Dada is the new word for Moroccan cuisine
A lot of times a fussy eater likes to play it safe, and only eats what they are used to. But life can be boring if you don’t take a few risks. Rather than having the same old meals, which can be seen as plain cuisine. Why not try something a bit different that will tantalise your taste buds.
A couple of weeks ago I was cooking some rice with turkey pieces. Having no sauce in my apartment, what could I use to make my dinner interesting? Wanting a sauce with a slight kick, I suddenly had a lightbulb moment. There were some tins of Heinz Tomato soups in one of my kitchen cabinets. A few of the tins had a slight chili kick to them, so I heated up one of those tins. The heated Heinz Tomato soup with a kick of chilli was then poured over my cooked turkey pieces and rice.
As you can see it looked delicious and it tasted it too. There are always alternatives to make your mealtimes better. So, if you are going out for a meal or ordering in a meal, try something a bit different. If for example you are getting a cheeseburger, why not try it with a different cheese if that is an option. You can try something new that a fussy eater can still enjoy, by removing an ingredient if possible. For example, a hamburger or sandwich without mayo.
This week’s restaurant is?
This all neatly leads on to this week’s restaurant. Which is one that you would not think a fussy eater would eat in or order from. It’s also a restaurant that has been around for 12 years, which to me is very important. If a restaurant is open for quite a while it will be getting a lot of custom. This can only happen if the food is good.
I am of course talking about the Moroccan restaurant Dada. Based in the heart of Dublin city centre in South William St. Moroccan cuisine is based on the flavours of the Moorish kitchens of North Africa and Spain. Alongside the influences of Arab, Berber and Jewish cultures. Add to that a dash of Mediterranean cooking giving you a melting pot of different spices and ingredients. Mix this all up and you get one of the world’s most interesting, healthy and flavoursome cuisines..
Dada’s chef Jalal Belmaati honed his cooking expertise in Casablanca’s five star hotels before moving to Spain. Here he worked in Bilbao’s and San Sebastian’s finest restaurants perfecting his knowledge of Spanish and Mediterranean cuisines. Moving to Ireland he worked in the Clanard Court Hotel and the Herbert Park Hotel before ending up at Dada. Jalal and Dada’s mission is to introduce authentic Moroccan and Moorish cuisine to Ireland.
So, what did I order?
Well, I ended up ordering a Braised Chicken Fillet Tagine, one of the healthiest Moroccan dishes via the Deliveroo app. Tagines is Morocco’s national dish and it’s easy to see why. Tagine is named after the clay pot with the conical top that they are cooked in. They are slow cooked in the tagine clay pot and can be vegetarian or contain, beef, chicken, or lamb. Slow cooked instead of frying makes it the healthier option. My Braised Chicken Fillet Tagine was cooked with preserved lemon, Moorish olives, saffron and potatoes. A side of delicious Moroccan bread also known as Khobz was also ordered. You can’t have a tagine without some bread for dipping.
So, how was my Meal?
My Braised Chicken Fillet Tagine was perfectly packaged as was the bread which you will see below.
The packaging kept the meal warm. The bread was just so yummy and perfect for dipping into the tagine.
I could easily eat the bread every day but too much bread can slowly pile on the pounds.
The chicken was perfectly cooked, flavoursome and had the right amount of juiciness. The potatoes were sliced liked semi-circular chips and were cooked to perfection. The Saffron, preserved lemon and the Moorish olives added a lot of flavours to the juices.
Flavours I could also taste in the chicken, the potatoes, and the juices I dipped the bread into. Overall, the tagine was wholesome, hearty, and healthy. It tantalised my taste buds as did the bread which was the perfect accompaniment to the tagine.
So, what did my meal cost?
The Braised Chicken FilletTagine, cost €19.95. and the bread cost €2.95 With a service fee of €0.99, and a delivery fee of €2.49. The bill came to €26.38 before my Rider Tip.
Dada is open between 17:00pm – 22:30pm, Monday to Thursday, 17:00pm – 23:00pm on Friday, 14:00pm – 23:30pm on Saturday and 14:00pm – 23:00pm on Sunday.
It is a meal I would order again. Mainly due to the wonderful flavours and the fact that I would not feel guilty eating it.
Dada, 45-44 William St S, Dublin 2, D02 WT04
See more reviews here.