17 Nov Restaurant Bedouin review
Algerian food in Cambridge – The other day somebody asked me if there is a Moroccan restaurant in Cambridge. I had to think very hard, but the answer had to be no. However, since last year we have an Algerian restaurant in Mill Road called Bedouin. A slight correction though as we did have one already, the very successful Al Casbah is its sister restaurant. It serves Mediterranean Algerian inspired cuisine. You cannot miss it when you walk along Mill Road passers-by are greeted by a huge grill, with flames leaping up as the freshly-prepared meat and fish are cooked. This striking sight catches the attention of many a casual dinner as people often stop, glance at the menu in the window, have a brief discussion and then enter. Although Algeria isn’t Morocco, their food is very similar to Moroccan food.
As I would describe eating at Al Casbah as a fascinating experience, dining at Bedouin is an intimate one. It straight away caught my eye when I walked by some time ago. Although the ceiling of Al Casbah is covered by a Big Bedouin tent, it is nothing compared to the one at Restaurant Bedouin. The ceiling is covered with large tribal clothes from the desert from Algeria and the walls are lined with beautiful material from Morocco. The owner Foudil Ghorba explained to me in detail where he had sourced all of it. The cloth from the ceiling from desert tribes from Algeria, the cloths for the walls, the wooden doors and the lamps from Morocco. All personally sourced.
I loved every minute there. I had had a busy period and this took me completely away from the hustle and bustle from Cambridge. It felt like being on holiday. Just what I needed! Keep dreaming though as my holiday to Marrakech is still a few months away, but this was a good introduction. I will be counting the days from now!
What did we eat?
Bastilla
Brik pastry parcels stuffed with saffron cooked chicken, pigeon, breast, onion and toasted almonds. Dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon, served with mixed leaf salad. £ 5.95
Special of the day – King Prawns
In a spicy sauce of tomatoes – £ 5.95
Tadjine Zaytoun
Slow cooked lamb with onion, ginger, cinnamon, green olives, coriander, preserved lemon, carrots and potatoes. Served with homemade bread. £ 14.95
Djedj bel mishmash
Spring chicken cooked with lots of onion and ginger apricots and blanched almonds a hint of cinnamon, saffron and bay leave. Served with Tadjine bread £ 12.95
Halaoui – perfect for sharing
A selection of cakes and honey yoghurt
And did we like it?
We loved it all. I choose the chicken as I am quite keen on the honied chicken of Ottolenghi with hazelnuts, which I make often at home. This dish was very different though, but delicious. All the meat was very tender and fell off the bone.
Both starters were quite different. The Bastilla reminded me an of an ” Indonesian Loempia’, which is an Indonesian spring roll.
The desserts were amazing. Every bite was different and although it looks a bit like Baklava, it is nothing like that. It is much better.
A good meal is never complete without a coffee and a good tipple. We had Algerian coffee with sugar and a fig and date liquor. The fig is white of colour and the dated brown. Although both nice, we preferred the date.
Will we go again?
Yes, definitely and it is a great experience with a group as you can share the food, which I really enjoy as I like to taste and enjoy it all!
Gerla
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