Sunday, January 22, 2012

Bogayo, Shoreditch


As you know I am a trendy soul which meant I was in Shoreditch on Saturday night for a shin dig. Before we got to the do, Mr P and our friend Mr C decided to grab a bit of dinner which took us to the Moroccan fusion restaurant Bogayo.
Now I should say the pictures are not my best work because I have a new phone and am slightly incompetent.

We got their early so it was not at all busy and were seated near the door at a cozy table. It was a little chilly when the door opened but this soon went as I started my large glass of white wine. The decor was what you would expect from a morrocan restaurant. Lanterns, colourful cushions and I especially loved the tiled tables.
The staff were all helpful and not overbearing while the food came out in reasonable time.

So the starters, Mr P had humus (houmous/humous. Why can we not spell it just one way??) and pitta bread, Mr C had scallops wrapped in bacon with sweet potato. I didn't really fancy a starter so nibbled on bread which came with olive oil and olives. The olives were stuffed with chilli which gave a nice kick and the bread was warm and soft but I have to say, the olive oil did not really taste of much.
I had a bite of Mr P's humus which was drizzled with olive oil and paprika. It was smooth and probably one of the better I have tasted, so of course regretted not getting any myself.
Mr C said his scallops were cooked well and that you cannot go wrong with scallops and bacon. The sweet potato and red wine sauce complimented them nicely.



Mr P and I both had tagines for our main course which was a first for us. He had the kofta tagine which was lamb meatballs in a herb tomato sauce with an egg topping (optional). The meatballs were cooked evenly and the sauce was rich. The only thing that perhaps did not work was the egg that sits on top as it just did not blend with the meat. My tagine was quail with baby onions, lemon and saffron. There were two sitting in my tagine which were succulent and well seasoned and the lemon hit that I got was refreshing. I enjoyed this dish a lot a part from the pain in le bottom it was getting the meat off the little fellas. On the side I had couscous and Mr P wanting to not be too authentic had some chips. The couscous was soft and cous cousy. I am not a massive fan of it but wanted to give it another go. It wasn't offensive but maybe just not for me.
Mr C had the mixed grill served with saffron rice and mixed salad which consisted of beef, chicken and pork. All the meat was well cooked and went nicely with the chilli sauce we were given. There could have been a little more on the plate but overall was a great dish.




Finally for desserts I ordered a warm fig tart with vanilla ice cream, Mr P had sticky toffee pudding with fudge sauce and chantilly cream and Mr C, had pistachio crème brulee. When they came out it was clear someone in the kitchen is a fan of the old dusting technique.




I think the fig tart was actually my favourite bit of the meal. The pastry was crumbly and the filling just on the right side of sweet. The vanilla ice cream was nice enough, maybe I have had better but all in all a delightful plateful.
I tried some of the sticky toffee pudding which was surprisingly light. A great gooey sticky toffee pudding. I am not sure how else to describe it other than yum yum. The pistachio brulee was not really my cup of tea. The top was just slightly over caramelised and had a burnt taste. I love creme brulee normally, in fact its in my top 5 fave desserts but I am not keen on the involvement of the nut in this situation. A part from the slightly burnt bit Mr C loved it so if you are a nut fan, go for it.

Overall, would I go back? If I was in the area I would certainly give it another go but, I am not sure I would make a special trip for it. It was good food for a reasonable price in a nice setting.

Price for three including wine and service was £90.

Food 7/10
Ambience 8/10
Service 10/10
Overall 8/10

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