It is probable that when the Four Seasons chose a Moroccan theme this year for their annual Ramadan spread, they had Morocco's wonderful, fast-breaking 'Harira ba Karouia' soup in mind. Brimming with lamb, lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, vegetables, herbs and spices, all stirred in with lemon and egg strands, this mouth-watering concoction goes some way towards both sating the thirst and satisfying the hunger after a long day's abstinence. One element an empty stomach does not warmly welcome, however, is cooking oil. And when the Harira (LE 20) arrived with a shimmering oily surface, and reservoirs of oil running around the side of the soup, I noticed my guest's eyes looking longingly at my more conservative choice of Taameya (LE 15) and Tehina (LE 16). The biggest pity about the saturated Harira was that the non-oil part of the soup was quite tasty. But so lubricated was it by oil, it slid unnaturally down the throat and never really sat comfortably in the stomach. The Taameya, on the other hand, was crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, just how it should be. In between courses we took in Tagine's funky layout (read: watched the Ahli-Zamalek game on the large flat-screen TV opposite our table). Spread out around a central gazebo, grey couches and leather chairs brandishing soft-colored red and orange throws and cushions, surround chic Oriental tables. Some of the areas have their own TVs to allow diners to enjoy the various Ramadan soaps. I suspect the Four Season's might have regretted that, given the effect the Youssra scene likely had on their customers' appetites. Either way, it couldn't have been more detrimental to the appetite than the Pigeon Pastillas Samboussak (LE 26) that turned up on our table soon afterwards. The crispy batter was moist with grease, and the alleged pigeon meat inside was closer to cheese in texture than anything else. And bad cheese at that. Fortunately our main courses arrived in quick succession. My guest went with the Lamb Tagine with apricot and almond, served on rice (LE 65), another Moroccan speciality. The lamb was tender and the sauce was sweet and gently spiced. But it was heavy - too much flour in the sauce - and she got less than half way through. I opted for the cooking oil, served with Chicken Tawook and French fries (LE 54). The oiliness was particularly regrettable, as the chicken, which was served with green peppers and onions, was seasoned and grilled very well. The fries would have been fine too, but alas, they were more oil than potato. As Tagine's affable waiters, clad in traditional Moroccan dress, cleared the table, we reclined on the comfortable couches, and surmised that there was probably enough oil in our bellies to power a medium-sized car. Also disappointing was the shortage of Moroccan dishes on the menu. There was plenty of standard Oriental fare including all the hot and cold mezze, liver (LE 24), Koubeibah (LE 24), Lebanese Kofta (LE 54), Veal fillet (LE 68) and more. But apart from Veal knuckles with vegetables and Raz el Hanout with rice (LE 65), there really weren't many more Moroccan options than what we had ordered. They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, judging by what we had for dessert, redemption is too. The Mango Kounafa with mango sorbet (LE 25) was sublime. I was originally not going to have dessert, but after tasting my guest's Kounafa I had to order the same. Three small servings - Kounafa with mango cream, a scoop of creamy mango sorbet (importantly, not too sweet!), and slices of fresh mango and kiwi - are delightfully presented on a long white platter. It would be worth checking out Tagine for this alone. Including drinks the whole bill came to LE 351 after 10 percent sales tax and 12 percent service charge. Tagine @ the First Mall - Tel: (02) 569 2557
