Morocco

This week I took the culinary passport from Asia to North Africa and went to Ajbani Moroccan Cuisine.  Although it’s half a world away from China it’s literally across the street from the dim sum restaurant from two posts back.  They don’t serve lunch and they open at 4:00 so I had a midday snack and got there as they were opening so I’d miss any crowds.

This is primarily a take out joint with a couple of tables on the sidewalk and three more inside the door.  The bulk of the place is taken up by the open kitchen and you can see everything as they prepare it.  You order at the counter and if you are dining in they’ll bring it to your table.  While she finished setting up I checked out the menu and honestly I didn’t see much I wouldn’t like to try.  In the end I settled on a couple of appetizers; the kefta brouchettes and the hummus and falafel platter.

As I mentioned they are primarily a take out place and the food is delivered to you that way even if you are dining in.  Turns out that’s ok because you don’t need to ask for a box for the leftovers.  My first impression was these were small portions for the price but once I started in I revised that opinion.  The kefta brouchettes are spiced ground beef and lamb meatball kebabs and came with a harissa yogurt sauce.  These meatballs were dense and filling and had a pretty good taste as is but the harissa yogurt sauce pushed them up a couple of notches.  It is a spicy sauce with pepper, garlic, cumin and coriander but the yogurt kept the spiciness in check so it was a controlled burn.  The falafels were bit different than others I’ve had.  The basic taste was the same but they were missing something for me.  The consistency was crunchy on the outside and really soft inside and at first I thought they may have been cooked on too high a heat setting but they were steaming hot in the center too.  They were good just different.  The hummus came topped with homemade tomato and pepper dip that was very tasty.  The hummus was thicker and more coarse than most of what you find in the grocery stores aisles.  It wasn’t advertised as made on site but it definitely had the consistency of homemade and it was good.  The pita is in the little bag and honestly I thought “that’s all” but had to revise my opinion again once I opened the bag.  The pita would have been better warmed but it was just sliced up pita in a bag, which honestly is logical since they specialize in takeout and it wouldn’t be warm by the time most people got it home.  I brought about half the hummus and falafel platter home and grabbed these little babies on the way out.

These, my friends, are tahini truffles.  The outside is puffed black rice that has a massive crunch factor and the inside is tahini and chocolate ganache together in a sweet and salty mixture that is quite nice.  They are about the size of ping pong balls and one will do you for a while.

There are some other dishes on the menu I want to try on another visit like the Berber chicken and the olive and orange salad with hazelnuts and a dressing of orange juice and spices.

Another good find as far as I’m concerned and they seem authentic.  In fact a trio came in while I was eating and were discussing the dishes with the lady behind the counter and were informed some of the food was prepared by a Berber lady.  Also one of the owners came in while I was there.  He was Moroccan but to my disappointment not wearing a fez.  He did stop at my table and ask if everything was ok and then when I was leaving he asked what I had and how I liked it.  He thanked me for coming in and made sure to ask me back.  Very friendly place and did I mention the truffles.

The link to their website is below and don’t forget to check out the Tell Me More page for more on Morocco.

http://www.ajbanirestaurant.com/