Opinions on Moro

[Gavin Convery]

I have a table at Moro next Friday but have read some discouraging reviews on another website (no names no pack drill). Anyone been recently and any recommendations?

[SamanthaF]

I went at the end of last year, and in March of this year.

Last year I had a herb broth to start and a lamb shoulder dish which came with roasted root vegetables which was very good. Puddings were weak, I didn't bother.

In March I had a spiced pork belly dish with Red Chard. Pork belly was delicious and fatty, but the chard was bitter and stringy.

The bread in Moro is delcious

Service is hit and miss, when they bring the food out, they hover round the edge of the table waiting for you to claim your dish.

Both lunches were business, but quite informal. Be aware the dining room is very noisy, not suited for romance

Let us know what you think.

[MobyP]

Just to speak up for S n' S,

I had my wedding in Moro, and they couldn't have been nicer. The food was wonderful - everyone went crazy over it. The staff, warm.

But this was a little while ago...

[rjs1]

Puddings were weak, I didn't bother.

Puddings have always been weak, ever since it opened. It used to be great, and great value, but I think it went seriously off about three to four years ago and more or less gave up on it after several sub-standard meals. Any signs of a return to form?

[Suzi Edwards]

if i start this by saying that i eat there at least once a fortnight, you might guess what i am going to say next...

i think the food is great, although some dishes can be a little bland and need more aggressive seasoning. the starters are always better than the mains (we've taken to having lots of starters) don't bother with pudding and the cheese selection wasn't great last time we were there)

good wine selection and some interesting sherry too (i'm just learning about sherry)

[Hallie]

Just had to chime in here - I went to Moro for my birthday at the beginning of the month and thought it was brilliant. The atmosphere is very informal and the service was at times a bit stretched but the food was well worth it. I had undoubtably the best sea bass I had ever tasted; soft, moist and not overdone, which is quite often how it arrives in other establishments. The hummous and bread we nibbled at with our drinks was a meal in itself. I also has a salad of morrels and judas beans with just a hunt of chili - perfect.

We are looking forward to going back.

[Akiko]

And does anyone have the cookbook? What do you think of it?

[StephenT]

I've got the cookbook. Haven't read it yet though. My sister gave it to me as a present. Probably for Christmas. Which means I've been really lazy. Thanks for reminding me to read it.

[Winot]

And does anyone have the cookbook?  What do you think of it?

Yes -- really good. Great design and packed full of recipes, every one of which has worked that we've tried.

[Suzi Edwards]

this place hasn't been mentioned for a while. i stopped banging on about it as i was beginning to sound like a stuck record.

i used to live round the corner and it got to the stage where jack and i ate here on a weekly basis. having moved we hadn't been for a couple of months, so we went back on friday evening. it was packed as always but they managed to find us a table.

we had taken to building our own sort of tasting menu when eating here as we'd started to feel that the mains were significantly less interesting and less good value than the starters. however as soon as i saw the words "mashed potato" i had to have it...so we ended up starting with fish soup and deep fried potato patties filled with lamb, followed by roast pork with mash and wild mushrooms and beef with artichoke and spinach salad. the fish soup was thinner than i'd been expecting, but it was all the better for it. more of a broth than a soup really but with a deeply fishy flavour. fab. the patties were fairly boring and slightly greasy, but perked up by a couple of pickled chilis. the pork was fantastic, enough to feed about three people, and beautifully tender but with a good layer of crackling. the mushrooms and mash were a great counterpoint to the pork and perfect food for a wet and windy friday night. the beef was slightly overshadowed by the pork, but it was still a good plateful of rare beef.

i'd previously said that deserts here weren't very good, but we shared a chocolate, chestnut and almond cake with prune and oloroso ice cream. i will mostly be recreating that ice cream at home this week. it was amazing.

the only lowpoint of the evenng was the table of smug marrieds next to us who managed to almost knock our bottle of water into my pork without an apology and then proceeded to drive me up the wall by discussing having fantastic it was to eat at a "traditional moroccan restaurant". still, the pork calmed me down.

[curlywurlyfi]

I've always had fond memories of Moro, and though I don't go that often, I had a rare beef salad there over the summer that made me remember that when beef is good, there is nothing in the world more delicious (and I speak as someone whose friends run an organic beef farm in Devon, and Moro's beef was better, sorry Em + Ed). Really - it was the finest flavoured steak I have ever had.

[tony h]

And does anyone have the cookbook? What do you think of it?

shit. PM me your address & I'll send you mine (genuine offer)

[Suzi Edwards]

someone take him up on that offer. the book's great (IMHO)

[wgallois]

Just been for the first time, and I would certainly agree that it is a place of hits and misses. The bread is indeed really excellent and I had a lot of it over the evening as I spent half an hour using sourdough to soak up aperitifs whilst we waited for friends, had fried barley bread with my starter, and then a crusty roll was served with my mains. Service was really good throughout and I really enjoyed the wine (no idea what it was). Had a starter of labneh (with black onion seeds) and pickles, which was tasty, and then the only main available to vegetarians: 'Seven Moroccan Salads'. I felt rather resentful regarding this dish as it was mediocre and, at £15, it was only £1 less than the meat and fish mains. I had cooked a number of the salads in the dish from the Moro cookbook, which is excellent, but their versions in the restaurant were rather more lifeless than the ones I had made myself. There was a cold new potato in the middle of the dish. I am not sure if this counted as one of the seven... Pudding was a blood orange sorbet, which was OK. In between courses we ordered some pimenton almonds and olives which were sensationally good.

Overall I enjoyed the place and will probably go back, but with a smart plan to graze at the bar and to remember that fellow egulleteers had already recommended sticking to the the tapas and the smaller dishes.

[tony h]

Moro – Tuesday 30 November

Went to moro last night – first time in about 2-3 years. Kind of reminds me of St John but with colour. Can’t say the same about the food, though.

Starters of smoked beef with beetroot & almonds. Lots of rocket. Ok, but just OK

I had scallops done in fino – sounded great on the menu – the reality was three halves of smallish scallops in the scallop shell, breaded & toasted. At 7.50 you’ve got to be kiddin’ – tasted good, I think, but there was so little, so bloody miserly in portion size it was hard to tell. I was instantly pissed off.

Mains – roast middlewhite with roast vegetable – beetroot again featured in this. Also lots of rocket – which again also feature heavily in starters. The pork did taste superb, if a little too fatty but the dish was let down by mediocre veg. I had the rump of lamb (small but good) with potatoes (way over cooked) and slimy vegetables – couldn’t really make out what they were. Very little taste.

A crap meal. A really, really crap meal. If this was Scotland I’d describe it as pish

[Gareth]

I have only been once about a year ago, and thought it was OK. But given expectations, OK was a disappointment. Have heard great things about it (akin to Moby's post) in relation to parties, events etc.

It really is a shame if the restaurant is under-performing since their cookbook (old one - haven't got the new one yet; expecting at least 3 for Xmas....) continues to delight.

Got round to the recipe for pheasant with cinnamon and chestnuts the other day - delicious winter stuff. Easily do-able in about 1 hour and if you use partridges you don't even have to joint 'em. We have now cooked it 3 times in a fornight.

[Suzi Edwards]

i'm having my 30th birthday party here next week so i hope that BLH caught them on a bad night.

on a sort of spanish theme, has anyone been to the brindisa tapas bar yet?

[endless autumn]

i'm having my 30th birthday party here next week so i hope that BLH caught them on a bad night.

on a sort of spanish theme, has anyone been to the brindisa tapas bar yet?

←

I have. Thought it was pretty shabby.

Nasty, stupidly shaped room, only two dry sherries (Tio Pepe and La Gitana I think) - both had run out.

I'm sure the produce is fine and the cooking will probably perfectly competent, but the atmosphere was terribly polite-o English, noone seemed capable of standing/ drinking/ eating/ talking at the same time and it simply wasn't very fun.

The wines were dull and overpriced.

I went to the old, tiled tapas place on The Cut afterwards, which, though the food is distinctly middling, has good, plentiful, cheap wine, and an old man wedged up under the rafters wailing flamenco classics. (Not necessarily a reason to commend it.)

It is painful to think of how Brindisa would look in Spain.

[bethesdabakers]

Thanks Gareth not just for the tip but for the perfect timing (substituting partridge in Moro pheasant recipe).

Neighbour brings partridges. Spouse does not like partridge. Partridges get cleaned and put in freezer. Tip appears in egullet. Spouse goes away for weekend. Partridge thaws. Lone dining bliss. One partridge still in freezer .......

Best wishes,

Mick

[chrisnorth]

I posted a review of a recent meal at Moro here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=815849

Chris

[Corinna Dunne]

And does anyone have the cookbook?  What do you think of it?

←

I love the cookbook, and the recipes are obviously well tested. There is a wonderful section on making sourdough bread, which starts with a recipe for the starter and works through 'living with bread', ie how to nurture and care for your new found yeast pal. I did however find that I had to add a pinch of yeast to the dough to get the required rise.