Profiled by de Groots MediaWhen you cross the threshold into this beautifully detailed restaurant, you very clearly enter into a different place. To greet you staff may scatter rose petals over you; a gesture that says “welcome to our land”. This is a land of silver filigree, silk cushions, gold embroidery and lanterns – a sensory place, like the Moroccan markets it takes its name from. Restaurateur Omar Majdi, previously of Tajine, wants diners to really experience the richness of Morocco; the sounds, smells, stories, traditions, food, drink and tea. He has big ideas but goes about implementing them respectfully, gently introducing concepts and noting the response.
He says Moroccan cuisine is strongly influenced by two cities: Rabat and Fez. The menu here offers a broad sampling of Northern African cuisine, influenced over centuries by various cultures. The B’stilla Fassia entree is a house specialty: a filo pastry filled with almond chicken and a light saffron orange sauce. The dishes are filled with fruits and spices – a lamb shank is slow cooked in honey, cinnamon and saffron; the chicken tajine is flavoured with olive and preserved lemon. Presentation, like everything else in the restaurant, is detailed and aesthetically enticing. Finish with a traditional tea such as the arabic cinnamon and clove tea; or to refresh your palate, the mint tea du maroc. The customary way to serve this sweet infusion of green tea and fresh mint leaves involves pouring it from a height three times into the glass – to mix it thoroughly, to warm the glass, and unlock the aromas of the tea. It is these charming, and slightly mysterious, touches that make this moody Souk memorable.
Sarah Theeboom, December 2007
