Showing posts with label Moroccan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moroccan. Show all posts

CLOSED: Atlas (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2018 by


Having visited all the restaurants from Peer to Peer Hospitality Group (Cava, Chabrol, and Tanto), I’ve had some good meals … Atlas is no exception. Their recipes aren’t the same as traditional Moroccan dishes, rather gain inspiration from them based on Chef Doug Penfold’s experience while travelling. 

Take the short rib tagine ($55), it’s not heavily spiced so the flavours are somewhat muted and even the steam that escapes from the Le Creuset tagine isn’t overly aromatic. What you’re left with are short ribs that are tender and tastes of beef, and plump chanterelles filled with the cooking liquid. The dish is like a beef stew with more herbs rather than a traditional tagine with the bold colours and flavours that are synonymous with paprika and chili. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tasty dish, but just seems bland if you’re expecting tagine.


Whatever oniony and herb cooking liquid that can be found at the bottom of the vessel should be spooned onto the couscous ($5), it’d be a shame to let that sauce go to waste. Laura, our waitress, also smartly suggested the bulgur salad ($10) as a side. The cool refreshing salad of mint, green onion, and crunchy radish was a great contrast with the meaty short rib.


Atlas does offer starters that incorporate stronger Middle Eastern flavours. The briouat ($15) is like a Moroccan cigar except stuffed with tons of savoury sautéed mushrooms before being wrapped tightly in phyllo pastry. Add a bit of herby harissa sauce and the briouat’s taste completely changes as the earthiness of the fungi mellows. Just be warned, it’s piping hot so try to restrain yourself from biting into the starter immediately. It’ll be difficult as it smells heavenly. 


When ordering the eggplant zaalouk and jben ($18) get an extra order of the chewy flaky flatbread, the single one you receive is not enough. You’ll want it on hand for the delicious dips: a warm creamy lightly grilled eggplant that’s well flavoured with tomato, lemon, cilantro, and a hit of cayenne; and a contrasting cold buttermilk cheese with flecks of thyme. Mix them together and it gets better. Get the extra flatbread, you won’t wait to wait for another to arrive.


For those who’ve visited Chabrol and have indulged in the heavenly apple tatin, Atlas’ version of the dessert is their m’hanncha ($12). The menu’s description doesn’t give the dish the recognition it deserves, making it sound like run-of-the-mill baklava. In reality, the phyllo stuffed with sweet all-spice almond paste is freshly baked, arriving hot and crispy, and releases a wonderful aroma at the table. The thick date syrup is separated, so you’re able to customize the dessert’s sweetness. If this is what French Moroccan inspired food tastes like, give me more!


Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 18 Dupont Street 

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Café Moroc (in the Sultan's Tent) (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2017 by

While walking through the St. Lawrence Market district, you don’t expect to be transported into a Moroccan café with an ornate interior, gorgeous light fixtures and soothing green palm fronds. Café Moroc, located in the bar area of the Sultan’s Tent, is calming and inviting. During weekday lunches, the hushed environment is completely different from the jovial belly dancing dinners at the adjoining restaurant. It’s relaxing and serene; I get an urge to do yoga, followed by a visit to the café for couscous and mint tea.

Unlike most downtown establishments, Café Moroc doesn’t offer a special lunch menu. Combine that with their pricy a la carte, we practically had the entire dining room to ourselves during a Friday lunch. We had our choice of tables and the gentlemen working that afternoon was so friendly and attentive that I felt like Moroccan royalty. For the price conscious, you can still visit the gorgeous space for less, just order a couple of appetizers.

The hummus and pita ($10) is a fair sized portion – the dip is thick and flavourful, with a splash of olive oil to dilute everything a bit. It would have been preferable to provide patrons a mixture of crispy and soft pitas, as the hard pita is so brittle that eating the hummus cleanly can be a challenge. Don’t worry about the skimpy portion of bread that’s presented; afterwards, our waiter brought out another plate piled high with them so we could dip to our heart’s content.

Having had the starter over a decade ago, I remembered the signature maftoul ($10) being tastier. The phyllo wrapped Moroccan ‘cigars’ are filled with ground beef, raisins and cashews before being fried. If you like spring rolls, these are similar. Perhaps my palette has matured, but the filling seems less spiced and subdued. It’s more like a crispy package of cumin infused ground beef than the ‘exotic’ dish I remembered so fondly. Nonetheless, they’re still enjoyable.



Despite the meagre portion, Café Moroc’s crab cake ($14) is delicious – it incorporates enough crab and the recipe is differentiated from the typical North American coastal creation by the stronger Moroccan spices used in the filling. The crab cake is so flavourful that you don’t even need the citrusy chermoula emulsion or spicy harissa aioli that accompanies it.

Having had a great tagine in Montreal, their short rib version ($29) seemed like an ideal choice. The meat was thankfully left on the bone (the bone provides so much flavour!) and was succulent and nicely flavoured from the thick demi-glace.

In lieu of couscous, I asked the grain to be switched with saffron rice. Despite the vibrant yellow hue of the rice, there wasn’t any saffron essence at all – that lovely almost shellfish like aroma that wafts through – what a disappointment. Overall, it was a decent interpretation of the dish, but not nearly as aromatic as it should be … somehow it seems each element is cooked separately and then re-assembled and presented in the tagine, rather than cooked in the vessel.

Café Moroc also offers a fish tagine, which changes and happened to be cod ($29) that afternoon. Its flavours pales in comparison. The protein, while moist and flakey, lacked any seasoning making the overall dish bland. Perhaps, it’s due to all the strong appetizers and my own hearty short rib, but after such an exciting start for my taste buds, the fish tagine was so boring.

It’s a shame the main dishes at Café Moroc are so tame. Where are the enticing aromas or bursts of flavours to excite your taste buds? While I loved the atmosphere and service at the restaurant, you can’t help but leave feeling you’ve visited a tourist trap. If I ever return, I’ll definitely just stick with the appetizers. After all, nibbling on finger foods and digging into a plate of thick hummus would be more fitting of a Moroccan café any day.  

 Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 49 Front Street East

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

The Sultan's Tent & Cafe Moroc Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Menthe et Couscous (Montreal)

Posted on Monday, September 05, 2016 by

There’s something seductive about Moroccan food… maybe because my first experience was at a popular tourist destination in Toronto where the so-so food is accompanied by belly dancers. Even without the entertainment, walking into the cozy Menthe et Couscous and settling onto their jewel toned bench, I knew I was in for a treat.


Moroccan cuisine is known for incorporating a variety of spices aiming to meld with the food rather than overpower. Of course there’s a ton of flavours, but nothing’s so spicy you need milk, sour that your eyes water, etc. Rather it’s the spices combined with freshness of herbs that makes it so tantalizing. Just walk into the dining room and the scents will coyly play with your nose.   

Normally, anything with ‘salad’ in the title is a quick dismiss, but the description of the Tunisia mechouia salad ($9.25) was so intriguing that I had to try it. First off, the dish is hearty and nothing like the leafy green variety. A medley of grilled vegetable is crushed into a thick paste - when spread onto a pita the topping resembles a less tangy bruschetta. I was a bit taken aback with the flaked tuna and olives topping the dish, yet the meaty tuna, peppery grilled vegetables, and briny olives actually were delicious together. The pita was rather hard, but also holds up against the saucy mixture so you can consume the starter rather cleanly.


For the less adventurous, the chicken brochettes ($19.50) are a safe choice. Essentially grilled chicken skewers, at Menthe et Couscous they’re not overly charred and rather juicy for white meat. The nutty tahini and house salad combining mushrooms, cranberries, walnuts, and a pomegranate dressing makes it different, but hardly wildly seductive.


What will get your mouth moaning is the tajine. Unfortunately, the dome covering it was taken away before I could snap a picture, but it’s essentially a cone shaped lid that helps braise and steam the contents – as the steam rises it’s captures in the vessel and drips back down into the base so the flavours aren’t lost.


The resulting lamb tajine ($23.95) is similar to stew but a whole lot more flavourful and since it uses less (if any) broth, the meat and vegetables’ natural flavours shine through. Additionally, the vegetables still have a bite to them so aren’t mushy like stew. Served with a large bowl of moist couscous topped with softened chick peas and cranberries, the grains are great for spooning the tajine’s juices onto … the gravy like sauce so good I would happily just have a bowl of couscous and plain sauce.

Menthe et Couscous’ warm dimly lit dining room makes you want to sit and relax after dinner. Wanting the experience to last longer, we caved in for the baklava ($3.95 each). I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the ultra-sweet dessert, but Menthe’s is dry enough to hold and uses just enough honey for sweetness. The baklava was a great ending without the heavy oiliness that normally follows the dessert.


Their green tea with mint ($2.95) is also perfect for easing the stomach after a filling meal – after all the indulgences the aromatic slightly bitter tea is refreshing and soothing. The restaurant certainly doesn’t skimp on the herb (there’s an entire sprig in the teapot) and serves the tea traditionally by pouring it highly so bubbles temporarily form and burst to release an intoxicating aroma.


Even without the discount being offered, a meal at Menthe et Couscous is affordable. The mains are pretty sizeable, so the two mains with a salad were more than enough to satisfy. Additionally, they have a bring your own wine program with no corkage fees, so you don’t mind opening another one… so you stay just a bit longer … oh seduction.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was offered at a discounted price. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Montreal, Canada
 Address: 361 Rue Émery

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Menthe et couscous Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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