Dinner At The Recently Re-opened Olive Moroccan Restaurant in Belper
Published On Thursday 3 Feb 2022 by Sticky Beak
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They say that ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try again’, don’t they? Thanks to Covid striking down her staff, Jacqui at Olive in Belper had to cancel our invitation to visit her new premises the previous week but, determined not to be thwarted, we re-arranged for the following week! Lady Luck was smiling down on us all and the second date went ahead successfully.
Those of you who were lucky enough to visit Olive in its previous home will remember the fantastic quirkiness of the decor: the mismatched lamps, jewelled chandeliers and mirrored lanterns that were scattered around to create a delightful ambience; well, rejoice, for that is still the case! The hotchpotch, mismatched cutlery, crockery and glassware furthers adds to the charm and a warm glow comes from the gently guttering candles snuggly housed in heavyweight candelabra set on each of the tables.
Jacqui is every bit as lovely as we remembered and ushered us in whilst she was still setting up, and we chatted away whilst she performed the finishing touches to welcome that evenings’ diners. We chose a table by the doorway that gave us a good view of the whole restaurant and also overlooked the gorgeous little courtyard that Olive is located in. As we sat yapping to each other over our wine (it’s BYOB at Olive as Jacqui isn’t licensed, but she does sell soft drinks) it occurred to me that Belper has its own version of Derby’s Old Blacksmiths Yard here. The official address for Olive is 8, Market Place, but the entrance to it is down an alley at the back of Prestige Hairdressers that opens up like the aforementioned yard in Derby. Anyhow, back to the business at hand: foooooooood!!!!
The menu at Olive is as simple as ever, with a huge range of Mezze dishes (all £8 each), three Tagines (Lamb, Chicken and Vegetable, priced at £16, £14 and £12 respectively), a trio of salads for £12 and desserts, if required, that the staff will inform you about the choice of. Jacqui comes and talks you through the finer details of each item if you’re unfamiliar with Moroccan cuisine, which I think is a really nice touch, and then gives you some time to decide what you’d like. Vegetarians and Meaties alike are well catered for at Olive; there is definitely something for everyone on the menu.
His Nibs and I decided to go for Falafel, Spicy Meatballs, Stuffed Dates, Spinach Flatbread and Mujadarah from the Mezze selection, followed by the Lamb and Chicken Tagines with the trio of salads. Jacqui said that she would put the Mujadarah on the same plate as the other salads and bring them out with the Tagines, if we didn’t mind, as it made more sense (which it totally did, I must say).It wasn’t long before other diners were pouring in to the bijoux restaurant - there’s probably about 35 covers, maximum – and Jacqui busied herself cooking whilst the young ladies that were servers that evening attended to drinks and order taking. The air soon filled with a symphony of mouth-watering aromas, rich with sultry spices that were evocative of warmer climes and cultures.
Before long we were served our first dish, Spicy Meatballs, swiftly followed by the Cream Cheese-Stuffed Dates. The meatballs were really dense and close in texture which made them very satisfying, appetite-wise, and they had a superb spiciness that got the mouths’ juices flowing. There was a thick tomato sauce that was packed with flavour and was robust enough to partner the meat element of this dish perfectly.
A little dish of bamboo picks came with the dates and we used them to spear each morsel; perhaps as well, as this dish was served hot and I hadn’t been expecting that! The heat intensified the fragrant sweetness of the fruit, which was calmed by the silky mellowness of the cream cheese at the centre of each individual Date. I couldn’t help but grin in delight as I popped the first one into my mouth and, to my surprise, The Man tried one too and commented that he really liked this dish.
One of the team cleared our empty platters away so that her colleague could place the Falafel and Spinach Flatbread down on the table for us to tuck into. This team may only be young, but they work well together and are so incredibly friendly when they deal with you; Jacqui is hoping to increase her work force and open more days of the week than just the Friday and Saturday evenings that she currently offers.
The Falafel were semi coarse in texture so that they crumbled in your mouth when bitten into, but not as you picked them up: perfect! We both said how tasty these were with their creamy Chickpea base, pimped by a selection of herbs and spices such as Coriander, Mint, Parsley, Cumin, Onion and Garlic. It was, however the Pomegranate Molasses that stopped us in our tracks! This minx would have the most sluggishly sluggish of taste buds standing to attention with its intensity; His Nibs described it as ‘Haribo Tangfastics on steroids’ and he wasn’t wrong, this had us scrunching up our faces with its fruity tartness. As a partner-in-crime to the Falafel though, it worked brilliantly, and we soon found ourselves dipping the vegetarian morsel into it.
Super thin flatbreads were filled with Spinach and Cheese; the fats within the dairy element oozing out to give a gloss to this dish worthy of a Vogue cover! Sometimes it is the simplest of meals that have a big impact on the palate and this was definitely the case here: the ordinary made extraordinary. A garnish of fresh Spinach leaves was all the adornment this delight needed although, to be fair, it wasn’t necessary as the flatbreads spoke for themselves when you bit into their soft folds.
Before long, our Lamb and Chicken Tagines were coming out, along with a large platter that housed pyramids of the four salads that Jacqui offers: Carrot Salad, Tabbouleh, Tomato Salad and Mujadarah. There was also a separate bowl of plain Cous-Cous to accompany the Tagines.
Now you’re all au-fait with the fact that The Man Bird is a massive salad dodger, so join me in being gob-smacked when I tell you that he scoffed away happily at all four salads! Granted, he wasn’t as keen on the roasted Tomato, Pepper and Aubergine one as I was, but he still had some of it; personally, I couldn’t get enough of this so it suited me just fine.
I really thought my luck was going to be in with the Carrot, Beetroot and Chickpea salad but, no, yet again His Maj decided that this was also rather tasty; for the love of god, is nothing sacred??! Fair play though, The Man does have good taste, and this was beautifully refreshing on the palate as well as being uber scrummy and a mix of crunchy and soft that caressed the senses.
The Tabbouleh was vibrantly herby with a lush carpet of parsley punctuating its pale colour, giving it a wonderful fresh brightness in the mouth. All that this Bulgar wheat based dish needed was sweet slices of fresh Tomato, Lemon juice and Olive oil to allow it to shine fully. Another perfect example of simple food being effective.
Mujadarah completed the quartet of salads in our meal and this Green Lentil and Rice marvel of Jacqui’s had a gorgeously mesmerising hint of smoke and sweetness, courtesy of the Caramelised Red Onion slices that were woven into it. Swirls of Cumin, Coriander and Allspice tickled the edge of the taste buds, leaving them completely entranced, and it wasn’t long before the previously heaped platter was totally barren!
Both Tagines were excellent too; the Lamb and Chicken were succulent and juicy, bouncing with taste, but the Lamb was especially tender – you literally had to pick up your cutlery and it fell apart! A rich sauce swaddled the meats and there was a really pleasing complexity to the flavour profile of these dishes that came from the assortment of spices within them. Jacqui certainly knows Moroccan cuisine inside-out and does it justice with her execution of the dishes she prepares, cooks and serves. I should just mention that all the hot dishes came out of the kitchen piping hot, so allow them to cool for a short while rather than dive in and burn your tongue like Madame greedy guts here did!
Despite our good intentions, we succumbed to the temptation of something sweet to end our feast: Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Ice Cream for me, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Chocolate Ice Cream for The Man. Granted, these aren’t Moroccan desserts, but they were still delicious and concluded our meal very nicely (and the fresh Strawberries provide one of our 5-a-day, right?!). The Ice Cream was wickedly chunky with pieces of chocolate in its cold grasp and it was moreishly creamy and silky on our tongues.
My Brownie was soft and gooey in the middle, with a gentle crust on its choc chip studded surface – needless to say, I finished every last crumb! His Nibs’ Sticky Toffee Pudding was quite light in texture, lulling him in to a false sense of security that allowed the intricate blend of spices to take control of his palate. A rich Toffee sauce crowned this pudding and it was delightfully thick so that it coated the insides of The Man Birds’ cheeks, allowing him to savour it for longer.
It may not be fancy-pants when compared with some other venues, it’s as if you are in Jacqui’s home and you’re family rather than a customer, but the food is top-notch. You can tell that the freshest ingredients are used and lovingly prepared because with dishes this simple there is nowhere for stale or mediocre to hide. I would strongly advise booking ahead to reserve a table due to capacity being strictly limited; we have already booked to dine there again – this time with Mummy Bird as well!
Hot Wings (piping hot ones, actually!) unreservedly awarded to Jacqui and her brilliant bijoux restaurant, Olive. I have got everything crossed that the service times are increased to more days sooner rather than later!
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