The restaurant provides a taste of Casablanca.
Like a jewel in a Maharaja’s crown stands Doukan, Gordon Ramsay’s favourite Moroccan restaurant in South West London.
Situated in the middle of Old York Road, the Aladdin’s Cave is filled with eastern spice and promise, with a roaring log fire inviting guests to wile away a few hours of their evening.
The word Doukan means ‘boutique’ in Arabic and the name sums up the establishment perfectly. The beautiful décor, inviting staff and amazing Caipirinha cocktails (try the minted Marguarita) are the icing sugar on this baklava-flavoured cake.
The menu included Danjal wal falfal, a more-ish aubergine dip served cold with warm authentic Moroccan flat bread, and Bastilla Fassilla, an unusual but truly delicious filo pastry parcel dusted in cinnamon and hiding diced chicken and almond flakes.
Being a girl with a sweet tooth, I was delighted at the very generous portion of passionfruit crème brûlée, and have already decided I will be visiting again soon simply to have this for a second time.
The authenticity of Doukan adds to its internal elegance and genuinely scrumptious middle eastern fare. Owner Khalil Abdesslem was born and raised in Casablanca, and says having a childhood filled with exotic flavours of fresh herbs and ancient spices had a profound effect on him.
He credits his mother for his love of food and the recipes used to create his award-winning dishes were passed down from mother to son. It’s easy to see why Mr Ramsay’s F Word chose Doukan from over 10,000 hopefuls and named it his favourite local restaurant.
Doukan also serves an excellent buffet-brunch for lazy day Sundays as well as a boho style drinks bar to get your weekend off to an elegant but unpretentious start.
350 Old York Road, Wandsworth, London SW18 1SS 208 870 8280
Open Tuesday-Saturday 8am until late and 10-5pm Sunday.
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