Perth Voice Interactive

I HAD to make an evasive manoeuvre when I entered Tagine Tapas and Grill.

A pigeon that managed to get inside was making a hasty bid for freedom and nearly flew straight into my face.

It was like a scene from Stop The Pigeon, with me as a middle-aged Muttley, and I shared a wry smile with the friendly man behind the till, who enjoyed my gauche entrance.

My family all love Moroccan/Middle Eastern food, so Tagine has been on my radar for a while, but my young son came down with a  bug at the eleventh hour, so we had to get takeout instead of dining-in.

On a sunny Tuesday, Oxford Street was buzzing with its trademark mix of office workers, students and the odd paunchy interloper like me. It was a vibrant cacophony that had the feel of a bustling European city. 

Tagine’s menu had a mouth-watering range of skewered/sliced meat from the grill, meat/veggie/seafood tagines, tapas, soups, salads, dips and desserts.

It was an impressive menu with a wide range of dishes including spicy berber beef tagine, lamb shawarma, merguez sausages, Moroccan pepper squid and zaalouk.

There’s also a Mashawi Fest with a range of tapas dishes and dips for $45 per person (minimum four people). Tagine also do specials, so check their Facebook page for the latest deals.

We kicked off with one of my favourite dishes – dolmades ($14.90).

These were bang on the money with a lovely soft vine leaf and slightly spicy rice.

A nice touch was the accompanying olives and pickles, including pickled turnip, which was a vivid fluorescent pink, prompting my young daughter to christen it the “Barbie Pickle”.

It was a tart interlude to the savoury dolmades, which were high quality and filling.

I like to try new things so I went for the Lamb Tabikha Tagine with couscous ($29.90).

Lemon and lamb struck me as an odd combo, but when I tasted the lamb in chermoula sauce with preserved lemon it actually worked.

You got that delicious deep flavour from the tender slow-cooked lamb before the lemon came shining through and gave it a piquant twist.

It was a very exotic, complex tang and my tastebuds didn’t know if they were coming or going.

The accompanying green broad beans and peas added a nice freshness, while the nuts and artichokes provided texture and kept things interesting.

You could get the dish with rice, but I opted for couscous and it was light, fluffy and moist.

Badly executed couscous is dry and it can feel like you’re face down in the Gobi desert after a few mouthfuls.

My two young kids, Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles, shared a Mashawi Grill ($33.90) with a shish taouk chicken skewer and a shish lamb skewer (you had a choice of two skewers with prawn and kofta also available).

It was a gorgeous looking affair and the plate was overflowing with a colourful medley of fragrant rice, Mediterranean salad, flatbread and dips.

I had a sneaky taste and the meat was outstanding; especially the tender lamb which had that lovely seared flavour you only get through chargrilling.

The accompanying garlic and hummus dips were a cool antidote to the strong meat, and the Meditterenean salad helped refresh the palate.

The rice was top-notch – moist and brimming with flavour, it was a tasty treat on its own. Overall, a top mixed grill.

My wife “Special K” visited Tagine previously with a friend and said the Apricot Chicken tagine ($29.90) was a standout – “A fragrant delight with a sweetish refrain.”

Overall, our meal at Tagine Tapas and Grill was delicious and authentic. My only gripe would be the price point for some of the dishes, which was getting up there.

Tagine Tapas and Grill
127 Oxford Street , Leederville
taginetapasandgrill.com

by STEPHEN POLLOCK