Mogador Restaurant, Dubai - You win some, you lose some

The Lamb Tagine at Mogador Restaurant, Dubai Marina

Moroccan is one of those cuisines that I know very little about, having never traveled to Morocco nor been to many Moroccan restaurants. So when we saw a positive review about a Moroccan restaurant in Dubai Marina I was both intrigued and excited to try something a little different. There was only one thing to do - get together a group of willing test subjects and venture off into the unknown with an open mind and empty stomach.

Mogador, located towards the northern end of Dubai Marina, is in a fantastic setting. It is right in the middle of all the restaurant action and at this time of year when the weather is perfect to sit outside, the area was buzzing when we arrived in the early evening. Our large group sat outside so we had the perfect vantage spot to take in the comings and goings, all set against the beautiful back drop of the lit up Dubai Marina.

The menu surprised me slightly, with a heavy lean towards seafood dishes, but it also had a couple of well known dishes such as the Lamb or Chicken Tagine. The ordering process bordered on a Monty Python like experience with language barriers, dishes being available and then unavailable and the waiter suddenly disappearing after only having taken half the orders from the table. Then we waited....and waited and waited. Over an hour later our dishes arrived with little explanation as to why they were so delayed (while we were a group of 10, there was only one other table so it wasn't exactly rush hour).

Aside from the slow service, the food was disappointing for a variety of reasons. Those that stuck with the tagine reported that the meat was moist and well seasoned but that it was accompanied by vegetables that had been cooked within an inch of their lives, such that they had been drained of any  flavour. At 64 Dhs for the tagine, the serving size was very small and most of our male guests left knowing that a second dinner would be needed within an hour. I had the 1/2 Chicken Grilled Mauritian style. Although the flavour was 'nice', it was less a chicken, and more a spatchcock based on its size and was accompanied by french fries of all things! I also shared an entree of Squid in Herbs. What a bizarre dish! While the squid was reasonably soft and tender, it was coated in a sauce that resembled tinned pasta sauce and was accompanied by rice and tartar sauce!!! A combination of flavours and textures that simply did not work.

Not wanting to be unduly harsh, some of the guests were not dissatisfied with their meals, however, the majority (myself included) thought that the food lacked either in size or flavour, was expensive for what it was and was generally not worth the 1 hour wait.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Unfortunately this is the risk you take when trying a new place (and also the risk you run when you rely on another persons review). You win some and you lose some. Food is also so personal and, granted, restaurants do have good and bad nights. So although this is a thumbs down from me, don't take my word as gospel. Another night, a different order, you just never know....but I will leave that to someone else to experiment with.

The bill (for 2 - although we were 10, I will just set out what my Partner and I had):
1 x Squid in Herbs - 37 Dhs
1 x Lamb Tagine - 64Dhs
1 x 1/2 Chicken Grilled - 42 Dhs
Mineral Water - 11 Dhs

TOTAL: 154 Dhs (about US$40)

Restaurant address: Marina Walk (Trident Building) #6, Dubai

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