A RYAD in Bruges

Writing about Morocco made me miss our travels. And the food.
After a long weekend inside we decided to walk around the corner to the local (and only) organic Moroccan restaurant in Bruges, Ryad.

The reviews I read the first time we came were mixed.  Half loved it, half hated it.  

The most consistent review was that the food took forever.  And it does. So be prepared. 

Our anniversary dinner was a lovely 3 hour long affair, majority of that time spent waiting for our food.

This time around we made 6:30 reservation and huzzie saw they had shisha on the website and figured we would sit and do that to keep us busy before the food arrived. We learned once we sat down, that smoking hookah is only available after 10:30pm when food is no longer being served- no smoking inside otherwise. Ahh makes sense.

They have a very lax attitude toward time it's true.  Not only in the time it takes to get your food. Arriving at 6:30, there were a few couples and the waiter outside, apparently locked out. As in, the restaurant was still not opened.

We walked around a little and about 15 minutes later they opened. On a different night, starved and cranky, this 'ish would not fly. But tonight it wasn't too big of a deal and after 2 days inside, a little brisk (aka freezing) air was good. 

From the outside it looks like a restaurant you would see in NY or LA. Aside from the building that houses the restaurant, it has shed any traces of Bruges architecture.

Once you step inside, and part the heavy Berber curtains, you are transported somewhere else entirely. Morocco to be exact. From the ceiling to the floor they have made it as authentic as you can get without being there; ornate lanterns, a palm tree, the sculpted archway as you head upstairs.
  It's vibey, sexy and there are candles on every table.  No detail is overlooked in creating this complete experience. The bathrooms included.

I was trying to be slick with my photo taking.

We were seated in the back near the gas fire, which was nice. We pretend we're eating at one of the riads in Marrakech , and ignore the modern jacket closet to my left that from time to time will shake me out of this fake-cation.

We started with Mint Tea. It was different from what we had every day on our trip,  but nice and had a hint of orange flower essence. The presentation was lovely and authentic. ( Not that I am an expert on all things Moroccan by any means, I'm just saying.)

The last dinner we had in Marrakech we both ordered tagine. Mine veggie, his chicken with pickled lemon. Mine was good, his was GREAT. I had total food envy and had been craving it ever since.
                                 So...
I ordered a Chicken Tagine with lemon and potatoes.
And my better half got the chicken couscous w/ vegetables.
The food did take a whiiiiile.

Chicken Tagine

When it finally arrived, we were staaarved.
Both our dishes were really similar in taste and arrived much "soupier" than I would have liked.
Don't get me wrong. The chicken fell off the bone, was succulent, delicious and organic. Gorgeous.
 But I was slightly dissatisfied, having that particular taste I was craving so much go un-sated.            (yes i make up words.)
On the bright side, what an excellent excuse for dessert!
We ordered 1001 nuits and a plate of their daily pastries. (In my savage attempt to quiet this craving I hoovered dessert before I could take a picture- sorry)
Ok, 1001 Nuits was off the chain delicious. It was a combinations of dates, apples, flaky, buttery phyllo dough, pistachios, pomegranate seeds- I think I spotted passion fruit seeds too- and a light drizzle of their homemade orange sauce.
The plate of pastries were a home run too. There were 3 fat finger shaped Moroccan( baklava -like) Briouats (the thing separating them from being baklava is the subtle hint of orange blossom essence and in this case a some coconut inside) and in the middle sat four mysterious, to me,  pink powder covered cubes called Lokum or Turkish Delight.
Mouth still negotiating this gummy treat, my huz announces, "Oh yea. Your going to love this. It tastes like sugary soap"
And love it I did!  It was a delightfully aromatic, rose flavored, powdered sugar covered gummy treat. A little soapy. But goooood.
I had to ask the waiter twice what they were called and only hearing the Turkish Delight part, I came home and feverishly googled it to get the name.

a picture of Lokum, or Turkish Delight pilfered off the Interweb.

The evening was lovely and the service very attentive, even if the food took a little while to come out. At least they are consistent.
 I highly, highly recommend spending an evening here for dinner, because despite my specific tagine craving not being met, you won't be disappointed. Unless you're really hungry and cranky, then you might.
 But if you know it takes some time, you can enjoy some of the specially selected organic wines from across Europe and Morocco. Or sip on mint tea and experience for a few hours, a taste of Morocco in Bruges.

Ryad- 32 Hoogstraat 8000 Bruges
tel: 32 50 331355
open 7 days a week ( but double check, ya never know here)
http://www.ryad.be/