Moorish Blue – McMahons Point

Vanessa: Stepping through the bold, blue doorway of Moorish Blue, you get the feeling that every detail has been considered to create an elegant, contemporary North African dining experience.   I was instantly impressed by the detail throughout the restaurant that creates a very warm and inviting atmosphere, despite the dining areas being split over a number of levels.

This particular evening, Team FFS dined with a lovely group of bloggers to experience a taste of Moorish Blue cuisine – which is a mix of Tunisian, Moroccan and Spanish flavors.

The upstairs dining room featured a long dining table, carefully selected artwork, a rustic private bar, bathrooms and space for pre-dinner drinks.  I’m already thinking about how and when I can orchestrate a social gathering to make use of this space, which is prime real estate for a celebratory meal!

We were in for an absolutely indulgent treat with a menu curated to ensure we sampled the best of the restaurants offerings. The menu, in general, is created to share which lends itself ideal for group dining.

Salt Cod Croquettes

Mixed Dip Plate

We were treated to a mix of starters including oysters with lime & harissa dressing ($4 each),   salt cod croquettes ($15) which were literally “amazeballs” and a mixed dip plate consisting of three dips, beetroot, carrot and humus with warm pita bread ($16).  A very tasty start that truly built up our anticipation for the remainder of the dishes we were to try that night.

Fig Salad, Goats Cheese, Basturma

Being banquet style, the dishes came at us at a steady pace and one of the most notable things for me, beside the flavor, was the vibrant color of the dishes.  One of my favorite dishes was set down early on in the evening from the ‘small plates’ menu being the fig salad, goats cheese with basturma ($19).  This was fresh, full of flavor and  the basturma (dry aged beef) went so well with the other elements – I could have this as a main!

Harissa Prawns

From the small plates menu, we also tried the wok-fried harissa prawns ($21) which were a bit spicy for me as well as the grilled squid salad with eggplant and chili dressing ($18) – another fresh salad choice for those wanting something on the lighter side but still packing flavor.

Grilled squid salad, eggplant and chilli dressing

Next up was the za’atar salt & pepper squid with lemon and a fried egg ($19). The squid was very tender and well coated in the za’atar, although I did question the necessity of the fried egg as I didn’t think it added any value to the dish

Za’atar Salt & Pepper Squid

From the main menu, we sampled the mutton backstrap, fried okra, caponata and spiced yoghurt dressing ($38). The mutton was cooked well but the price is on the steep side for the portion size.

Another highlight for me both on presentation and taste was the cous cous royal with braised lamb, chicken and merguez ($33). A bold dish, beautifully presented in a traditional tagine.

Cous Cous Royale 

Just as we were reaching bursting point from continuous grazing there was a timely intermission in the form of belly dancers who performed for us.  This was a real treat to watch..and yes they didn’t have to twist my arm too hard to get up and join in 🙂

After the excitement of the dancing was over, we made our way downstairs and outside to the courtyard also known as the ‘Moorish Garden Oasis’.

They have used the space beautifully to create a garden oasis that can transport your mind to the Riyahds of Morocco. The presence of fairy lights, lanterns and shishas have all been carefully considered to conjure up these feelings and allow guests to digest and relax in a beautiful space.

It was whilst sitting here, smoking a shisha and sipping on Turkish coffee that we were presented with a dessert platter of tiramisu, rosewater panacotta, Tunisian orange syrup cake and pistachio baklava.  What a sweet and indulgent way to wrap up our evening and experience at Moorish Blue!.

I think this new comer to the Blues Point Rd dining district will make real waves and I recommend going to experience it.

Enjoy!

Vanessa

V.B.A

Photos by Alex

 *ForFoodsSake was invited by TMA, all opinions however are our own.