Moroccan Dinner at Walima Cafe

Given her large immigrant population, Toronto is a great place to try different foods. We met a large group of friends at a new Moroccan restaurant east of downtown Toronto. The food was plentiful and very affordable.

The restaurant was small and did not have its liquor license yet; however, there were other larger groups dining there and having a good time.

Our appetizers:
Beets salad (Top left, $3.75 CAD/approx $3 USD): tender beets with cumin, vinegar, red onions, olive oil and chopped parsley

Harira (Top right, $4 CAD/approx $3.20 USD): a hearty traditional soup made with tomato, coriander, parsley, lentil, chickpeas, blended herbs and noodle/rice served with pita bread.

Zaalook (Bottom, $4.75 CAD/approx $3.80 USD): grilled and mashed eggplant, cilantro, garlic and fine Moroccan spices. This spread was flavourful, and though it was not spicy, it had a nice zip to it due to the Moroccan spices.

Vegetarian Couscous ($11.25 CAD/approx $9 USD): couscous topped with a mix of seasonal vegetables and the traditional aromatic vegetable broth.

Merguez Brochette Plate ($12.75 CAD/approx $10 USD): grilled Moroccan style sausages stuffed with ground beef lightly spiced and served with saffron rice and house salad.

Moorish Seafood Bastilla ($13.75 CAD/approx $11 USD): savoury shrimp, calamari, white fish, and rice vermicelli noodles marinated in mix spices then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. This was very interesting as it looked like fried fish, but was actually a very light pastry whose filling was very similar to Thai summer rolls.

A tagine is a type of dish found in the North African cuisine of Morocco, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. The traditional tagine pot is formed entirely of heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed.

Essaouira Lamb Tagine ($13.95 CAD/approx $11 USD): lamb topped with caramelized onions and raisins. The lamb was very tender and the saffron rice was very tasty.

Berber Chicken Tagine ($12.75 CAD/approx $10 USD): oven roasted boned chicken served with saffron potato, homemade preserved lemons and olives

Moroccan Mint Tea ($5 CAD/approx $4 USD for Medium pot): boiling water, green tea, sugar and fresh mint leaves. It is a sign of hospitality, friendship and tradition, usually served before and after every meal and with every conversation. The tea was very refreshing and a perfect way to end our filling dinner.

Walima Cafe is located at 1450 Danforth Avenue, west of Coxwell Avenue.