We had a lovely dinner here last night as a table of 4 and 1 child.
Firstly, the service. Warm, welcoming and very hospitable. The lovely gentleman who attended to our table with the lovely accent was just that, Lovely. We asked some questions that he gave us answers to without any fuss and he just had a friendly and calm nature. He had taken our order for drinks within a few minutes of us sitting down and made and served the drinks promptly.
Secondly, the ambiance. Don't judge a book by its cover on this one. Oce you walk in the Moroccan lights and ambiance makes you feel like you are eating at a friends place. It's cosy and comfortable.
Thirdly, the food. We started with eggplant chopped salad and a pepper shakshuka. This was served with a traditional bread which was absolutely delicious. The smokey flavour of the eggplant was incredible. I'm middle eastern and it reminded me of the same smokey flavour that comes through when my mum makes her smokey eggplant dip! Just wonderful. The shakshuka was a nice surprise also, flavoursome and the egg cooked perfectly for my taste.
For mains we had 4 tagines. A lamb, 2 veg and 1 chicken with olives. My husband devoured the lamb. He said the lamb was tender and the prunes and apricots in the dish, as well as the seasoning, was spot on and all the ingredients complimented each other. He did not want to share it! He ordered it with rice and he actually said it was the best rice he had ever eaten. I tried the rice and I only wish I could cook rice as well.
The chicken tagine was also very much enjoyed. My sister said the Chicken was cooked to perfection and the complimentary spices were lovely. She also loved the olives throughout and the dish was moist not dry so was very easy to eat.
The veg tagine was lovely also. It came with a dressing which we poured on top. Personal preference here I am not a big fan of sultanas/raisins and would prefer this dish with slivered almonds or a nut or seed for texture. That's how I would make it at home but completely understand dried fruits are the tradition in Morocco and like I said, this is my personal preference. My 6 year old ate all the dried fruit and enjoyed the food all night as well which is fabulous when your child is a fussy eater.
All in all a great restaurant and we will definitely return. I notice a few comments on the price and portion sizes on other reviews. I found for what we paid we were well feed and did not leave hungry. Quite the opposite, we ate everything and left with full and happy bellies. Serving sizes were perfect for the price.
One last thing, the owners are lovely. Casa Tagine is a family run business and the family actually cooks for you. Can't do better than that.