A charming Moroccan restaurant with exceptionally cheap food and very friendly service.

The Venue
The restaurant is one of a number of restaurants on Seven Sisters Road that offers foreign cuisine, reflecting the cosmopolitan make-up of the area. The area itself isn't the most aesthetically pleasing – if you go out onto the patio area to take your food, you'll be left with the view of a council estate and listening to traffic going past on a major road. Inside is much more accommodating. The walls are lined with pictures of typical Moroccan scenes and carpets, which can be bought if the mood takes you.

The Atmosphere
The restaurant is very popular with those of North African origin and you can expect to hear a lot of Arabic as well as French spoken. The restaurant also gets very busy in the evening, providing an intimate atmosphere. There is a variety of music played, ranging from Lebanese to rai, a particular type of Moroccan music.

The Food
The meals that are served are changed on a daily basis but there are some things that you can bank on seeing on display. Perennial favourites are chicken with olives and lamb tagine, although there is always a few vegetarian dishes to choose from. Each dish is served with the choice of couscous or rice and it is also possible to add a salad side dish.

Given that each dish only costs four pounds, it might be expected that a small portion is provided. Not so, the large dishes that are served in clay plates and kept warm with a ceramic lid are extremely filling. The chicken with olives is exquisite with juicy chicken supplemented by additional vegetables. The only complaint is that there could be more of the olives supplied as their bitter taste goes very well with the chicken. The lamb with prunes is less appetising with the combination of the lamb with the fruit jarring rather than complementing one another. The lamb is also quite tough and could be better cooked.

There is a limited choice of desserts with only cheesecakes and tarts available. That said, both the coffee cheesecake and the strawberry tart are delicate and well worth a try. That is if there is any room left in your stomach after the main course.

The Drink
There are no alcoholic drinks served in this restaurant but there are plenty of other choices to go with the meal. Particularly interesting of note are the smoothies that are made fresh each day. Both the mango and the avocado concoctions were refreshing if a little thick. This being a Moroccan restaurant, teas are a speciality, which they have many varieties of and provide an excellent end to the meal.

The Last Word
Although not placed in the most enticing of areas, this is a restaurant that offers splendid food at a price that is scarcely believable. It is conceivable that you could have a two course meal with a couple of drinks and still walk away with a change from a ten pound note. And how many places in London can that be said of?

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