The Bite Magazine Issue 17

selection of dishes for us to try so we waited in anticipation to experience the great North African cuisine. Cous- cous Momo with melting lamb shank, grilled lamb skewer and merguez (spicy mutton or beef sausage) is an entire meal in itself. Karim explained that the best way to enjoy couscous is to make a dent in the middle and pour vegeta- ble tagine into it (after adding a touch of chilli sauce to the broth) to make it moist. We were told that the lamb shank is marinated for 24 hours and then cooked for 17 hours, ensuring a ‘fall-off-the-bone’ experience. The meat was indeed soft and very well-cooked while the lamb skewer and merguez made a delicious finale to the meal. Chicken Tagine with preserved lemons, new potatoes, colossal olives, onion compote and saffron was also soft as well as tasty and really worked well with the side of spinach. Just as we were finishing our main meals, the restaurant suddenly went dark and the music got louder. We had absolutely no idea what was going on until we saw one of the servers dancing around the restaurant, stopping every now and then to really show off his moves. Suddenly there was a small cake in his hand with a candle and he con- tinued dancing around the restaurant until he reached a particular table and presented the cake to presumably the person celebrating their birthday. It was later explained to us that he does this so that it is not obvious whose birth- day it is until the last moment and to create some kind of mystery as well as entertainment. And talking about cakes, it had come to that time when we finish the dining experience with dessert. To say we were filled to capacity with food would be an understatement. Regard- less, we decided to try Momo’s Cr è pes Berber, carmelised dried fruits and almond with date ice cream and Tradi- tional Maghrebine Pastries, a selection of sweet pastries. Both desserts were very enjoyable – the cr è pes were a bit sweet while the pastries had varieties of taste that reminded me of marzipan, bakewell tart, icing sugar and brown cake with walnut. With such an extensive menu, Momo’s dishes will have no problem taking you on a journey to a faraway country without the need of a passport. The restaurant provides a tantalising expe- rience of flavours and tastes that you may not have experienced before. Apart from the London restaurant, Mazouz has connections with Paris, having moved there from Algeria in 1977 before coming to live in London. He opened his first bistro Au Bascou in Paris in 1988, followed by 404 restau- rant and then Momo Restaurant Familial in London. He continued his restau- rant openings with Sketch, a tribute to superb gastronomy and cutting edge art, in 2002; Almaz by Momo in Harvey Nichols Dubai in 2006, Derri è re in Paris in 2008; Almaz by Momo in Abu Dhabi in 2013; and is the founder of Mo’zik record label which aims to create a diverse musical universe that crosses the boundaries of Eastern, Western, contemporary and traditional music. Momo Restaurant, 25 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BH 020 7434 4040 www.momoresto.com bite cuisine Wood Pigeon Pastilla Traditional Maghrebine Pastries Moroccan Salad