Souk — Restaurant in London

Thought I'd already written a review but seems it slipped my mind which just gives me the chance to do one now instead.

I brought a good friend here who had never had North African cuisine before. To watch her being blown away by the flavour explosions of the wonderful food prepared by the head chef this evening will be one of the memories I will cherish for years to come.

We each had a tagine (I had lamb and my friend opted for chicken) and the flavours were so beautifully balanced and delicate. Every bite is a little different from the one before and the meat is so unbelievably tender and succulent - the chicken falls of the bone just by looking at it. Tagine is a favourite dish of mine and Souk just take it to the next level.

We had Labneh Z'aatar with some pitta for starter and the lovely tanginess of the yoghurt balanced with the fresh mint and Z'aatar olive oil makes this for a light starter allowing you to enjoy the food without getting too full for the main course.

As dessert, we were treated to a small sample of their newest additions to the menu - Kanafeh cheese and Semoulina. This was my first time trying these as well and I swear I've never had anything so light, fluffy and absolutely scrumptious. Again, the flavours were rich but delicate and paired with the always delicious Moroccan mint tea we felt like we were in heaven and both felt the need to close our eyes to just savour the tastes of each bite. After this, I convinced my friend to try proper Turkish delight and baklava as again she had never tried beyond the chocolate bar and M&S versions. Once again, the transformation on my friend's face as she discovered how delicious each of these are when done right.

The service was a chapter onto itself. Friendly, welcoming and attentive without hovering as you often find in other places. We ended up spending 3 hours or so and didn't even notice because it was cosy and relaxed.

The atmosphere and decor of the restaurant feels authentic too and you almost forget you're in London and haven't been transported to Morocco.

You, dear reader, may think I'm gushing (which I am, yes) but I cannot fully express how much I enjoy coming to Souk and how happy I have rediscovered it after having "lost" it during the pandemic. And bringing a friend to try this amazing place and wonderful cuisine for the first time has been an absolute pleasure and joy. I will most certainly be back and bringing as many of my friends as I possibly can - and I can only recommend you do the same! And if you're trying this for the first time, I truly hope you will enjoy this beginning of a flavourful and delectable journey, you are embarking on...

Update: tried the chocolate cake... I'm in...

Good food but terrible service.

We visited on Valentine's day expecting to be able to eat from the normal menu. We were told that because we'd arrived after 7pm we had to eat from the set Valentine's menu, which hadn't been communicated on the website, and only had three choices of starters and mains. The couple next to us, who arrived at the same time were given the standard menu.

Accepting the set menu, we ordered our drinks and the food.

Whilst two of the drinks arrived quickly, two didn't come until we were half way through our mains and we had asked where they were. Meanwhile, one of the main dishes was put in front of us, only for it to be taken away and given to another table. We were told by one member of staff when the correct plate arrived that "this is the fresh one", and by another "that one was for someone with allergies".

The final straw came when we ordered the desserts. The menu had only two options, a chocolate fondant or a selection of baklava. With three of our party ordering the fondants, we were then very confused when a totally different dessert was presented to us. The staff not only didn't tell us they'd needed to make a substitution but tried to convince us we had been given what we'd ordered in spite of the nearest table clearly having the correct dessert.

After the catalogue of incidents, we felt compelled to complain about the situation, having not only received poor service but also repeatedly lied to and treated differently to other customers. In the end, the manager was apologetic and accommodating enough to strike the cost of our desserts and drinks from our final bill. However, what had been a very nice evening with friends was marred by the poor service at this restaurant and I...

The only thing this resturant has going for it is the location and decor. I can give it 9 for the authentic casbah style decorations, with winding rooms that do not seem to end, the authentic decor really adds to the ambience and with a belly dancer it can feel like a step back in time to experience true North African hospitality. Howerver the service and food is a total rip off and let down .The food is not authentic and poor quality of produce , tasteless and for what they are charging for it has to be a total rip off. I ordered a feta filed pastry for £5.95 what I got was a pita bread and feta sandwich 🤔with no explainatin why the pastry was not given to me. For the main we had mixed grill with seasoned rice, the portion was so small and not for sharing as adviced by the waitresses, it was tasteless and the meat was tough and it cost £17.99 . For a starter we had grilled prawns and asked for a finger bowl after and were told none avalible but can have more napkins , we asked for wet wipes and were told there were none , we had to get up and wash our hands in the washroom. I ordered virgin pina colada mocktails and they were flavour less and nasty, just a glass of cocnunt milk and a small piece of pineapple on the glass, no favour whatever. The mint tea was not authentic in flavour and most likely a tea bag, served in a standard glass and pot. I felt disappointed as it was me who recommended this place via all I see on thier Instagram, my guest hated the food and felt ripped off. Was intending to go here again but not anymore , will go to Kenza by Liverpool st station now. Rate food a disappointing 5/10 , service 5/10 value for...