Magic carpet ride

Injy El-Kashef indulges in a little belly dancing
Some may feel that this review is long overdue, considering that the venue in question was the hottest, innest place in town months ago. But those who are not yet familiar with this reviewer must learn a cruel lesson: I do not fall for this kind of pressure and, if a place is so in vogue, followers of social fashion will flock there regardless of what I personally think of it. So I save the review for when the heat has somewhat subsided.
I am talking of Le Maroc or Morocco, that dark spot neighbouring Applebee's. Morocco has a little bit of an identity crisis: it insists that it is more of a restaurant than a disco, which it definitely isn't, just as it insists that it does not require a minimum charge, when in fact it does, and one of LE75 at that, with which they insist that you eat. The first time we tried to go we cancelled the (necessary) reservation out of anger at the person on the phone who had almost reached the point of asking what we would eat just to make sure we covered the LE75, which he obstinately refused to label a minimum charge.
Anyhow, if and when you can, you should definitely pay the place a visit. The food is good, the decor elegant, the ambiance very pleasant and the dancing great. It is designed to look very Middle Eastern, with arches, tabliyas and cushions but all executed with taste and subtlety. The spacious disco-cum- restaurant is always, always packed with young and old customers dancing everywhere, mainly to techno and resynthesised Oriental, especially that the dance floor is not so huge.
I ordered my food and ran back to dance, boogying between tables as well as anywhere else I could, except maybe the toilet. Unfortunately, the food arrived really quickly and I couldn't ignore it because it looked great, quite honestly.
I had ordered a Salade de Mer, which consisted of little shrimps and some calamari strips in a delicious tangy lemony sauce with onions and tomatoes. I felt transported to a terrace on the seaside overlooking white domes and a deep blue sea. My friend's Shrimp Tajin was equally delicious, with bigger shrimps swimming in a spicy tomato, onion and green pepper sauce, and the tajin sauce just like my grandmother made it. When it arrived, he was dancing and the waiter told me this was my Salade de Mer; although surprised, I proceeded to relish every forkful, thinking they obviously do things their own way around here -- only to discover that I had eaten his main course.
Next came my Couscous with Chicken. The couscous was perfect: so rich, so fluffy and so fattening, really out of this world. On it lay several chunks of assorted boiled vegetables and one little modest piece of chicken. It was well-cooked and tasted rather nice, but excuse me, for the kind of money we were paying, we should be treated more generously.
A few beers and a juice cocktail brought the bill to a horrific LE258, although the prices on the menu certainly did not add up to this sum and we had even skipped dessert. I guess figures speak for themselves -- LE75 a head minimum charge or not?
Le Morocco, Applebee's Boat, Saray Al- Gezira St, Zamalek Corniche.
Tel: 012 3900256/7
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