The Lounge @ Hodsons

Moroccan is More-ish

STEPHANIE PREECE liked the taste of a restaurant's North African cuisine

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.

From Worcester News, Friday, June 10th 2011

News Review from Worcester Standard

Moroccan Magnificence at The Lounge @ Hodsons!
By Jana Morton

If you thinking about trying Moroccan cuisine or enjoy tapas then you need to visit The Lounge @ Hodsons today!
This first class restaurant, serving delicious authentic Moroccan themed cuisine all year round, was highly recommended to me, so I and a colleague took the opportunity to visit and sample their lunchtime menu!
The restaurant is ideally located at the Cathedral end of the High Street in Worcester, close to a multi storey car park for convenient parking. On arrival the staff gave us a very warm and friendly welcome and also gave us the choice of sitting inside or outside, with the latter too good to turn down due to the lovely spring sunshine! The menu was large and varied but easy to follow and offered daytime snacks, tapas and main meals, pasta, salads, desserts as well as a Breakfast option between 8am and 11.30am. For a starter we chose the assorted bruchetta with vegetable and cheese toppings which was served in very good time and was delicious. As a main course we both selected Tagines, one with lamb, spices, prunes, apricots and flaked almonds and the other with salmon and king prawn cooked in a tomato concasse served with roast vegetables. Both dishes were cooked to perfection and came with flavoured couscous completing the whole eating experience and leaving us already planning our next visit!
The Moroccan cuisine theme was devised by Karim Boutaib, the Moroccan co-owner of this excellent Restaurant. Karim has been in the fine-dining business, mainly in the City of London, for over 12 years. Since arriving in Worcester Karim has teamed up with his business partner, Margaret Davies, to provide the city of Worcester with a unique dining experience offering a friendly atmosphere surrounded by authentic Moroccan artefacts.
In the evening the ambience changes to a vibrant but cosy Moroccan dining restaurant catering for up to 65 guests and Karim confidently suggests that they offer probably the finest Tapas and Moroccan cuisine in Worcestershire, Herefordshire or in Gloucestershire.
Having now experienced The Lounge @ Hodson's for myself I definitely agree with Karim's claim and highly recommend a visit either at lunch time or an evening. So, for a tapas bar in Worcestershire offering you a friendly and professional service, get in touch with The Lounge @ Hodsons on 01905 21036 or call in and the friendly staff will be happy to serve you.

Click on the Menu Page for information about probably the best moroccan cuisine and tapas in the Three Counties, in Worcestershire, in Herefordshire & in Gloucestershire