La Terrasse Rooftop Café and Deli

Tuesday, September 27th, 2016

Reviewed by Pierre Behr

Having heard great things about La Terrasse Rooftop Café from a number of friends, we decided that it was time to find out for ourselves what the fuss was all about. The moment we spotted the tower in the distance on Atterbury Road, we knew we were in for a very special experience. Once inside the Moroccan House, we were overwhelmed by colours and textures straight out of the souks of Morocco – but once we started ascending the stairs a sense of calm set in. At the rooftop, we were greeted by warm, friendly staff who showed us to our table and promptly presented a delicious snack of imported Moroccan green olives. We ordered a Moroccan-infused cordial of Rose & Hibiscus and Moroccan Magic Juice to drink – and were soon feasting our eyes on the most beautiful beverages. The menu is quite extensive and every item looked more enticing than the previous one – we relied heavily on the recommendation of our waiter and settled on a Mukabalatt (or Moroccan Snack Platter) to start with. When the ornate silver platter arrived – it was almost too beautiful to eat, but the anticipation of flavours got the better of us and we ate every crumb in record time. We added a few items to the standard platter and soon realised that we may have taken on more than we could handle. Ordering Tagines for Main Course seemed like the logical thing to do – Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Dates & Honey and a traditional Moroccan Chicken Tagine with preserved lemon and green olives were laid out before us with the necessary “Moroccan Flair”. The delicate balance of aromatic spices overruled the voice of our already-full stomachs. And it was worth every single bite. As for dessert – well, I can honestly say that we made a half-hearted attempt at sharing an Orange Blossom cheesecake. The flavours were absolutely magical. I vow to go back and give the cheesecake the respect it deserves. Overall our experience at La Terrasse was definitely one to remember. The attention to detail is phenomenal and the staff are the perfect combination of attentive and friendly, yet not overbearing. Do yourself a favour and pay this special place a visit – you will NOT regret doing so.