Eating out

We do a fair bit of cooking over here, but to be honest most people. most of the time, go out for food. There are some great places to eat, you are spoilt for choice, and I don't think I've ate anywhere that's let me down. Bice, Hemmingways and the Jazz Bar all at the Hilton served good food, the Marakesh at the Millennium Hotel has a great seafood buffet, so much choice, probably too much. 3rd Avenue at the Sheraton down the road has good English pub grub and Il Paradisso at the other Sheraton had a great menu, where you literally paid by the weight for your fish. Outside of hotels, the Lebanese Flower does a great meat grill. However the one that sticks out the most for me is the Starlight Cafe.

I was taken there the other week, and it was described to me as the place where the Indian taxi drivers go to eat. Now, these guys aren't on the best of salaries so my expectation levels were set pretty low before I got there. Even with this in mind, I wasn't prepared for what I saw. It was just like the greasiest greasy spoon in the back streets of Birmingham you've ever seen . The choice is chicken curry or fish curry, with rice, salad and chapatis. Drinks on offer are water and ...... water. We got there late (about 8pm), sat a table looking into the kitchen, and when we ordered was told there was no rice! The food came out with no cutlery, and when I asked for a fork, was given a very strange look.

Once you get passed this, and trying to eat with scores of flies all over the place, the food was great. It was simple, straight forward Indian food, not made for tourists, but made for Indians. The type of food they would probably eat in their own home & not like what you'd get in Birmingham's Balti Triangle or Manchester's Curry Mile. Tasty and plentiful. Definitely worth a visit if you are ever over here. The cost? Two of us ate (and ate very well) for 17 and a half dirhams, and with just under 7 dirhams to the pound, you do the maths! That's right, just under 2 pounds 50 for two! Where is it? Not 100% sure, but aim for BHS and it's just behind there.