Cuisine Undercover - Mecca Bah - 4.5 stars

Some good things have been around so long, you tend to forget they are there.

Spouses, for example. I mean, in the early days they are all you need, you can’t believe how good they are. Time and time again they never fail to please. But then, these hot new things start to pop up offering all kinds of temptations and variety and. honestly, who doesn’t appreciate a bit of variety now and then?

Mecca Bah is a bit like Docklands’ first lady. One of the first to arrive on the scene, she made her name early and encouraged multiple visits – all of which satisfied. Yet even though she was there for me and never let me down, soon my palate started to wander. Until recently, I realised it had been a couple of years since I’d paid her a visit.

And by god she’s held her age well. The Middle Eastern restaurant boasting the “seductive style of Morocco” is still working hard to please its diners. The mosaic crockery and tagines, the great swathes of silky colours adorning cushions and couches, and the rich aroma of lamb mingled with spices quickly served to get you in the mood – not to mention the beautiful harbour views, which the circular restaurant takes full advantage of.

It’s the menu that reminds me what first attracted me through her doors however – with a choice of mezze dishes, tagines and Turkish pizzas, there is plenty of variety to choose from. The pizzas have proved so popular, these days there is even a take-away component to the restaurant.

As tempting as the array of mezze dishes were, I was determined to allow for dessert and so gave them a miss (I do recall on previous visits the bastilla – Moroccan chicken pastries – were a flaky, savoury delight with a touch of cinnamon infused sweetness). Torn (quite painfully) between the Mecca Bah fish and chips and Moroccan potato cakes, the Turkish lamb kofte pizza with spicy tomato sauce and labne, and the spiced chicken eggplant pizza with rocket and tahini sauce – I ended up choosing the Turkish lamb pizza, only to be delivered the spit roasted lamb version with rocket, yoghurt and sumac. And I kid you not – it was so goddamn good, it wasn’t until three hours later while enjoying coffee at a
friend’s house, I realised I’d been given the wrong order!

I must have been side-tracked by the beautifully warm, soft-on-the-inside-crisp-on-the-outside pita bread base, which stayed warm, soft and crisp right up to the final bite. My friend was equally impressed with her tagine of lamb with preserved lemon, green olive and harissa, the tender meat offset by the sharp, hot and sour ingredients.

Now I kept things simple for dessert – opting for three scoops of the house made ice-cream and selecting the flavours of chocolate, vanilla and halva (pistachio nut). And it was here I began to question why I’d ever wasted time with those other cheap (and expensive) tarts (Bopha Devi aside – you will always have a special place in my heart). The rich, creamy smoothness of the chocolate and vanilla ensured it was among the best ice-cream I had ever tasted, the savoury nuttiness of the halva sealing
the deal.

To cap things off, the service was impeccable and that’s saying something in Docklands – regrettably. I suspect it’s hard to maintain quality staff for restaurants that only really hit their stride on weekends.
Forgive me Mecca Bah – I should never have strayed. But thank-you for not judging me and welcoming me back with such enticing, welcoming arms.