Original Tagines

Definitely not for vegetarians..

I had a very disappointing meal at Original Tagines. There was only one meat-free option on the menu.. Vegetables with couscous. It appeared as a bland pile of boiled vegetables on a pile of plain couscous and looked so unappealing that I had to send it back. You'd think that for £10 they could add some flavour, some more interesting vegetables besides carrots. My meat eating dining partner wasn't too impressed either. I wouldn't go back or recommend this place to anyone.
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Lorena - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Friday, August 03, 2007

I visited this restaurant based on the many good reviews I had read on websites such as this. Maybe it was an 'off ' night, but I found the experience disappointing. From the outside you can see that the decor is fairy basic, which got me thinking that the actual food must be the real pull. We ordered a mix of starters - very average indeed. For main course I ordered the chicken cous cous dish. Admittedly, I had high expectations, having recently visited Marrakech. However, to my surprise, the dish was extremely dry and there was no 'gravy' in the bottom of the dish whatsoever. Maybe this was a mistake? I hope so.

I will definitely be looking elsewhere next time I want the Moroccan experience.
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Miranda
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Friday, May 25, 2007

We went to this restaurant tonight on the basis of the good reviews we had read.

The meal was simply awful. The food was just tasteless. The service was fine, and the bread was OK, but both starters and main courses were dreadful.

The merguez sausages starter was simply saugages, no sauce or anything. The broadbean salad really tasted of nothing.

The chicken kedra came with cracked wheat as opposed to couscous: not only non-Moroccan, but also tasteless. The vegetable tagine did not smell of anything, and it tasted like boiled vegetables. It also came with the same dreadful cracked wheat.

We ordered a large mint tea, and were surprised to get a small teapot. When the bill arrived, the tea cost 5.50 pounds!!! The whole bill was 45.50 for 2 starters, two main courses, one tea and one beer and service, which was a lot for the awful food we got.

Moroccan food is all about aroma and intense flavor, but all Original Tagine could offer was mediocre food. We will not be going back, and advise others to stay away from this insult to Moroccan food.

The writer of this review is from the Middle East by the way.
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Lina
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Saturday, May 12, 2007

I've spent quite some time in London recently and tend to try different restaurants across as wide a range of cuisine as possible. That said, I've been back to Original Tagines more than any other. My daughter is a very keen cook and hadn't tried Moroccan food before so I made sure that we went there during a weekend break - now we have assembled a range of tagine cookware plus a comprehensive store of spices - she loved it! I'm taking my London colleagues here for a post-Xmas meal.

Intimate atmosphere, polite and attentive staff, delicious food and sensible prices - well worth a visit!
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Ron Harland
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, November 30, 2006

This Moroccan restaurant is simply themed with iron chairs and colourful cushions. Both doors were open to several tables set a little back from the pavement outside. There is a plain tiled floor, and the place feels cool and clean. Moroccan music plays at an acceptable level in the background.

The Turkish waitress was helpful and down-to-earth. There was a good value, two course set menu for about nine pounds, with several choices for each course. When I arrived at one o clock none of my first choice remained so I settled for lamb kofta to start followed by a chicken tagine with lemons, olives and carrots. I waited for half an hour before my starter arrived but I later realised the sole chef had been making four different main courses at once. Exotic smells wafted my way from the diners and the kitchen; the waitress seemed to walk endlessly back and forth bearing tantalising good things - none of it coming my way. But the kofta when they arrived were very tasty, slightly spicy, served with crunchy lettuce, red peppers and a lovely soft, warm bread. I know nothing about Moroccan food, and although the kofta were in no way dry I wondered if a dip of yoghurt and mint might have enhanced them. Is this sacrilege? I mentioned that I didn’t have much time and the tagine arrived, plentiful and very hot, shortly afterwards. It was served with couscous and exactly as one would imagine: fresh and tangy.

I finished with a small cup of mint tea which arrived accompanied by a delicious pastry, similar to a baklava but with subtle flavours I could not identify and which name I’ve forgotten. The waitress asked the chef for me what the Arabic words were around the wall and he offered to write them down on a card: Flham - Good Luck; Sihat - Good Health; Risk - Good Wealth; Sukur - Thanks to God; Nimet - Good Food. The card was for the good Turkish restaurant, Ishtar, on nearby Crawford street, so presumably the two restaurants are linked. This was a full-flavoured, relaxed, good value lunch. Go early or leave plenty of time.
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Felicity
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, July 27, 2006

Went to Original Tagines last week for a bite to eat.

We were a walk-in and they managed to find a table for us, despite being pretty fully-booked. Unfortunately, that table was right by the door and we got January's bitter wind howling at us every time it opened.

But, the food was good. We both had a tagine - mine veg, his lamb - which came with a side of excellent cous cous.

Also unfortunate was that there were two tables of eight either side of us and their loud chatter made it tough for us to have a conversation.

I probably wouldn't rush back, but that's no reflection on the food.
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Amanda
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Friday, January 13, 2006