I’m lucky enough to be marrying into a family that also enjoys going to new restaurants and experiencing exotic food. My soon-to-be sister in law invited us to celebrate her husband’s birthday at the Royal Elephant Hotel in Eldoraigne (close to Centurion) – and what a treat it was!
Conference centers and many hotels often have terrible reputations when it comes to the flavour and the creativity of their food, but the Zagora Grill Room at the Royal Elephant offers a range of Moroccan dishes that are truly inspired!
The dining room is warmly decorated with plush furniture, dark woods, stained glass and rich colours. Our waiter was delightfull and kept rumbling tummies at bay with breads served with a delicious spiced Dukkah – perfect with a glass of red wine. The menu does offer items that are more suitable for the less adventurous, but we opted to share three different Tagine* main dishes: Lamb with dates and coriander, Duck in an orange blossom syrup & Seafood in a spiced cream sauce. Sublime! All three pots had very distinctive flavour profiles that complemented the respective meats, but if I had to pick a favourite it would be the Seafood Tagine. I still dream about mopping that sauce up with a piece of freshly baked bread…yum!
A bit far from Johannesburg, but well worth a visit. Thanks Carina & Francois! J
Images from www.royalelephant.co.za
*A Tagine is a cooking vessel and also the name of the dish. The pot consists of a heavy base and a removable lid in the shape of a chimney. A Tagine is all about slow cooking, and as moisture evaporates from the food, the walls of the ‘chimney’ helps the steam to cool and condense, dripping back into the ingredients, keeping them moist.
PS Something to add to my ‘List of things I want for the kitchen’
is this Cherry Red Le Creuset Tagine – o so pretty!
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