Dinner At Los Moros North African Restaurant In York
Published On Tuesday 10 Jan 2023 by Sticky Beak
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Here in the ‘Shire we’re very lucky to have a venue that serves wonderful Moroccan cuisine (Olive Restaurant in Belper), so when we spied Los Moros Restaurant in York, and its broader repertoire of North African dishes, we booked ourselves a table quick-smartish! For those of you that are either local to York or visit there frequently, I should just differentiate between this venue and its sister street food stall in the Shambles Market; both are the gastro-baby of Tarik Abdeladim.
Unfortunately the weather gods weren’t shining down favourably upon us and Mummy and I didn’t fancy looking like a pair of bedraggled birdies, so His Nibs ordered a taxi to come and fetch us from our temporary abode, DoubleTree by Hilton.
We had a lovely warm greeting by the young lady on the front-of-house, and she escorted us up the stairs to our table before handing us over to another member of the Los Moros team. Our server quickly brought over some chilled water and glasses, then took our drinks order: we opted to have a bottle of Gouguenheim Malbec (£26), supplied to Los Moros by local wine merchants, House of Townend.
To kick our meal off we had the Batata Hara (£6) and Butterflied Sardine Fillets (£7) from the small plates section of the menu, sharing them between us as our appetites dictated. Several cuisines have a variation of spiced Potatoes in their midst: Spain has Patatas Bravas, India has Bombay Potatoes, and the ones served at Los Moros have a distinct flavour profile thanks to Garlic and Turkish Pepper paste being at their heart. Fair to say that our taste buds were soon wide awake, revelling in the partnership of pungent Garlic and sweeter Red Peppers and, although this was our first time eating Batata Hara it certainly won’t be our last.
Mummy and I shared the Sardines between us (The Man won’t touch them as they’re too ‘fishy’; they’re not so intense when they’re fresh, I have to say) and their sweet flavour was uplifted by the fresh, bright herb, citrus and garlic notes of the verdant Chermoula.
Mummy Bird chose Roast Chicken Supreme (£16) for her main course; I went for Grilled Seabass Fillets and his Nibs had the Beef Tanjia (slow cooked Ox Cheeks, £18).As a side dish, we ordered Moroccan Salad (£5) for crunch and coolness, and its Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peppers and Herbs did not disappoint.
Los Moros preserve their own Lemons and these were one of the elements of the Chicken Supreme. Believe it or not, you can eat the preserved citrus fruit in its entirety; yep, peel, flesh and all (I wouldn’t recommend eating the pips though!). This morsel is surprisingly versatile in cooking, imparting a superb salty, tangy flavour to dishes, with a gently citrus lift. Paired with creamy, moist Chicken, Saffron’s floral sweetness, and zesty Green Olives, there were plenty of layers of flavour to appreciate here. Large, floury potatoes had been cooked to soften them slightly and bring out their taste, without making them soggy and prone to falling apart; instead, they held their shape when cut into. I won’t call Mummy a greedy-guts, but let’s just say that her plate was squeaky clean when she put her knife and fork down!
The Man Birds’ Ox Cheeks were also accompanied by Preserved Lemon and Saffron but sour, tart, Pickled Red Onions added a superb umami element on the palate, and then earthy Cumin bounded in with nutty, caramel Gouda as they crashed the flavour party with smooth mashed Potato. With plenty of soft textures to appreciate, this was an intensely pleasurable example of comfort food; one that The Man luxuriated in.
In contrast to the rich, deep flavours of His Nibs’ meat dish, my choice of Grilled Seabass was much lighter and bouncier on the palate. The meatier texture of Sea Bass means that it holds its shape well and its mild, delicately sweet taste tempered the enthusiasm of the Chermoula brilliantly. Soft giant Cous Cous was zhuzhed up with sharp, crunchy Pomegranate seeds and fragrant fresh herbs, then drizzled with sticky, unctuous Pomegranate Molasses whose dual sweet/sour nature added the perfect final flourish to this breath-taking dish.
Our servers had performed check backs as we’d been making our way through the starters and mains and were very happy as they took empty plates back to the kitchen – no doubt Chef would’ve been happy to see that his creations had been appreciated at our table, too.
At the final hurdle, Mummy Bird bowed out, but The Man and I both ordered desserts: I had Raspberry and Rose Cheesecake with Turkish Delight Pearls (£6), and he chose Chocolate, Cardamom and Coffee Mousse with Chantilly Cream and Pistachio Crumble (£5.50).
Just by the description you may have gathered that these beauties were going to be fragrant and indulgent; I am happy to say that they certainly were...and more besides! My cheesecake’s body was beautifully fruity and gently sour from the Raspberry within its creamy folds, but wonderfully floral tones of Rose water softened its ardour perfectly. A welcome sweetness came from the Turkish Delight, and I smiled contentedly as I experienced the full wheel of flavour in this moreish dessert.
Equally complex and dazzling was His Nibs’ dessert selection; nestled amongst the rich Cocoa base were the tangier Coffee and Cardamom components. Coffee can be whisper-soft or confidently robust depending on the amount used. In this dessert, Los Moros’ Chef used a decent amount but, because Cardamom was included, it needed to be sturdy otherwise it would’ve been drowned out. Cardamom is a wonderfully bonkers, tangled hybrid of characteristics that call to mind Mint, Pepper and Eucalyptus, with a Cumin-like richness (though without the earthy tone) and Fennel-esque brightness. Chantilly cream soothed the palate ad Pistachio Crumble added a magnificent bullet of texture into what was a fairly smooth dessert.
We all had black coffees to cleanse our palates whilst we relaxed and began to digest our meals (and paying the bill of £115), before heading back to the DoubleTree bar. This had been a fantastic evening of chilled family dining, not only for this flock but for other groups that had come in, and Los Moros is very family friendly - always nice to know. Hot Wings happily given to this friendly, inviting, York team!
Los Moros restaurant (15-17 Grape Lane, York) is open Tuesday-Saturday and offers lunch between 12-2pm, and dinner 6pm-9pm midweek and 5.30pm-9.30pm Friday and Saturday. To book a table ring 01904 636834 or visit www.losmorosyork.co.uk
I’m not entirely sure when The Shambles Market street food stall is open, the team have conflicting times on their info pages; one source says the stall is open every day 11.30am-5pm, the other page says just Wednesday-Sunday 11.30-5pm!! Safe to say it’s open over the weekends though.
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