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| - My friends and I had a gathering at Morocco House recently. We ordered so many things that I would rather list my general thoughts instead of describing dish by dish. I must preface the review that I don't know much about Moroccan food. Hence, I cannot attest to the authenticity of the food here; I could only speak to whether I like the experience or not.
TL DR version: Morocco House offers great food and excellent value. The services is generally good and friendly, yet there is room for improvement in terms of speed of services. Since the restaurant has barely opened for 2 weeks, it is still in its "soft opening" stage. I am sure that once it has worked out some operational issues, it will become the gem that it is destined to be.
Food:
We had a few entrees, a few starters, 2 soups, 2 types of bread and a dessert. We shared a bite of each other's dishes. Everything, from bread to entrees, tasted from good to excellent. My favourite dish was my own order, the Lamb and Prune Tagine. The lamb meat was braised to perfection. The flavours and spices were rich and balanced. Even though it was made in advance, the food tasted relatively fresh. The Merguez was my second favourite dish of the evening. It didn't look too appetizing, but the appearance was grossly misleading. The lamb sausages were so delicious, and the texture hit the right balance between lean vs moist. Together with half a plate of salad, it was a rather healthy choice. A friend who is knowledgeable with Middle Eastern sweets said the dessert was very good. It didn't taste much to me, but I would take his seasoned opinion over mine. I noted that everyone on the table said that they loved their entrees and wouldn't mind ordering them again in the next visit. I took it meant that every dish tasted delicious. Last and most definitely not least, the store-made garlic sauce was unreal. You *must* have it. I would rate the garlic sauce 6 stars out of 5 if I could. 5 stars overall.
Portion: Good portion. You won't walk out hungry. 4 stars.
Moroccan Tea:
Why a separate section for a tea? Because I loved it. I never had a Moroccan tea before, and I felt fortunate that this was my first experience. It was a mild tasting green tea that tasted different from the Chinese green tea that I am used to. It was served hot with a small slice of fresh mint leaf. It tasted refreshing and "clean". There was almost a feeling of tranquillity to it. Kindly note that if you don't specify, it would be served sweetened. You could ask for unsweetened tea. Order it, and see if you enjoy it as much as I do. 5 stars.
Services:
The waitress was friendly and helpful. We asked to split bill at time of ordering, and she agreed without batting an eyelash. I later found out that she did it without a computerized system, so kudos to her, and shame on venues that use a computerized system and still refuse to split bills. The owner was passionate and proud of his Moroccan heritage and his food (he was the chef). He came by at the end of the meal to explain the food, the ingredients, etc.. It was quite an enjoyable chat. 4 stars.
Speed of services:
The place was opened for less than 2 weeks. There had to be kinks to work through somewhere. And speed of services was one of them. It took an hour for our food to arrive. I completely understood that our table ordered a lot of different things, so it was complicated to cook for us. I did feel a bit antsy towards the end of the wait. Of course I forgot all about it once I saw how good the food was, which was the most important part at the end of the day. I didn't try, but you can try calling in your take out order in advance to save some wait time. I hope that Morocco House can improve on the speed of services after a while. 2 stars
Decor:
The strip mall is completely divey. I wouldn't have thought of stopping by if I didn't have a referral to visit this restaurant. The storefront of the restaurant didn't look much either, despite the owner trying his best to polish the look. However, and this is a big one, the interior of the restaurant is newly renovated. Not overly fancy, yet much thought has gone into the lighting, the tapestries, the wall arts, etc.. The decor and ambience scream culture and heritage. It feels nice to dine in here. The ordering counter looks like it caters to take out ordering. But this is a mild distraction at most and does not diminish the ambience. 4 stars.
In conclusion, would I return? Oh yes. Am I a fan? You bet. Will I recommend others to patronize? I am doing just that with this review.
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