Simos Moroccan Restaurant
October 2010
Total score:
October 2010
Total score:
James Review
Ambience Sorry for the late review.
I liked the place although I agree that the seating impeded conversation with everybody and probably a bit on the dark side, then again the light dimmed the features of some the party which i thank baby jesus for. 7/10
Service. Reasonable, however the sneaking up you shit was beginning to detract from the ambience and slightly reminisent of 'suits you sir'.
I didn't see too much of the belly dances as I mostly had my back to them, apart from the occassion she tried to intrice me to dance. 6/10
Food.
EEErrrrrrrrr. I'd give 7, definatley too long between meals. I think I enjoyed the starter best. I wouldn't go back for at least a year as I feel it has more of a tourist pull and lacks real value for money.
Value for Money. not really.
Ambience Sorry for the late review.
I liked the place although I agree that the seating impeded conversation with everybody and probably a bit on the dark side, then again the light dimmed the features of some the party which i thank baby jesus for. 7/10
Service. Reasonable, however the sneaking up you shit was beginning to detract from the ambience and slightly reminisent of 'suits you sir'.
I didn't see too much of the belly dances as I mostly had my back to them, apart from the occassion she tried to intrice me to dance. 6/10
Food.
EEErrrrrrrrr. I'd give 7, definatley too long between meals. I think I enjoyed the starter best. I wouldn't go back for at least a year as I feel it has more of a tourist pull and lacks real value for money.
Value for Money. not really.
Carmen's Review
Ambience 7/10 – Bellydancer’s were an interesting feature, although I always think it is a bit pervy, and you shouldn’t look for too long. Seating was very comfortable, although it was difficult to have a conversation with everyone due to people being so spread out.
Service 5/10 – a long delay between each course left me starting to feel hungry. I ordered the lamb tagine which was delicious, but in a large bowl which was difficult to eat out of with a knife and fork. Waitress/waiter was friendly, although would have preferred to have water liberally available on the table. Was nice not to feel like the staff were trying to rush you out the door to fill the table with new customers.
Food 8/10 – I was very impressed with the entrée, considering I don’t like seafood, so there was a lot of variety in it. My main was the lamb tagine which was very tender, also was quite sweet by the time I finished it. Desert was delicious, with the almond and chocolate torte.
Value for Money 5/10 – the food was good value for money, but the wine/alcoholic drinks were too overpriced. Considering we were there for approximately 3.5 hours overall not bad.
Overall score: 25/40
Piers' Review
After warm and friendly greetings, we are guided to our table (for 10). It is early evening Saturday and with the dining room already three quarters full, there is a convivial atmosphere. We are informed by Nick, the head waiter, that the man himself (Simo) is cooking tonight, which encourages the group and builds the anticipation.
Every Friday and Saturday evening it is ‘Rock the Kasbah’, a Moroccan Banquet and belly dancing. First up is a tasting platter, with a selection of king prawns; calamari; marinated mussels; dolmade; sundried tomatoes; asparagus; feta cheese; olive oil; dukkah and assorted home-made dips served with Moroccan flat bread. Having waited a little while for this dish to arrive, when it did it was tucked into with gusto. Three platters for the table provided plenty of fresh and extremely tasty morsals that delivered a variety of flavours, my particular favourites being the mussels and king prawns. For the main, I ventured for the lamb tagine. Though the dish was well prepared, with the lamb tender and delicious, the overall flavours were too sweet for my palate and I found that toward the end I was feeling like I was already on the dessert course. However, when dessert did arrive I did not pass up on the opportunity. I enjoyed the almond and chocolate torte, it was not overly sweet and was well-balanced with creme fraiche.
Simo's is for people that love eating out and are prepared to go on a culinary journey. The quality and creativity of the cooking along with attentive service makes for a great evening. The banquet is reasonably good value and has the added bonus (or not) of live belly dancing, with audience participation if diners are willing. The fact that there was some delay in dishes arriving did not disappoint greatly.
The big question - Would we go back? It was a very enjoyable evening at Simo’s. It is good restaurant with good food and on a Saturday night the atmosphere was bright and breezy that most people will enjoy.
The answer – Highly likely! Though there are plenty more unknown gastronomic options waiting to be explored and conquered.
Ambience - 7/10
Service - 5/10
Food - 8/10
Value for Money - 6/10
Total - 26/40
Caroline and Garry's review
Ambience 8/10
I found the decor transformed you to immediately to Marrakesh, I particularly liked the table clothes and the variety of colours adorning the walls. The chairs were very comfortable which I'd hoped would make for a long and enjoyable evening. Unfortunately the oblong table wasn't conducive to good conversation between all 10 in attendance. A round table would have been preferable.
The belly dancers looked exotic and alluring but I would have enjoyed watching them in between eating, which I acknowledge was difficult to do with the restaurant full that evening.
Service 4/10
The service was polite and unobtrusive which is what you want when conversing with friends. However it would have been nice to have the water bottles on the table and replaced on a regular basis rather than waiting for staff to notice you were without.
Unfortunately the waiting time between courses made people restless, this gap couldn't be filled with copious amounts of Vino as the prices were overly inflated for the range on offer.
Food 7/10
The starter was surprisingly tasty and offered a great variety with good portion sizes to be shared adequately between us. My favourite being the marinated prawns and mushroom along with the dips.
My lemon chicken tagine was tasty with moist chicken and an unexpected sweet taste, this was accompanied by a small portion of Cous Cous which had to be shared. Garry had the Lamb Tagine which he describes as very flavoursome but felt the portion size was too small and not able to be made up with by the accompanying Cous Cous.
The desert made up for the disappointment in portion sizes with the mains. The chocolate torte was smooth and rich and definately moorish, no pun intended.
Garry enjoyed his date and pistachio ensemble but after tasting the torte would have prefered mine.
Value for money 6/10
The food was simple in design but very tasty and I would recommend the restaurant for this. However the price of the drinks were overly inflated which had an impact on the cost of the overall evening.
Total Score 25/40
Ambience 7/10 – Bellydancer’s were an interesting feature, although I always think it is a bit pervy, and you shouldn’t look for too long. Seating was very comfortable, although it was difficult to have a conversation with everyone due to people being so spread out.
Service 5/10 – a long delay between each course left me starting to feel hungry. I ordered the lamb tagine which was delicious, but in a large bowl which was difficult to eat out of with a knife and fork. Waitress/waiter was friendly, although would have preferred to have water liberally available on the table. Was nice not to feel like the staff were trying to rush you out the door to fill the table with new customers.
Food 8/10 – I was very impressed with the entrée, considering I don’t like seafood, so there was a lot of variety in it. My main was the lamb tagine which was very tender, also was quite sweet by the time I finished it. Desert was delicious, with the almond and chocolate torte.
Value for Money 5/10 – the food was good value for money, but the wine/alcoholic drinks were too overpriced. Considering we were there for approximately 3.5 hours overall not bad.
Overall score: 25/40
Piers' Review
After warm and friendly greetings, we are guided to our table (for 10). It is early evening Saturday and with the dining room already three quarters full, there is a convivial atmosphere. We are informed by Nick, the head waiter, that the man himself (Simo) is cooking tonight, which encourages the group and builds the anticipation.
Every Friday and Saturday evening it is ‘Rock the Kasbah’, a Moroccan Banquet and belly dancing. First up is a tasting platter, with a selection of king prawns; calamari; marinated mussels; dolmade; sundried tomatoes; asparagus; feta cheese; olive oil; dukkah and assorted home-made dips served with Moroccan flat bread. Having waited a little while for this dish to arrive, when it did it was tucked into with gusto. Three platters for the table provided plenty of fresh and extremely tasty morsals that delivered a variety of flavours, my particular favourites being the mussels and king prawns. For the main, I ventured for the lamb tagine. Though the dish was well prepared, with the lamb tender and delicious, the overall flavours were too sweet for my palate and I found that toward the end I was feeling like I was already on the dessert course. However, when dessert did arrive I did not pass up on the opportunity. I enjoyed the almond and chocolate torte, it was not overly sweet and was well-balanced with creme fraiche.
Simo's is for people that love eating out and are prepared to go on a culinary journey. The quality and creativity of the cooking along with attentive service makes for a great evening. The banquet is reasonably good value and has the added bonus (or not) of live belly dancing, with audience participation if diners are willing. The fact that there was some delay in dishes arriving did not disappoint greatly.
The big question - Would we go back? It was a very enjoyable evening at Simo’s. It is good restaurant with good food and on a Saturday night the atmosphere was bright and breezy that most people will enjoy.
The answer – Highly likely! Though there are plenty more unknown gastronomic options waiting to be explored and conquered.
Ambience - 7/10
Service - 5/10
Food - 8/10
Value for Money - 6/10
Total - 26/40
Caroline and Garry's review
Ambience 8/10
I found the decor transformed you to immediately to Marrakesh, I particularly liked the table clothes and the variety of colours adorning the walls. The chairs were very comfortable which I'd hoped would make for a long and enjoyable evening. Unfortunately the oblong table wasn't conducive to good conversation between all 10 in attendance. A round table would have been preferable.
The belly dancers looked exotic and alluring but I would have enjoyed watching them in between eating, which I acknowledge was difficult to do with the restaurant full that evening.
Service 4/10
The service was polite and unobtrusive which is what you want when conversing with friends. However it would have been nice to have the water bottles on the table and replaced on a regular basis rather than waiting for staff to notice you were without.
Unfortunately the waiting time between courses made people restless, this gap couldn't be filled with copious amounts of Vino as the prices were overly inflated for the range on offer.
Food 7/10
The starter was surprisingly tasty and offered a great variety with good portion sizes to be shared adequately between us. My favourite being the marinated prawns and mushroom along with the dips.
My lemon chicken tagine was tasty with moist chicken and an unexpected sweet taste, this was accompanied by a small portion of Cous Cous which had to be shared. Garry had the Lamb Tagine which he describes as very flavoursome but felt the portion size was too small and not able to be made up with by the accompanying Cous Cous.
The desert made up for the disappointment in portion sizes with the mains. The chocolate torte was smooth and rich and definately moorish, no pun intended.
Garry enjoyed his date and pistachio ensemble but after tasting the torte would have prefered mine.
Value for money 6/10
The food was simple in design but very tasty and I would recommend the restaurant for this. However the price of the drinks were overly inflated which had an impact on the cost of the overall evening.
Total Score 25/40
Bill's Review
Ambience 6/10 - Dim and atmospheric lighting. Some of the decor was on the cheap and cheesy side considering the prime location. Reasonable space between tables so you didn't get the feeling your conversations could be overheard by the other punters (which was a good job as thanks to my iphone we all discovered what 'frotting' was that evening ). Personally I prefer spaces with 'nooks and crannies' that lend themselves to a more intimate atmosphere rather than the more open space at Simos. The belly dancers were beautiful and good at what they did but if I'm honest I could have done without them. They made me feel slightly uncomfortable. They were in close proximity to the table so it felt almost rude to carry on eating and ignore them which considering the time you had to wait for your meal was particularly annoying. If I stared too much I'd feel like a perve who's enjoying the starter before moving on to 'Calender Girls' . Maybe I would have enjoyed the show better post meal whilst laying down on some sumptuous cushions puffing on a 'hookah' pipe.
Service 5/10 - The service was ok. There was nothing about it that made it particularly memorable. Staff were polite and courteous but not warm or friendly. They didn't harass you or make you feel like you had to hurry. The wait between courses was painful however. The whole experience took over three hours which for a set menu seems unacceptable. Fortunately none of us had to be anywhere after the meal. Over an hour between starter and main is way too much (which is probably why we got onto the subject of 'frotting').
Food 7/10 - I thought the food was delicious. I haven't eaten much Moroccan food but this meal has made me want to try more. The entree was my favorite, a platter of various delights which I enjoyed greatly. I ordered the Lamb Tagine for my main course. When it first appeared I must admit I was disappointed. The serving size seemed miniscule to me, (I have a big appetite though), as it lay lost at the bottom of the large bowl it was served in. The arrival of the cous cous did little to make me feel I would be satisfied at the end of the meal. When I tasted it however it was gorgeous. The sauce was delicious, slightly sweet but rich in flavour and the lamb could not have been any more tender. I enjoyed the Hazelnut and Pistachio baklava for dessert, a real sweet treat. Surprisingly at the end of the meal I felt quite satisfied despite my initial feelings about the portion size (though my friend has since pointed out I did help finish off someone else's) .
Value for Money - 5/10
One thing I didn't enjoy was the price of the wine. I thought it was too much. I had a bottle of Saints Gisborne Gerwurtztraminer for $46. Gutting as I see it regularly on special in countdown for $10. This seriously interfered with my hopes of making merry that evening.
The price of the set menu was $65 a head. You couldn't use your gold Entertainment card as there was already a $20 discount. When all's said and done, without the discount, they potentially value the experience they offer at being worth over $100 a head. Do I ?? No I don't. If I was heading out and expecting to spend over $100 on a meal for myself I don't think Simos would be my choice. However I would definately keep my eye out to see if they had any lunchtime specials.
TOTAL SCORE - 23/40
Rhiannon's Review
Ambience 7/10
The decor is cheap kitsch rather than irony and opulence but having said that the mood was warm and relaxed. The belly dancers were a bit of fun if a little uncomfortable at times.
Service 3/10
I found the service professional and polite but not warm. It was a nice touch that the various delicacies on the tasting platter were explained to us before we ate. My biggest gripe is with the wait times between courses. The entree arrived promptly but we were then left for what seemed an eternity before the mains and desert. The bubbly vibe on our table dissipated into bored irritation and flattened the evening.
Food 9/10
The food, when it arrived, was absolutely delicious. I ordered the Seafood Tagine, (which lacked the scallops the menu described), but was bursting with flavour and included the most heavenly olives. The fish was cooked to perfection and the dish was accompanied by a very interesting cous cous, although there wasn't quite enough of this to share between us.
The chocolate torte was a gooey, warm, melt-in-your-mouth treat. The texture and flavour were superb and the meal was nicely rounded off with a traditional mint tea.
Value for Money 5/10
The food was well worth the money, however the mark up on the wine is astronomical. During our very lengthy wait between courses it occurred to me that a more fairly priced wine list would have done a lot to raise the spirits on our table.
I'll just briefly return to the subject of the decor - hire a designer Simos!
A restaurant in this price range and location shouldn't look like your auntie's had a rummage through the remnants bin at the local fabric store. It's more kebab shop than Moroccan chic.
Total score 24/40
Ambience 6/10 - Dim and atmospheric lighting. Some of the decor was on the cheap and cheesy side considering the prime location. Reasonable space between tables so you didn't get the feeling your conversations could be overheard by the other punters (which was a good job as thanks to my iphone we all discovered what 'frotting' was that evening ). Personally I prefer spaces with 'nooks and crannies' that lend themselves to a more intimate atmosphere rather than the more open space at Simos. The belly dancers were beautiful and good at what they did but if I'm honest I could have done without them. They made me feel slightly uncomfortable. They were in close proximity to the table so it felt almost rude to carry on eating and ignore them which considering the time you had to wait for your meal was particularly annoying. If I stared too much I'd feel like a perve who's enjoying the starter before moving on to 'Calender Girls' . Maybe I would have enjoyed the show better post meal whilst laying down on some sumptuous cushions puffing on a 'hookah' pipe.
Service 5/10 - The service was ok. There was nothing about it that made it particularly memorable. Staff were polite and courteous but not warm or friendly. They didn't harass you or make you feel like you had to hurry. The wait between courses was painful however. The whole experience took over three hours which for a set menu seems unacceptable. Fortunately none of us had to be anywhere after the meal. Over an hour between starter and main is way too much (which is probably why we got onto the subject of 'frotting').
Food 7/10 - I thought the food was delicious. I haven't eaten much Moroccan food but this meal has made me want to try more. The entree was my favorite, a platter of various delights which I enjoyed greatly. I ordered the Lamb Tagine for my main course. When it first appeared I must admit I was disappointed. The serving size seemed miniscule to me, (I have a big appetite though), as it lay lost at the bottom of the large bowl it was served in. The arrival of the cous cous did little to make me feel I would be satisfied at the end of the meal. When I tasted it however it was gorgeous. The sauce was delicious, slightly sweet but rich in flavour and the lamb could not have been any more tender. I enjoyed the Hazelnut and Pistachio baklava for dessert, a real sweet treat. Surprisingly at the end of the meal I felt quite satisfied despite my initial feelings about the portion size (though my friend has since pointed out I did help finish off someone else's) .
Value for Money - 5/10
One thing I didn't enjoy was the price of the wine. I thought it was too much. I had a bottle of Saints Gisborne Gerwurtztraminer for $46. Gutting as I see it regularly on special in countdown for $10. This seriously interfered with my hopes of making merry that evening.
The price of the set menu was $65 a head. You couldn't use your gold Entertainment card as there was already a $20 discount. When all's said and done, without the discount, they potentially value the experience they offer at being worth over $100 a head. Do I ?? No I don't. If I was heading out and expecting to spend over $100 on a meal for myself I don't think Simos would be my choice. However I would definately keep my eye out to see if they had any lunchtime specials.
TOTAL SCORE - 23/40
Rhiannon's Review
Ambience 7/10
The decor is cheap kitsch rather than irony and opulence but having said that the mood was warm and relaxed. The belly dancers were a bit of fun if a little uncomfortable at times.
Service 3/10
I found the service professional and polite but not warm. It was a nice touch that the various delicacies on the tasting platter were explained to us before we ate. My biggest gripe is with the wait times between courses. The entree arrived promptly but we were then left for what seemed an eternity before the mains and desert. The bubbly vibe on our table dissipated into bored irritation and flattened the evening.
Food 9/10
The food, when it arrived, was absolutely delicious. I ordered the Seafood Tagine, (which lacked the scallops the menu described), but was bursting with flavour and included the most heavenly olives. The fish was cooked to perfection and the dish was accompanied by a very interesting cous cous, although there wasn't quite enough of this to share between us.
The chocolate torte was a gooey, warm, melt-in-your-mouth treat. The texture and flavour were superb and the meal was nicely rounded off with a traditional mint tea.
Value for Money 5/10
The food was well worth the money, however the mark up on the wine is astronomical. During our very lengthy wait between courses it occurred to me that a more fairly priced wine list would have done a lot to raise the spirits on our table.
I'll just briefly return to the subject of the decor - hire a designer Simos!
A restaurant in this price range and location shouldn't look like your auntie's had a rummage through the remnants bin at the local fabric store. It's more kebab shop than Moroccan chic.
Total score 24/40
