TUCC enjoys Eastern ambience and Moroccan cuisine at Marocana
Marocana is popular both as a restaurant and a pre-party place – a fashionable hangout for people who like tasty food and a few drinks before heading to a night club. So I was not a bit surprised when, arriving at Marocana in time for the next TUCC meeting, I found all the guests hanging out by the bar, sipping on complimentary cocktails to the lounge tunes. The interior of Marocana does indeed work fine as a place for relaxation. While its summer terrace is placed on the street, the rest of the eatery is located underground and the dim lighting creates an intimate atmosphere. Dark red and gold prevail in the Eastern-style interior, and a great many design elements, such as paintings, lamps and curtains are authentic – brought right from Morocco. Comfortable soft couches and chairs, generously covered with cushions and supplied with small metal tables provide great seating. And even the toilets present a careful designer’s work.
As the time came for the actual dinner we were lead from the lounge room by the bar to the main dining hall where a number of tables were put together so that the connoisseurs were comfortably seated together. Some of us, myself included, had our seats in a small pavilion supplied with curtains which could be used to hide ourselves from the other diners – or a couple, from strangers’ eyes if they wished it – but it wasn’t our goal that night.
Just like all fashionable outfits of its type, Marocana combined its trademark Moroccan food with European cuisine, which was clear from our first course. It was a salad of avocado, marinated mushrooms, olives and cherry tomatoes with red snapper marinated in lime juice and oyster sauce. To go with the fish, ginger was also included in the salad. However, the main trick was indeed in the sauce – sesame dressing that worked great with vegetables and fish, giving the dish a perfect finishing touch. I have often heard chefs claim that the essence of great cooking lies in the sauces, and I could only agree with this statement as I enjoyed my salad, sipping on my light and refreshing white wine, Italian Zenato Lugana, 2005.
After a short break, another dish arrived for our consideration: chicken galantine. Accurate round bits of chicken roll glistening with a thin layer of jelly, served with bits of asparagus and celery and two types of sauce. One was a mayonnaise-based horseradish sauce, the other was made from sweet pepper. After trying the horseradish sauce, I decided to stick to the red sauce, which went perfectly fine with the tender galantine. The next wine, which was a Chardonnay Attems Collio 2005 from Italy, felt stronger and more pungent – clearly to match the spicier dish. Marocana’s sommelier was clearly doing a good job selecting wines, which is another thing that speaks in favor of the eatery – after all, a carefully chosen wine makes up a significant part of a good dinner.
As we waited for the next course, I took advantage of the bread basket, which looked really appetizing, filled with several kinds of rolls, and even some flat cakes – Moroccan perhaps? Also, I felt slightly annoyed with our waiter – he was so very attentive, changing the ashtrays of my smoking neighbors and coming up to check if everything was fine every few minutes. Perhaps he was just nervous in front of the expert guests, but during a regular dinner I wouldn’t exactly enjoy such extensive attention.
Finally the time for the real highlight of the evening came – traditional Moroccan couscous. It arrived in a bowl, steaming hot and incredibly tasty. A semolina-based gruel mixed with lamb fillet and Moroccan dried fruit created an original sour-sweet taste combination and was clearly one of the things Marocana’s patrons loved it for. The wine this time was a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 and helped to reveal the taste of the dish to the fullest.
I was already laying back on the soft cushions, feeling as calm and relaxed as a person feels after a dinner that is satisfying, filling and light at the same time, when the dessert arrived – classic Creme Brulee served with strawberries and green kiwi sauce. I broke the caramel crust with a teaspoon, recalling how Amelie from the French film of the same name called it among her favorite things to do, and put the first spoonful in my mouth. It was indeed just what was needed at the moment – a delicious soft cream, almost melting in the mouth, not too sweet and nicely combined with sour kiwi sauce. I finished it quite fast and felt I could have more, even though I realized I had no capacity left for it. That’s what I like best about desserts – even if you feel you already had more than enough to eat, there is something still awaiting you at the very end – to put a wonderful finishing touch to a wonderful dinner.
F-cafe Marocana (24 Bulvar Lesi Ukrayinky, 254-4999). Open daily 9 a.m. till 2 a.m.
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 120
To join TUCC, go to www.tucc.kiev.ua
