Even in the pouring rain and howling wind Bold Street in Liverpool city centre is one of those places that is just mesmerising. Now I don’t mean in a Disney land type of way. Just in an ordinary people watching kind of way. In the shadow of St Luke’s bombed out church it occupies only a small part of the city centre but plays such a big part in its life. Culturally diverse and wonderfully eccentric it makes for a great experience. Where else could you buy a deck of tarot cards, find a retro 1970’s outfit to wear, eat more than half a dozen different world cuisines, grab a craft ale to wash it down with and watch live street performers destroy Lady GaGa songs? The food places on this street are really great. There really is something for everyone. The last time I ate here I went to La Parilla Mexican restaurant. That was sensational. This time I wanted something a little different. As we walked up Bold Street we passed a Moroccan restaurant called the Kasbah. The menu looked decent so we booked a table for the evening. The thing that sealed the deal was that there where little fez hats on the dinner tables for you to wear while you eat. I love a hat so that was me sold!
Located only a stones throw away from Liverpool Central Parkway Station you will find the Kasbah. A small but rather cosy restaurant with bench seating on one side and tables dotted around the other. It’s quirky interior houses pictures of well known faces comically donning fez hats, while multi coloured lamps hang from the ceiling. Small scatter cushions adorned the furniture and Moroccan market music dominated the PA system. The smells where good and the customers seemed happy at first glance which is always a reassuring sign. We where seated by our waiter and presented with the menu. All the meat here is HALAL. There’s plenty to choose from and it all looked good. Our table was opposite the open kitchen grill which is always I think a good sign. If you can see into the kitchen and what is going on then it adds to the experience plus the chef knows he can’t get away with anything. I’d like to say at this point we both donned our burgundy coloured, felt covered, tassel swinging fez hats. But we didn’t. Or should I say my other half didn’t. I did. It was one of the main reasons I was there for goodness sake! So there I was looking like a cross between a barmy 20th century aristocrat on his jollies in the dessert in my tweed jacket, French cuffed shirt and fez hat. And a complete wally. The drunk uncle (I wasn’t drunk) that always turns up to the wedding you never wanted to go to in the first place because he was going to be there!
We ordered our drinks, water for the table and a pot of Moroccan mint tea to accompany it. The tea was hot and refreshing. We ordered hummus as a starter with roasted lamb chunks on top with fresh bread. It was delicious. Hummus that I’ve had in the past has been smelly, gloopy mush. The kind of thing you’d find lurking in the depths of a soho clap clinic. So I was a little apprehensive at ordering this but I have no regrets whatsoever. In fact if this had been the last thing I ever ate I’d have been happy. The hummus was creamy and smooth not a repugnant smell anywhere to be found. It still had a slightly nutty texture but was pleasant and satisfying. It was served with roasted cubes of lamb marinated in Moroccan spices and olive oil. Scooped up in the warm crunchy bread together it tasted heavenly. This was a big sharing starter but you can have it as a main course if you wish? Personally I don’t think it would fill you up just on it’s own, you’d probably want a side order of fries with it or perhaps a side salad? The one thing I noticed when looking round was that no one was drinking alcohol! I looked over at the small bar area and I couldn’t see a spirit optic in sight or a draught ale pump. One can only assume that the owners are practicing Muslims so adhere to their religious teaching of no alcohol. This is not a criticism it’s a breath of fresh air.
On to the main course. When in Rome you do as the Romans’ do or did? Whatever that is or was? So when in Morocco or at the very least a Moroccan restaurant in an English city centre, you must do what the Moroccans do. Which in this case was order two lamb tagines! Slow roasted lamb shoulder with caramelised prunes, roasted almonds and apricots. Again served with fresh Moroccan bread and a delicious coconut couscous. This was unbelievably good. If you could serve up every good feeling in the world in a bowl this would be it. The lamb was so tender you only had to tap it and it would fall off the bone. It was so tender that you could probably just ask it nicely and it would fall off the bone. The flavours where out of this world. The juiciness of the prunes and the apricots really gave it that extra sumptuous luxury. The crunch of the roasted almonds gave it an incredible texture and the whole thing just came together beautifully. If there’s anything in the world that was going to rock this Kasbah then this was it. The atmosphere in this place is fantastic. It was great to look around and see every single person smiling! Eating and enjoying this incredible food. The waiting staff are incredibly good at what they do. Service was excellent and the whole experience was fantastic.
Once we’d finished our mains we moved onto dessert. We both had the baklava which was only small but quite adequate. It was sweet, crunchy, nutty and sticky. A perfect end to a perfect meal. To eat here is an experience. And a damn good one. You can if you want to buy pretty much whatever you want. It actually says in the back of the menu that everything is for sale. The fez hats, the cushions, tea services, lights, rugs and slippers. Sadly for me though the chef was not for sale! And neither was the waiter! I could do with a house boy and I have a spare room but alas it was not meant to be. So I paid the bill and left! I’d definitely be back! I’d definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for great food, great service and are looking for somewhere completely different and quirky to eat.
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