I have just sat down, nicely full, having returned from a pleasant Monday evening meal out with my Mum and sister at La Casbah, an authentic Moroccan restaurant on St. Marks Road in Easton.
It is important to bear in mind that we went with a Groupon voucher, and my mum had booked mentioning this. Thus, it would have been insured that our experience was as immaculate as possible.
Nonetheless, this was our experience.
We were attended to immediately as we walked in, and were given the option of a window seat, which we accepted. I made myself comfortable on the bench against the wall so that I could take as much in as possible.
It is important to bear in mind that we went with a Groupon voucher, and my mum had booked mentioning this. Thus, it would have been insured that our experience was as immaculate as possible.
Nonetheless, this was our experience.
We were attended to immediately as we walked in, and were given the option of a window seat, which we accepted. I made myself comfortable on the bench against the wall so that I could take as much in as possible.
There was only a man and his son there when we arrived, but I would never have expected a Monday evening to be buzzing. The waiter brought us one menu (which I did think slightly odd) and took our drinks orders. We ordered a tap water and my mum also ordered a Diet Coke. The waiter was very attentive, and poured all of our drinks, during which we thanked him numerous times.
For starters we chose chicken Meshoui - chicken on a skewer with salad and a chilli-style dip - which was tender, nicely chewy and vaguely spicy, and a starter selection that came with our Groupon, including Falafel, King Prawns in breadcrumbs, Humus and Zaelok (an aubergine dip). I had expected a lot more from both the humus and the falafel, having tried many different varieties of each in my humble twenty one years, many of which not authentic at all. I couldn't quite find the flavour of the humus, and the falafel was rather bland, though a nice texture. The King Prawns, on the other hand, were delicious. Even my mum who is slightly wary of prawns had two of the four provided on the platter. I didn't try the Zaelok, but the olives were tasty enough. I had expected more from the starters, I must admit, more of a bite and the feeling that this was the humus and falafel they would serve in Morocco. It may have been, to be honest, but I'd expected more.
For starters we chose chicken Meshoui - chicken on a skewer with salad and a chilli-style dip - which was tender, nicely chewy and vaguely spicy, and a starter selection that came with our Groupon, including Falafel, King Prawns in breadcrumbs, Humus and Zaelok (an aubergine dip). I had expected a lot more from both the humus and the falafel, having tried many different varieties of each in my humble twenty one years, many of which not authentic at all. I couldn't quite find the flavour of the humus, and the falafel was rather bland, though a nice texture. The King Prawns, on the other hand, were delicious. Even my mum who is slightly wary of prawns had two of the four provided on the platter. I didn't try the Zaelok, but the olives were tasty enough. I had expected more from the starters, I must admit, more of a bite and the feeling that this was the humus and falafel they would serve in Morocco. It may have been, to be honest, but I'd expected more.
Albeit a small detail, it pleasantly surprised me that the waiter filled up our jug of tap water without us having to ask. This is often a problem I have (I wouldn't call it a problem) in other restaurants. For our main course, the Groupon allowed us to share a main course, so me and my mum shared a Lamb Tajine, which came in a beautiful brown pot presented with a lid covering it (apologies for the bad phone photos). The lamb was on the bone, which the menu failed to mention, and would have been irritating if we had been fussy eaters and had minded, which we hadn't. The lamb fell beautifully off the bone, and was draped in peppers and chickpeas, surrounded by potatoes and carrots. The meal was ordinarily supposed to come with either rice or couscous, but me and my mum had strong opposing opinions and asked if we could have a bit of both. The waiter looked hesitant but said he would ask the chef. When it came he brought two small bowls, one with rice and one with couscous, which we appreciated. The sauce was tasty but didn't quite cover the rice, leaving it slightly dry. But the moist, tender lamb made up for this and we were very happy with our choice.
My sister (who the Groupon voucher didn't actually cover) ordered the Chicken Brochetts, served on "two very nice skewers" in her own words accompanied by both couscous and rice as the chef had misunderstood the waiter's interpretation of mine and my mum's request, and a side of salad. I tried this dish, and I thought the chicken was delicious, with a slight barbecue-ed taste to it, and a hint of lemon. It was dressed in a tomato-y sauce with peppers and aubergines layered over it, and the flavours worked deliciously together. The chicken was tender too, but not to the same extent as the lamb.
We were offered Baklava but declined, mainly because neither of us are particular fans of the dessert, and asked for the bill. The overall cost of the food was very reasonable when looked at without the Groupon voucher, and relatively cheap compared to some other food venues in the area, such as the Tali cafe a couple of doors down. We were glad to see that service charge was not automatically added, though we left a tip anyway. As you can probably tell we were very happy with the service we received from the waiter, who was from Romania and had been working at La Casbah for four months, he told me. He was extremely quick to notice and address our needs (not that they were troublesome needs) and was friendly, though only became chatty when I chatted to him first.
If you're happy to compensate slightly on some flavours here and there for very decent prices, then I would definitely recommend La Casbah as it was a pleasant and relaxed experience, sat comfortably in the tasteful rustic-style decor. But there are definitely more distinctively flavoured Moroccan restaurants in Bristol that give you a more memorable taste in your mouth, but be prepared for higher prices, if you'd prefer these.
We were offered Baklava but declined, mainly because neither of us are particular fans of the dessert, and asked for the bill. The overall cost of the food was very reasonable when looked at without the Groupon voucher, and relatively cheap compared to some other food venues in the area, such as the Tali cafe a couple of doors down. We were glad to see that service charge was not automatically added, though we left a tip anyway. As you can probably tell we were very happy with the service we received from the waiter, who was from Romania and had been working at La Casbah for four months, he told me. He was extremely quick to notice and address our needs (not that they were troublesome needs) and was friendly, though only became chatty when I chatted to him first.
If you're happy to compensate slightly on some flavours here and there for very decent prices, then I would definitely recommend La Casbah as it was a pleasant and relaxed experience, sat comfortably in the tasteful rustic-style decor. But there are definitely more distinctively flavoured Moroccan restaurants in Bristol that give you a more memorable taste in your mouth, but be prepared for higher prices, if you'd prefer these.