Cartagena boasts a multitude of Arabic-cuisined restaurants thanks to the immigrants from Syria, Lebanon etc who brought their aromatic recipes with them when they moved here and started building their trade-based business empires [food plus history lesson in one overly-long sentence. whoop].
I totally want to try them all! So far, however, I've only tried M Cocina. And it's good!
My last visit was a girly lunch date with one of my favourite Cartageneras and she advised me that M Cocina was the best Arabic food in Cartagena. Which is all the endorsement I need.
Following her lead I ordered a deeeeelicious guanabana and mint (hierbabuena) juice which was all icy and granizado-like and so frickin good. I actually think it was the highlight of the entire lunch. Here's a photo.
I totally want to try them all! So far, however, I've only tried M Cocina. And it's good!
My last visit was a girly lunch date with one of my favourite Cartageneras and she advised me that M Cocina was the best Arabic food in Cartagena. Which is all the endorsement I need.
Following her lead I ordered a deeeeelicious guanabana and mint (hierbabuena) juice which was all icy and granizado-like and so frickin good. I actually think it was the highlight of the entire lunch. Here's a photo.
Mmmmm....
Because I wanted to try as much as possible and because I am generally greedy, we got a mixed plate to share for the starter. It had tasty chicken and toasted almond rice, some vine leaf wraps, tabbouleh, felafel, kibbeh, and a meaty empanada. You can see it in the top photo. Everything was really flavoursome but I liked the kibbeh the best. By the time the plate was finished, we were pretty much full.. but then our meat arrived..
D loves her a steak, so she ordered the lomo, which came with a herby butter and a choice of potatoes (she chose puree) and a salad. I nabbed a chunk and it was yeah-baby good with a nicely seasoned meat-crust. This is it:
Because I wanted to try as much as possible and because I am generally greedy, we got a mixed plate to share for the starter. It had tasty chicken and toasted almond rice, some vine leaf wraps, tabbouleh, felafel, kibbeh, and a meaty empanada. You can see it in the top photo. Everything was really flavoursome but I liked the kibbeh the best. By the time the plate was finished, we were pretty much full.. but then our meat arrived..
D loves her a steak, so she ordered the lomo, which came with a herby butter and a choice of potatoes (she chose puree) and a salad. I nabbed a chunk and it was yeah-baby good with a nicely seasoned meat-crust. This is it:
When I choose from a menu, I have an ordering hierarchy which, in addition to favoring anything pig-derived, includes a general philosophy that I should order things that I wouldn't cook at home. Which is why I ordered the Kibbeh crudo (it's like an arabic-style beef tatare i.e. seasoned raw meat). Look how pretty it is:
It came just like this. No other side. So by the end (and yes, despite being full when I started eating it.. I did definitely finish it) I was craving something to re-fresh the palate a bit more. I even ate the decorative and usually annoying parsley because I was so desperate for the green. But flavour-fatigue aside, I really enjoyed. And it's definitely not something I feel brave enough to prepare at home.
By now we were so full we could barely stand up straight, so we didn't even look at the dessert menu which apparently contains such Middle Eastern wonders as baklava and rose-water scented sweets.
Like most of the Arabic restaurants in Cartagena, M Cocina is found in Bocagrande. The interior design is fiiiiiine, white and nice but nothing I need to elaborate on, save to confirm that yes, there is air conditioning.
Definitely recommended. Definitely order the Guanabana and mint juice.
By now we were so full we could barely stand up straight, so we didn't even look at the dessert menu which apparently contains such Middle Eastern wonders as baklava and rose-water scented sweets.
Like most of the Arabic restaurants in Cartagena, M Cocina is found in Bocagrande. The interior design is fiiiiiine, white and nice but nothing I need to elaborate on, save to confirm that yes, there is air conditioning.
Definitely recommended. Definitely order the Guanabana and mint juice.
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