Regular viewers of ‘I’m a Celebrity’ will be familiar with the term ‘Happy Place’ for Jordan North it was Turf Moor (home of his beloved Burnley F.C), and for Sir Mo Farah it was ‘Sticky Toffee’. His Nibs and I have our own Happy Place: Olive Moroccan Restaurant in Belper; so, when Jacqui invited us along, we jumped at the chance.
If you’ve never visited this brilliant eaterie before, let me just pre-warn you: leave any British stuffiness/uptightness you may have at the door – you are about to enter a brilliantly quirky venue that can seem to have no rhyme-or-reason to it! When you walk through the door, all the bright, jewel colours of the walls, upholstery and wall hangings, as well as twinkling mosaic mirrors and lamps transport you to North Africa and Morocco. The mix-n-match tables are paired with equally random plates and glasses, and server extraordinaire Libby, will bring over heavy glass jugs of water for you if you want them. Olive isn’t licensed for alcohol, so you do need to BYO bottles of your fave tipple.
The Mezze menu is written in chalk on an oval blackboard, which can be a bit hard to read if you’re not seated right next to it, but fear not, Libby comes to the rescue again and grabs your phone to take a photo of it for you to zoom in on. As regulars, The Man and I just go-with-the-flow and let Jacqui feed us at her leisure! We’ve had pretty much everything on the menu over the years, and know that we love every single morsel, so we have no qualms about dining this way. What I would say to newbies is that, whilst Moroccan food is undeniably tasty and uses many spices, it isn’t particularly ’hot’ the only dish I would advise caution with is the Tagine as this certainly is bolder than the other dishes…and seriously addictive; we usually have the Lamb one on each visit.
So, with the scene set, let’s dive on in to Jacqui’s culinary tour of Morocco. I should just point out that the lady herself lived in Morocco for many years and goes back at least once a year, so she knows her stuff. The Man and I had had a busy day (me as one of the judges at the final of Derbyshire Scouting’s ‘Ready Steady Cook’ competition, and His Nibs taking images for his photo bank) so we went in at 6.30pm. There were already a couple of other tables occupied, so the aromas from the kitchen were filling the restaurant nicely, and the chatter mingled with the music that was playing in the background. As the evening went on, the venue filled to capacity and walk-ins had to be offered tables at 8pm or later – please, please book ahead if you want to be guaranteed a seat!
Jacqui and I had a quick hug and then we said to Libby to just let Jacqui feed us whatever she fancied. Our first Meze dish was one of our favourites, the Spinach and Cheese Flatbread; this really is comfort food at its peak and certainly loosens you up as you eat it with your fingers. Next up was Jacqui’s [should be] world-famous ‘Trio of Salads’ now, regular readers know that my man is a serial salad-dodger…however, Jacqui’s ones have always persuaded him to come to the healthy side: testament to how flipping good they are. Alongside the Vegetable and Herb Cous Cous Salad and the Orange, Beetroot and Walnut one, was one that we haven’t tried before: Carrot, Almond and crumbled Feta-type Cheese. Jacqui has recently introduced this salad and the feedback has been very positive; my opinion? Keep this on the menu, it is delicious!
No visit to a Moroccan restaurant would be complete without Hummus, and the one this particular evening was the classic version; on previous visits we have sampled a rose-pink Beetroot variety, which is also very nice. Warm flatbread is cut into handy-sized slices that are perfect for dunking straight into the Hummus pot; this was occupying His Nibs whilst I dug into the mixed Olives that come with the Hummus.
Another tantalisingly fab dish that Jacqui serves up in her small piece of paradise is tender-as-you-like Chicken Shawarma. If happiness provides light, His Nibs’ mush would be Blackpool’s Illuminations! Chomping away at the generously spiced Chicken breast pieces, he was in his element. The marinade of Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Paprika and Garlic that coated the chicken was earthy, smoky and beautifully rich, with a pop of heat coming from (I suspect) Cayenne Pepper. Complex and multi-layered, this dish really ticks all the boxes.
One of my all-time favourites at Olive is surprisingly simple: Cream Cheese-stuffed Dates that are baked in the oven until softened and sticky. These are absolutely wonderful; silky and sweet, fragrant and devilishly moreish. I have even made these myself at home – successfully, may I add, which will no doubt surprise you all. To be fair, it surprised me and The Flock, too!
Olive Moroccan is perfect for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike because many of the dishes are vegetable-based. In fact, our next two dishes were new to the menu, and both vegetable: Potato Wedges with Oregano, Mint, Sumac and Za’atar, and Baked Aubergine and Cheese Stacks with a Wilted Spinach, Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew.
Oh, my days, where to start?! I love Aubergine anyway, but this partnership of soft veg and gooey cheese was unbelievable; like, stupidly tasty. Even The Man got stuck into it!! My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw him go back for a second helping – I even said to him “You do know this is Aubergine, right?”. Where is my [generally veg-dodging] husband, and what have you done with him?! When it came to the Potato Wedges, there was no holding him back, though: he is a total spud lover. The softened wedges were heavily coated with the herb and spice mixture and it was absolutely tremendous on the palate. I seriously need to wheedle the recipe out of Jacqui and attempt to do these at home, especially with BBQ season coming swiftly up.
I previously mentioned the Tagines that Olive restaurant serves up, and no evening would be complete without us savouring the Lamb one and its accompanying Cous Cous. The chunks of Lamb were marvellously tender in the mouth and you could see them falling apart on the fork as you picked them up. Creamy Chickpeas provided body, and fruity Sultanas released their bold sweetness to this intensely spiced dish. Our mouths were flooded with warmth, though not in any lip-tingling way, and the kaleidoscope of tastes bombarded our palates.
Much as we wanted to, neither of us had room for any of the sweet temptations that Jacqui offers at Olive, much to Libby’s surprise. Still, there’s always next time, eh? Hot Wings more than happily given to this magnificent Belper restaurant. To book a table, which I always 100% recommend you do, given its smaller size, call 07864 953341. The Facebook page, ‘Olive Moroccan Belper’ has all the latest events, including Tagine making classes, speed-dating, and Mum-n-Baby meet-ups info. you need.
Generally, Olive is open Friday and Saturdays only, but occasionally Jacqui opens on Thursdays and when Belper has its food festivals on, so do check out the FB page.
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