The Bite Magazine Issue 17

W hen you first step into Momo restau- rant on Heddon Street in central London, it’s just like walking into a completely dif- ferent world. The lights are low, the mood is set and you get an immedi- ate sense of being in Morocco with its Marrakesh-style interior, latticed mashrabiya-style windows and ornate metalwork lanterns. It’s the perfect place to escape the fast paced crazy world of London outside and immerge yourself into this North African Alad- din’s Cave-like treasure. Inside this den, you’ll find red and gold banquette seating nestled against the wall at the back of the restaurant with a variety of patterned cushions, brass-like shield tables with opulent fabrics wrapping the chairs. While you dine, classic native music plays in the background which will no doubt take you to another place far, far away. Any worries of the past few hours just seem to gallop into the distance never to be seen again. It was back in 1995 that Parisian-Al- gerian restaurateur Mourad Mazouz arrived in London and immediately sought out somewhere to have his homely couscous. At first, his search was in vain until his Vespa led him to Heddon Street, at that time a dark semi-abandoned walkway off Regent Street in central London. It was in this very place that he opened Momo restaurant in 1997 which would go on to become one of London’s hotspots for dining where good music and fine cuisine is enough to brighten up one’s evening. Today, Momo consist of restaurant, caf é , outdoor terrace, and basement bar/disco including a “highly talked about live music program”. The Sunday Times ’ quote on their website says, “The A list have raved about Mourad Mazouz’s Moroccan food for 10 years now. By rights, Momo should have been taken over by the bourgeois crowd, but somehow, it hasn’t. That must be down to Mazouz, who is effortlessly cool.” Mo Caf é & Bar is described as a “la Marrakesh-souk-meets-Parisian-troquet style” caf é and restaurant and invites its bite cuisine Cuisine of a