Morokko; which opened up a little more than a year ago has really got nothing to do with flying carpets or colorful bazaars or eternal, exotic Casablanca. This is a lounge-cum- restaurant; a part of Club Link, on the Link-road in Malad. It’s jointly owned by the owner of Mocha, Bandra, which explains the hukka-fumes floating around in the night air. The interiors; well actually, the bar and lounge are open-air, and they appear closer to Egypt than Morrocco; but then, that’s just geography. Located next to the club’s swimming pool, it’s not a bad place to be on a breezy summer evening with friends. I have been there twice; but the second visit is what prompted this review.
The 1st time around, we had been there after work for a celebratory drink or two. Food didn’t matter too much; we had a veg and non-veg platter, and honestly didn’t pay much attention to what we were eating. The drinks were ok and the music not too bad. The 2nd time around; which was last week, we hopped in there for lunch. Now, you need to be warned that this is NOT a lunch place. The ambience provided by glowing lamps and shimmering glass is best experienced at night; so that could be a real dampener.
Also the music was a mix of Punjabi remixes bad Bollywood numbers and forgettables from across the 7 seas. Also, the hygiene factor was a major question since flies were our constant companion throughout. We ordered some Fresh lime sodas; of which we ended up returning one since it tasted bad. For starters, we had the Paneer Tikka. Halfway through, one of us discovered a surprise ingredient; a stapler pin. We asked for the manager, who, we were told was out. Incidentally, there was a biggie of the club-management around, who, when informed of the situation apologized and ordered a second serving of the Tikka.
Other starters ordered were Nimbu chicken and Hara bhara kebab; which were passable. For the main course, we ordered Prawn curry, Mutton, Goan Fish curry, Veg tawa masala, Punjabi Dahi Kadi, Dal Tadka, Rice and Rotis. We weren’t destined to taste the flavors of Goa and the masalas of the tawa, since neither dish landed at the table, although on request, we ended up with a quickly made Vegetable Masala, which wasn’t very good. The prawns were questionable, while the other dishes were passable. The saving graces were the Punjabi Dahi Kadi and Dal.
The service is pretty slow, the music terrible (in the afternoons at least) and the food passable, with a fair share of surprises. This place does ol rite, thanks to the sheer number of memberships at the club (members get some discount), the burgeoning number of offices around and the lack of better places in the immediate vicinity. Have a dekko, but be sure to have a good look at what you’re eating, and please don’t visit it in the afternoons. Yeh dil surely doesn’t maange MORRoko!