27 Litchfield Street, London WC2H 9NJ
www.soukrestaurant.co.uk
The story so far: I got in last night; Mike arrived about 6 this morning; we got ourselves ready at my hotel at Heathrow and then spent the day schmoozing at a conference. Overwhelmingly pleased with the successful charisma buzz we lent to proceedings, we left the Emirates and made our way down to Club Quarters Trafalgar. Great location, great facilities, great price. But there wasn’t much time to chill: we had told Zoran we’d meet him at 20:00 at Piccadilly Circus.
Now, London traffic being what it is, Zoran visiting London for the first time, and Mike and I not really capable of meeting evening deadlines since way back, all combined to mean we finally rendezvoused with Zoran about a quarter to nine. I had intended taking them up to Randall and Aubin, where I’d been once before – another, ahem, memorable outing with Nabil. But Mike was dying for a pint, so we stopped at some grotty little pub in Soho, and by the time we’d finished and walked round the corner, we knew it was a no-hoper. Randall and Aubin was not only packed to the rafters inside: it looked like a cross between a Brazilian carnival and a Soviet-length queue had formed outside. So I took them across to Souk.
The first time I was ever here was way back in 2001, with Danièle and a gang of French people. There’s a rather nice Moroccan-themed bar on the ground floor, but the restaurant is down two flights of rickety stairs to a fire-trap of a basement, bedecked with candles and velour, and packed with low tables and couches. I’d been back several times since, on separate multiple occasions, with William and Nabil: it’s become a sort of favoured option when everything else is closed or full or too far away.
I was concerned that bringing two Dubai-centric guys to a Moroccan restaurant in London might underwhelm them a bit, but they seemed up for it. We chose three main dishes between us: the couscous royal, with lamb, chicken and merguez (ah, reminds me of Grenoble every time!); the duck tagine, which was flavoured with an apple and cinnamon sauce; and my old favourite – the lamb tagine, with prunes, apple and almonds. The combined flavours of this last one always promise so much, and rarely fail to hit the mark. Tonight was no exception. We decided – I decided - to order a side serving of chips with harissa sauce. I’d never taken this before at Souk, and it was nothing remarkable, yet the harissa hit the right note. Again, I was transported back to those many late nights at Place Grenette, and I was 19 again. It all made me remember how much I like this restaurant.
Surprisingly for three men who professed starvation on the way into Souk, we didn’t finish the dishes - the conversation sapping our appetite while energising our minds. (Get the reference of the day, Mike?). Normally, I’d have cocktails or Moroccan white wine at Souk, but today we were abstemious and drank bottled water.
The bill, as ever, was beyond reasonable by London standards, and three happy diners emerged into the midsummer night to return home.
www.soukrestaurant.co.uk
The story so far: I got in last night; Mike arrived about 6 this morning; we got ourselves ready at my hotel at Heathrow and then spent the day schmoozing at a conference. Overwhelmingly pleased with the successful charisma buzz we lent to proceedings, we left the Emirates and made our way down to Club Quarters Trafalgar. Great location, great facilities, great price. But there wasn’t much time to chill: we had told Zoran we’d meet him at 20:00 at Piccadilly Circus.
Now, London traffic being what it is, Zoran visiting London for the first time, and Mike and I not really capable of meeting evening deadlines since way back, all combined to mean we finally rendezvoused with Zoran about a quarter to nine. I had intended taking them up to Randall and Aubin, where I’d been once before – another, ahem, memorable outing with Nabil. But Mike was dying for a pint, so we stopped at some grotty little pub in Soho, and by the time we’d finished and walked round the corner, we knew it was a no-hoper. Randall and Aubin was not only packed to the rafters inside: it looked like a cross between a Brazilian carnival and a Soviet-length queue had formed outside. So I took them across to Souk.
The first time I was ever here was way back in 2001, with Danièle and a gang of French people. There’s a rather nice Moroccan-themed bar on the ground floor, but the restaurant is down two flights of rickety stairs to a fire-trap of a basement, bedecked with candles and velour, and packed with low tables and couches. I’d been back several times since, on separate multiple occasions, with William and Nabil: it’s become a sort of favoured option when everything else is closed or full or too far away.
I was concerned that bringing two Dubai-centric guys to a Moroccan restaurant in London might underwhelm them a bit, but they seemed up for it. We chose three main dishes between us: the couscous royal, with lamb, chicken and merguez (ah, reminds me of Grenoble every time!); the duck tagine, which was flavoured with an apple and cinnamon sauce; and my old favourite – the lamb tagine, with prunes, apple and almonds. The combined flavours of this last one always promise so much, and rarely fail to hit the mark. Tonight was no exception. We decided – I decided - to order a side serving of chips with harissa sauce. I’d never taken this before at Souk, and it was nothing remarkable, yet the harissa hit the right note. Again, I was transported back to those many late nights at Place Grenette, and I was 19 again. It all made me remember how much I like this restaurant.
Surprisingly for three men who professed starvation on the way into Souk, we didn’t finish the dishes - the conversation sapping our appetite while energising our minds. (Get the reference of the day, Mike?). Normally, I’d have cocktails or Moroccan white wine at Souk, but today we were abstemious and drank bottled water.
The bill, as ever, was beyond reasonable by London standards, and three happy diners emerged into the midsummer night to return home.
_________________
The Damage (GBP)
- 12.45 Couscous Royal
- 11.95 Duck Tagine with apple and cinnamon sauce
- 10.95 Lamb Tagine with prunes, apple and almonds
- 1.95 Chips with harissa mayonnaise
Drinks
- 5.90 2 large bottles sparkling mineral water (2*2.95)
- 5.85 Tea/ Coffee (3*1.95)
Service 5.95
Total 55.00
_________________
The Score
4.0 Food and Drink
3.5 Service
4.0 Décor
4.0 Ambience
4.0 Value
4.0 Overall Rating
Total 55.00
_________________
The Score
4.0 Food and Drink
3.5 Service
4.0 Décor
4.0 Ambience
4.0 Value
4.0 Overall Rating
