left us for the meal.

We started the buffet with a colorful salad of black olives, red onions, green sweet peppers, and cherry tomatoes with feta cheese. Very similar to a Greek salad. Then on to harira (soup), a thick potage of lentils, chickpeas, and short noodles. It was a bit spicy, but quite tasty and my favorite part of the meal.

The buffet itself consisted of

• Plain and Saffron Rice
• Casablanca Beef – Stewed beef in a fairly bland gravy
• Essaouira Salmon – Said explained that "essaouira" is the style of cooking, stuffing the fish with fine noodles then baking it with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and carrots. My wife said it was good; I passed.
• Mnoukhia –A dish of okra and white onions in a sauce.
• Marka – Potatoes and cauliflower cooked in a strong sauce. I happened to get a fruit with a very strong taste. It was not unpleasant or bitter, but powerful, and I ate it in very small bites. More later.
• Zaalouk – Stewed eggplants.

Much of this was a little spicy, and my wife especially enjoyed having the bread to dampen the spice.

We finished off with dessert and another glass of sweet tea.

• Fakkass - Like biscotti but with almonds, and toasted
• Chabakia - Twisted pastry with honey and sesame seeds. Said told us that this is a popular treat after a day's fast during Ramadan. I can see why. Delicious.
• Melons – honeydew and cantaloupe that to our taste was overripe.

During dinner, we listened to Arabic music (which I enjoyed) and admired the decore and fancy rugs. Wish I'd had the camera, or my cell phone, to take a photo. May go back later just for that.After our dinner, Said brought out his shy young wife, Aisha. Aisha was in the restaurant business in Morocco, and is the cook. Said has been in Canada for 15 years, Aisha for only five. She said that she knew little English but that French was a second language in Morocco, so we chatted a bit en francais. At least that explained what I thought was the slight irony of "Moroccan Cuisine"...

"What was that fruit in with the potatoes and cauliflowers?" I asked. Said and Aisha conferred for a moment.

"She says it was a cinnamon. It was for flavor. You were not supposed to eat it."

Oh. Well, it was there, and it was in the spoon when I scooped up some potatoes. Didn't taste like cinnamon, but boy was it strong!

Total tab, after discount and without tip: $25.

Overall impression? Not something I'd want to do on a regular basis. Good food, nice folks, interesting experience.