Moroccan food is gaining ground in London. It may not yet be the most popular cuisine but with somewhere like Occo, a contemporary and very congenial Moroccan bar with a kitchen offering authentic Moroccan food, the only way is up.

The Venue
Unbelievably, Occo is actually four spaces in one that can accommodate up to 250 covers. Set on several levels, each space has its own style, decor, lighting and atmosphere. At ground level there’s the main bar and restaurant area, including some tables outside. There’s also a space called the Boudoir, an opulent room with dim lighting and padded walls, suitable for private parties for up to 25 people. The Conservatory is on a mezzanine level between the ground floor and the basement, a light-filled atrium by day and an intimate candlelit dining room by night. In the basement is Mim, a subterranean candlelit space with its own entrance, a mini club room with bar, sofas and DJ decks.

The Atmosphere
The idea has been to recreate Morocco in Marylebone. Owner Samir Ahmimed is from Tangier and he has sourced all the fabrics, furnishings, fixtures and fittings from Morocco. The main bar has ceiling lights reminiscent of a Moroccan tent, while the Conservatory is inspired by a Moroccan courtyard design. This is an all-day operation open during the week from noon to midnight and from 10am on Saturdays and Sundays. You can enjoy lunch or dinner or the weekend brunch or just pop in for a drink at the bar with some Moroccan tapas. Whatever you choose, you’ll find Occo is a friendly and welcoming place to be. And, if you are sitting outside, you can indulge in the shisha, the hookah pipe which you can smoke in various fruit flavours. On Thursday to Saturday evenings there is a belly dancer and you can have a special henna tattoo done.

The Food
Moroccan food tends to have more flavour than other cuisines. There is a subtle blending of herbs and spices to produce some true taste sensations. For instance, the cod fillet has a batter that is flavoured with saffron. The lamb shank is marinated in rosemary and ras-el-hanout, a Moroccan blend of some thirty spices, producing a robust flavour with a floral aroma. The tuna fillet is coated with sesame seeds and served with fresh mint and pumpkin couscous. The salmon steak tagine has the fish steeped in chermoula, a marinade of oil, lemon, cumin, garlic, onion, coriander and chili peppers. Most Moroccan dishes are intensely flavoured with these complex tastes.

For a starter you cannot do better than order something from the tapas menu (£1.50 - £5) which includes bruschetta topped with grilled halloumi cheese, roast artichoke heart, aubergine and peppers with an olive tapenade, hummus and pita bread, deep fried calamari with fennel and garlic aioli, and paprika potato wedges. The shrimp, sardine and tuna fritters are every bit as good as they sound, mixed with a little chilli, deep fried and served with a garlic and parsley yoghurt dip. There are so many flavours going on here but they all work perfectly together. The frittata of pumpkin, feta, spinach, courgette and red onion is another fine dish, a little like a Spanish omelette in which all the ingredients and flavours meld together, accompanied by a tomato and watercress salad with an olive oil and lemon dressing.

The express lunch menu has a Moroccan harira soup with a vegetable base of chick peas, lentils and beans, plus vermicelli and egg, served with fresh bread. The Moroccan bread here is divine, hot and fresh, soft and pliable and tastes delicious when dipped into olive oil. As well as the main courses already mentioned, you might find such dishes as chicken breast marinated in preserved lemon, green olives and herbs with a parsley pesto tagine sauce and many vegetarian dishes such as Salade Nicoise, roasted pepper stuffed with lentil salad, split pea and spinach salad with halloumi and hummus, and spinach and ricotta ravioli. Certainly the sea bass is full of flavour and well seasoned, while the risotto with pumpkin makes for a very tasty dish with the flavours of thyme and turmeric coming well to the fore. There’s also a range of main course sandwiches such as minute steak on Moroccan bread, paprika chicken, and roasted goat’s cheese with salad leaves in a fennel seed sandwich plus pear, date and orange chutney. For dessert the mint yoghurt mousse with fresh raspberries is a cool and refreshing dish and the profiteroles with dates, sesame and nuts makes an unusual treat with which to finish the meal.

The Drink
Cocktails are the thing at Occo, especially during happy hour (5pm - 7pm) when they are two for the price of one. Try a sparkler such as the Moore Bubbly with fresh lime, elderflower cordial and passion fruit topped with Prosecco in a tall glass. There are various Bellinis, mojitos, Martinis and all the other classic favourites. Of the non-alcoholic cocktails, the raspberry and mint soda with crushed mint and fresh raspberries is a real cooler. There’s also a good wine list at reasonable prices. A glass of good Sauvignon Blanc is just £4, and there’s a selection of sherries and port and some unusual beers such as the Dutch Amstel and the Czech Staropramen as well as the Mexican Corona and the Moroccan Casablanca beer, plus all the usual soft drinks and juices.

The Last Word
If you can’t get to Tangier, do the next best thing and have a Moroccan meal in Marylebone instead. It’s not just the good food that attracts but all the extras that make a lunch or evening meal that much more enjoyable.

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