The Kasbah Restaurant and Bar: Boracay’s Moroccan Outpost, Updated With Directions
First, I must tip my hat in thanks to Kainpinoy and Pinoy Food Cravings for revealing the site of the one restaurant in Boracay that my family and I enjoyed the most: the Kasbah Restaurant and Bar on the shores of the island’s Station 1.
The last time I tried Moroccan cuisine was during a seven-day trip to that country itself in 2002, so as soon as I learned of this restaurant’s existence and as soon I finalized our summer Boracay vacation plans, I immediately made plans to visit it and to share the flavors of this North African country to Mrs. Unlawyer and the children.
On arriving at the Kasbah, I immediately inquired if the house served pastilla, Morocco’s national dish. Imagine my disappointment when I learned they didn’t have any! What is so great about this pastry?
“It is a pie which combines sweet and salty flavours; a combination of crisp layers of the crêpe-like warka dough (a thinner cousin of the phyllo dough), savory meat slow-cooked in broth and spices and shredded, and a crunchy layer of toasted and ground almonds, cinnamon, and sugar.”
Anyway, my disappointment didn’t last long as the Kasbah’s menu had many other interesting dishes to try. Mrs. Unlawyer and I, however, had to temper our choices on account of the children.
For starters, we had a plate of hummus with some bread. A hit.
Next, a serving of what the menu calls Beef with Ras El Hanout. The latter is actually a melange of spices, and what a combination it is:
“There is no definitive set combination of spices that makes up Ras el hanout. Each shop, company, person would have their own secret combination containing over a dozen spices. Typically they would include cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers (also known as paprika), coriander, cumin, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric.
“Some recipes include over one hundred ingredients, some quite unusual, such as ash berries, chufa, Grains of Paradise, orris root, Monk’s pepper, cubebs, dried rosebud, and the potentially toxic belladonna and insects such as the beetle known as Spanish fly (however, the sale of Spanish fly was banned in the spice markets of Morocco in the 1990s). Usually all ingredients are toasted and then ground up together. Individual recipes are often improvised.”
What is Morocco without lamb and couscous? Here is a dish called Couscous Lamb Tagine, served on a regular plate instead of a tagine.
The word “tagine” refers to either of two things: a cooking vessel with the same name or a Moroccan cooking style:
“Tajines in Moroccan cuisine are slow-cooked stews braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce. They are traditionally cooked in the tajine pot, whose cover has a knob-like handle at its top to facilitate removal. While simmering, the cover can be lifted off without the aid of a mitten, enabling the cook to inspect the main ingredients, add vegetables, move things around, or add additional braising liquid.
“Most tajines involve slow simmering of less-expensive meats. For example, the ideal cuts of lamb are the neck, shoulder or shank cooked until it is falling off the bone. Very few Moroccan tajines require initial browning; if there is to be browning it is invariably done after the lamb has been simmered and the flesh has become butter-tender and very moist. In order to accomplish this, the cooking liquid must contain some fat, which may be skimmed off later.”
I have only seen two places in southeast Asia that sells tagines – the cooking pot, I mean. I once saw one at the Chelsea restaurant at the Bonifacio High Street and the other at the Ikea store in Causeway Bay. I even remember seeing one with a cone made out of rubber at the Citysuper store in IFC.
A combination chicken and beef brochette platter.
The total cost of all this food, plus drinks: PHP 1,540.00.
The owners of the Kasbah took it on themselves to buy authentic Moroccan utensils and fittings to make their restaurant as authentic as possible. A nice touch, if you ask me.
The Kasbah Restaurant and Bar is located just beside the Discovery Shores resort hotel at Boracay’s Station 1. Phone: (036) 288-4790 or (0923) 353-3803. Major credit cards accepted.
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From the D’Mall shopping center on Station 2, the Kasbah Restaurant and Bar is at least a kilometer away to the northwest, about 30 minutes or so away on foot. In the alternative, you can take one of those tricycles on Boracay’s main road. Take one and get off at the Sea Wind Resort. Be as polite as you can and ask permission to pass through their property. As you emerge at the beachfront next, turn right. The Kasbah Restaurant and Bar is just beside Discovery Shores.
