THE LOUNGE
100 High Street, Worcester
Tel: 01905 21036
WE were excited to try the Lounge in High Street, Worcester, because neither of us had eaten much Morrocan cuisine before and we weren’t really sure what to expect.

Our first impression was good, mainly thanks to the relaxed, friendly and very professional attitude of our waitress.

The service throughout the meal was excellent and also knowledgable and attentive without being intrusive.

Inside the Lounge is decorated in a simple, modern, Moroccan style, which makes it warm and relaxing.

The restaurant offers two menus side by side – one of main courses such as tagines, pasta, and pastella (stuffed filo pastry pies) and the other tapas.

When I think of tapas I think of finger food but this tapas is more like a meze. A selection of dishes such as Spanish omelette, spicy potato bravas, mini aubergine bake, Moroccan chicken, and squid Roma – which you can mix and match. To start we chose sardine fillets (£5.70) and breads with dipping oils (£4).

The sardines came wrapped in a light batter and were accompanied by a coriander pesto and tomato salsa. They were simply quite delicious and there was more than enough of them for us to share.

The sesame seeded flatbread was my favourite.

For main courses I chose chicken pastella (£9.60), while my companion opted for three dishes from the tapas menu – garlic musrooms (£5.10), Mediterranean steak (£5.70) and tiger prawn pil pil (£5.70).

The pastella was a filo pastry pie stuffed with spiced chicken, flaked almonds and cinnamon, served with onion and olive chutney, a side salad and chips.

The pie was tasty – the chicken moist and beautifully spiced. I particularly enjoyed the spicy chutney, which together with a pot of mystery sauce, was needed to cut through the pastry and the chips which were on the greasy side.

All in all it was a very filling choice.

My companion thoroughly enjoyed his tapas dishes. The strips of steak came out sizzling on a hot platter and were mixed with peppers. The meat was lean and tasty. The prawns were afavourite – big and juicy and dripping in a delicious spiced sauce of chilli and garlic. Also, the mushrooms disappeared at such a speed they just had to be the big hit.

For dessert we chose seasonal fruit, which was a selection of berries and cream (£5.20).

What arrived was a colourful assortment of fresh, juicy strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. I had been expecting fresh cream but this was rather more sweeter and tasted like butter cream.

We concluded that we are definitely fans of Moroccan cuisine.

The food at the Lounge is delicious and I would definitely recommend the tapas menu, which when shared, offers good value dining for a group of people.

HOW IT RATED
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ambience: 4
Value for money: 4