Moroccan cuisine is essentially an eclectic mix of heritage left behind by travellers who have passed through this tiny kingdom over the centuries. Very similar to the delicacies of the region like Turkish and Greek food, Moroccan cuisine also has its own distinct characteristics. Bringing all that and more from the Mediterranean is Chambers at Park Street Mews.
The origin of Chambers actually goes back to the Galle Fort where the official chambers of an attorney-at-law I.A. Saheed, whose family owned the 100 year old property was transformed in to a restaurant. It became quite popular among locals and foreign travellers and found its way to Park Street Mews, a street that has cuisines from the four corners of the world but was missing a Middle Eastern touch.
With so many restaurants opening up down this street, parking at the rear is becoming a bit of an issue especially if you drop by on a weekend or at lunch time on a weekday. In keeping with the upmarket ambiance of the restaurants dotting the street, Chambers has some of the best interiors we have seen. Tapestries, chandeliers and lamps reminiscent of Ottoman times tastefully adorn the premises. They’ve also kept the lighting low to create a mysterious ambiance.
One of the distinct characteristics of Moroccan cuisine is the fact that each dish has an absolutely unique flavour that you cannot compare to anything else on your table, not even remotely. So in order to really enjoy the cuisine you need to have a wide array of dishes which is actually what we did.
Cuisine from this part of the world, divides starters in to hot and cold and we began our meal with four different cold starters. Each starter priced at approximately 500 rupees is shareable and therefore affordable as well. Each of the starters is served with soft Middle Eastern bread and we went with Muhammara which is a red pepper puree with walnuts and pomegranate molasses, traditional Hummus, Baba Ghanoush and Fattoush. These vegetarian starters were all bursting with flavour and authentic, especially the Hummus which was the right consistency and served with one of the better Tahini we’ve had in a long time.
From the hot starters we picked Falafel, Musakhan Rolls and Zaatar Aragus. Again these are served with pita bread and the Sumac Spiced Chicken and Pine Nuts in the Musakhan Rolls were simply irresistible. We loved how each dish is spiced with different spices and the flavours complement each other. The Falalfel was also a great starter to make way for the big meal to follow.
For mains we ordered a traditional Tagine with Chicken and Prunes. Served with Couscous this dish has a combination of fall-off-the-bone chicken, chewy prunes and crunchy almonds that give it a hint of sweetness. The Shish Taouk was a bit disappointing though because the chicken was a bit overdone and the salad didn’t taste too fresh.
Kebabs play a big role in Mediterranean cuisine so we ordered two versions served with Saffron Rice. The lamb was definitely our favourite of the two and the meat was so well done. The mint dipping sauce was also divine and added the perfect tinge to the meat. As if all that food wasn’t enough, we also ordered a Chicken Kabsa. Kabsa which is similar to biriyani in looks but completely different in taste. We’re not sure if the meat was actually cooked in a hole in the ground like it’s traditionally done but it certainly tasted out of this world.
To go with all that food we had a Lime and Mint Crush and a Passion Mojito which again we found to be quite reasonable in comparison to the price you pay at cafes in Colombo. For dessert we had the Baklava with Ice-Cream. The vanilla ice cream totally complemented the filo pastry layered with nuts and topped with sugar syrup that was served warm. We loved that the pastry was not soggy and each bite had a crunch to it as well.
Chambers is certainly doing a great job with keeping the authenticity of Middle Eastern cuisine and we hope they will keep the consistency going.
So here’s our rating…
Location **** (Easy to find but limited parking especially on weekends!)
Ambiance ***** (Beautiful Middle Eastern inspired interiors!)
Service **** (Friendly and attentive staff!)
Food **** (Lots of variety and authenticity!)
Overall **** ¼
Price Range: 2,500 per head
Opening Times: 12:00pm – 10:30pm (Mon-Wed) and 12:00pm – 11:00pm (Thu-Sun)
Address: No. 48D Park Street, Colombo 2.
Contact Number: 077 210 0009
Reviewed by #FoodiesSL