Moroccan Cuisine in Leduc – worth the drive!

by | Dec 7, 2010 | Restaurant Review | 5 comments

Tucked away off 50th Street, right behind the A&W in Leduc, is a little gem of a spot called Moroccan Cuisine.

The restaurant has been up and running for about 1.5 years and I’ve heard nothing about it other than reading a short thread on Chowhound. They offer a lunch buffet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but we headed out on a Saturday and ordered off the menu.
We had the opportunity to try the soup harira ($2.95), an aromatic blend of lentils, chickpeas and spices; just what you need on a cold winter day.

The salad is a plate of 5 portions of veggies. Some are marinated in garlic, lemon and cilantro and others (potatoes, cabbage, carrots and a tomato/cucumber/onion mixture) are spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne. Big flavour, nice selection of veggies and good for sharing.

Then there was the chicken bastilla which sounded so unusual we had to try it. The ground chicken is seasoned to perfection (again with moroccan spices) and then baked inside a pastry, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. In no time at all the forks were flying and we were fighting each other for the last bite.

Entrees consisted of two tagine dishes, one with chicken and the other with lamb. A tagine is a clay pot that consists of a  conical top, and a round shallow bottom. It is designed this way so that all the condensation that happens during the slow cooking process stays inside and keeps the ingredients moist. It’s brilliant.

The chicken tagine came with green olives, lemon and peppers. The scent was incredible, the meat tender and the tangy lemons and briny olives transported me to a bazaar far, far away. I would’ve rocked the kasbah had there been one nearby.

I went out on a limb with the lamb tagine and ordered it with prunes. You can order it with apricots, but I was feeling a little wild out there in Leduc. This dish was so, so good…flavoured with cinnamon and olives, and magic, I think.

Dessert is included with the meal, along with Moroccan mint tea. All of that for about $30, folks. Definitely worth the trip out.  I’m heading back this week for the buffet.

Moroccan Cuisine on Urbanspoon

5 Comments

  1. squrlgurl
    squrlgurl on December 8, 2010 at 1:35 am

    AHH! for sure going there once I get back to E-town! I need a flavourful punch to the face right meowww. The only bummer of reading your blogs is that it makes me salivate and go on some sort of mad-dog quest for food…BAHH now to find food!

  2. Twyla Campbell
    Twyla Campbell on December 8, 2010 at 3:35 am

    You would love it, SG…when you get back to E-Town, we’ll head to Leduc and have some Moroccan Cuisine – my treat!

  3. eatingisthehardpart.com
    eatingisthehardpart.com on December 16, 2010 at 9:56 pm

    I’ve been out twice, and written about both times on the blog.

    Of the four dishes I had, I think it’s safe to say that the lamb couscous and chicken tagine (with peppers like you had) were the best offerings.

    The standard beef tagine was bland, while the ground beef and egg was quite boring. Although the egg was money.

    Service is rather dry, with both visits friendly, but very distant with a good 15-20 minutes between interactions. Still, it’s a nice change and something worth trying.

  4. Anonymous
    Anonymous on December 30, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    Twyla,

    Another restaurant recently opened in Leduc. The greek place is now an east indian place. They have been open for about a week and a half. Went there last week and had the butter chicken, some paneer and two types of naan. I thought it was great, but you might want to check it out yourself!

  5. Twyla Campbell
    Twyla Campbell on December 31, 2010 at 4:02 am

    EHP: I totally agree about the service…we were left hanging a few times, but thankfully the food made up for it.

    And Anonymous: thanks for the tip, I’ll definitely go check out the East Indian place next time in Leduc!