Taste of Northwest Africa
As the only proper Moroccan restaurant in Toronto, Morocco House does a valiant job in offering the renowned dishes of that country. It’s strange that there aren’t more Moroccan restaurants. It’s fun to eat off a tagine and there can be so many delicious preparations of couscous that is not just a salad afterthought.
The food
The most unique Moroccan dish is bastilla (بسطيلة). It’s a poultry pie made with laminated dough. The poultry of choice these days is chicken, but it’s historically made with squab. The unusual thing about the pie is its flavour. It has savoury herbs like onions and parsley. But it also has elements of a dessert pie like cinammon, toasted almonds, and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.
Somehow, the sweet and savoury combination works, though my brain was a bit confused. The chicken was seasoned well. The silvered almonds added crunch and fragrance. The pastry was moist from condensation during takeout but it was still flaky. 8/10.
Tagine (طجين) is the iconic dish of Morocco, literally. It is an earthenware cooking vessel with a lid shaped liked a hat. The “hat” traps steam and helps to redirect condensed juices back to the dish. Like a primitive pressure cooker. It’s somewhat fun when the waitstaff removes the lid tableside, revealing the aromatic contents within.
Tagine is also the same name for the food made within the vessel. I chose a classic lemon chicken tagine, made with preserved lemons. The dish was prepared amazingly fast, around 15 minutes. Tagines are usually slow-cooked for at least an hour. I understand that it’s not practical to cook tagines from scratch in a restaurant setting, but that means that the taste isn’t as good as it can be.
For my tagine, the ingredients didn’t have time to meld together. Lemon flavour was concentrated on one side, carrots on another, and so on. The broth was watery. On a positive note, I liked how generous they were with the ingredients. It had lots of vegetables, chicken, and whole lemons stuffed in there. You will be stuffed at Morocco House. 5.5/10.
Moroccan pitas are smaller than their Middle Eastern brethren. I actually prefer this format as it’s more manageable to tear off pieces. Unfortunately, the pitas I got were stale and hard. They were rather flavourless. I had to dip them in the tagine broth to make them palatable. 3.5/10.
Their menu goes beyond tagines and features other traditional Moroccan dishes like couscous, zaalouk (eggplant and tomato salad), and harira (chickpea and tomato soup). I’m glad that there is somewhere in Toronto to eat these specialties.
The place
The interior is dark and cozy. It reminded me of the souks in Morocco, with all the fancy lanterns and Moroccan trinkets. The counter at the front has an array of ingredients for assembling wraps and sandwiches. There is also a shelf with Moroccan goods for sale.
The restaurant is modestly-sized. There is no outdoor seating.
Verdict
The only place in Toronto to find iconic Moroccan dishes. OK quality. 7/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Morocco House
- Rating
- 7/10
- Recommended dishes
- Chicken bastilla
- Prices
- Chicken bastilla: $18.09 ($16.00 excluding tax)
Lemon chicken tagine: $19.19 ($16.99 excluding tax) - Address
- 876 Brown’s Line
- Hours
- Tuesday to Friday 1100h – 2300h
Saturday 1200h – 2300h
Sunday 1200h – 2100h - Date of visit
- July 2020, October 2021