Vincent van Gogh began his painting career using primarily earthy, dull tones and somber colors. Yet, just as he became inspired by the foreign influences of Parisian Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism to create a colorful, vibrant painting style, so, too, does the food landscape of Amsterdam take its cues from exotic friends: a humble beginning based on the Dutch kitchen (shaped by its roots in farming and "meat and potato" dishes), but which has grown to be one of the most internationally varied options in Europe. The cultural diversity of the city can be summed up by a look outside of my hotel room window: Indian food across the street, Indonesian food down the alley, Turkish cuisine below me, and Moroccan food caddy-corner.
Yet, my decision over where to dine this evening comes easily - I'm preparing to embark on a grand journey in Morocco in about a month, which will be a bit of a food pilgrimage of sorts, and so my compass points diagonally to Marokkaans Restaurant Marrakech. It will be nice to familiarize myself just a bit more with what is already one of my favorite cuisines.
The restaurant itself is humble in appearance, and the only patrons when I entered were a couple of Dutch women carrying on together about the news of the day. I'm warmly greeted by an elderly Moroccan woman, and a man who appears to be her son. My restaurant decisions are often based on how "local" or homey feeling a restaurant is, and I'm usually right in my experiences that the less flamboyant a restaurant, the more likely it is to be authentic (and delicious). Marrakech may be located on a main street in the center of Amsterdam, but it certainly makes my "Authentic Meter" go off like a side-alley family affair.
The host promptly offers me a drink (I take the large Heineken, naturally, being in Amsterdam), and he offers me the soup of the day which has just finished cooking. Not knowing what it is, I immediately go for it, expecting to be pleasantly surprised. Meanwhile, I also put in for an order of Briwat (3.40 Euros), an old favorite of mine - filo dough pastries stuffed with lamb and rice.
Both the soup and the Briwat arrive simultaneously, and I wasn't wrong to rush into the decision. The soup is Harira (5.00 Euros), the national soup of Morocco. There are dozens of variations of Harira, as it's a simple food made with staples, so it can be as varied as the people of Morocco making it.
This particular one was a delightful, hearty Harira with the requisite lentils, tomatoes, chickpeas, cilantro, and tiny vermicelli noodles. It was perfectly seasoned, thick, and delicious; and the taste of spices like Turmeric and caraway seed brought the authenticity full circle. Although I haven't a complaint about how simple and delicious this treat was, at 5.00 Euros I consider it a bit pricey for what I know to be fairly inexpensive ingredients.
Meanwhile, as the host was busy firing up a charcoal grill with red hot embers, not more than a few feet away from me, to start on the Mixed Grill I ordered (14.75 Euros), I set to town on my Briwat. They were a bit flakier than I like, and honestly quite bland. Whereas the Harira had my mouth dancing with flavors, the lamb and rice seemed woefully unseasoned. Still, a dollop of the spicy tomato sauce which had been served with my Kesra (Moroccan white bread) managed to salvage them, and they went down quite nice (well, nicer) this way.
The elderly woman, meanwhile, had disappeared into the back where I assumed her to be preparing my delicious meats for the now red-hot coals in the grill. I was pleasantly treated to the aroma of the charcoal embers and the smell of the previous meats which had been prepared, and watched as she emerged with a plate of 4 amazing skewers and sizzled them onto the grill. The smell intensified, and I awarded high marks for letting me be witness to the cooking of my meal.
When the Mixed Grill arrived, it was served with a lettuce-wrap bowl of vegetable tajine. I was treated to juicy lamb; tender, well-marinated chicken; and two types of spicy lamb sausages. Each of them tasted perfectly cooked, and were more than enough for one person.
I finished off the entire Mixed Grill platter, which I think my host hadn't expected, as well as the tajine. I thought a bit of mint tea would be in order, and my host wisely suggested a pot of it, with medium sugar, to aid my digestion. I do make fresh mint tea at home quite often, but never thought of putting sugar to it. Just the slightest amount of sugar as I was served this night made a world of difference. The tea was a fantastic sipper, and granted me choice company as I admired the stained glass lamps and mirrors which decorated this tiny restaurant.
I would certainly say that the food met my expectation in terms of authentic, tasty Moroccan food. But where I would have to encourage Marrakech to go a bit further is with their menu offerings. It seemed a bit small, and while I enjoy a mixed grill with the best of them, there were only a few other meat choices, and very limited starters besides the Briwat (Moroccan salad, mixed salad, cous cous). I typically enjoy a fuller mezze when dining on Moroccan, and would probably become bored with Marrakech fairly quickly in favor of more robust Moroccan food venues in this city.
So, while I felt like a part of the family kitchen for a few short moments this evening, my love affair with Marrakech - much like the Moroccan love affair of Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart - was short lived. Still, I say, "Here's lookin' at you, Marrakech".
Danger's Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 Flaming Spatulas
Restaurant Marrakech
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 134
1012SH
Amsterdam
http://www.restaurantmarrakech.nl/
Photos: courtesy of Danger's iPhone.
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