STATE-OF-THE-ART new restaurants, even luxurious old ones, are fine if
you want a special night out and a memorable, if costly, meal. But there are also times when one wants to get out of the house and simply let somebody else do the cooking. In such circumstances, it isn't luxury or glam- our that one is seeking, but somewhere that offers a decently cooked meal in congenial surroundings at a reasonable price. It is odd how often the solution to the problem, at any rate in London, turns out to be eth- nic. Quite why non-European food should be so much cheaper is hard to understand, except that it is not infrequently accompa- nied by spartan surroundings and drab decor. So if you can find a restaurant that is a pleasure to sit in, offers enjoyable and interesting cooking, looks after its guests and does not charge them too much, you will have found an ideal neighbourhood restaurant. They remain rare birds.
One such is tucked away under Primrose Hill in a small parade of shops in a residen- tial area where one would hardly expect to find an interesting restaurant serving Malaysian and Thai cuisine. But affable Marcus Wee has been doing just that at his Café de Maya for the past few years with some success. Moreover, as he himself is a painter, the walls of his simple, welcoming, well-lit and decorated room are covered with his own, orientally inspired paintings and those, in various styles, of his friends. You can buy, but there is no pressure to do so. Menu prices are remarkably low, yet service by Marcus himself and his team of attractive female assistants abounds in charm and helpfulness, and the extensive permanent menu is supplemented by daily `specials' chalked on a blackboard.
I went there recently for dinner with local authors Clare Colvin and Aamer Hus- sein, both regular customers of an estab- lishment where decent food is within the reach of a freelance purse, and as usual there was a good crowd of 'locals' there, with Marcus also taking food out to a near- by party in his large 'cool-box'. We had a splendid meal which started with prawns in a blanket — delicious whole spiced prawns fried in rice-paper parcels — and chicken sate in a spectacularly refined sate sauce, miles away from the usual peanut butter. I was hard put to resist the excellent Thai fishcake I had so enjoyed on a previous visit. Then came a galaxy of gorgeous dish- es. Thai red chicken curry, well spiced with a sauce rich in vegetables, prawns impecca- bly fried with chilli, garlic and Thai sweet basil, marvellous aubergine in a chilli and black bean sauce, fine, spicy Singapore noodles, and good plain boiled rice made a memorable feast of contrasting flavours and textures. Despite ample portions, noth- ing was left behind, and we even managed to end with some excellent coconut ice- cream and mango sorbet. With a bottle of very drinkable white wine from south-west- ern France and green tea, our bill, includ- ing service, came to just under £50. I would be fascinated to hear of anywhere else in London which offered such value.
A little way south of Café de Maya, in Dorset Street, off Baker Street, is a recent- ly opened Moroccan restaurant, Tajine, Never mind the lipstick on your collar— what about the blonde hair on your jacket, the extra key in your pocket, the jewellery, receipt in the drawer, the hotel charge on your credit card . . which replaced an undistinguished curry house and is now offering North African cuisine to the inhabitants of Marylebone. went there on a particularly wet and unpleasant Saturday evening — which I hope was the reason for the paucity of fel- low diners — and my companion was the food and travel writer Erica Brown, now resident in Provence. The room is simply decorated, but clean and comfortable, with some gently North African overtones. We were warmly welcomed by the owner and handed a menu with all the right things on it. This led Erica to start with aubergine zaalouk (a cold salad of cooked aubergine with tomato, onion, parsley, coriander and garlic), and me with kefta briouats (light pastry stuffed with minced lamb, coriander, parsley and cinnamon), and, at the owner's kind suggestion, chicken p'stilla (chicken, almonds, coriander and cinnamon, covered with a light spicy pastry, dusted with icing sugar). All three dishes were a joy to eat: exotic, positive flavours, yet refined and perfectly prepared. It was a pity that the owner feels it is too soon to risk offering a p'stilla of pigeon in Marylebone, as I would guess it would taste even better than when made with blander chicken. Erica followed with chicken tajine, the chicken stewed in its beautiful brown earthenware pot, its tightly fitting lid rising in a conical pointed dome, rather as on a mosque, containing wonderfully aromatic tender chicken with vegetables in a pungent sauce of ginger, black pepper and parsley. She was delight- ed with it. I took chicken couscous, the chicken cooked with vegetables and served on a bed of authentic couscous, the semoli- na having real texture, and served with admirably hot and spicy home-made haris- sa sauce. With this fine Moroccan food it seemed imperative to drink a robust Moroccan wine, so I chose Domaine de Cigogne, made with a blend of grenache and other southern grapes, with plenty of punch yet a finesse remarkable in a wine costing Just £11.75. It reminded me of those long-gone pre-European Union days when King, Bomba in Soho's Old Compton Street used to sell a Moroccan red for five shillings a bottle, five pence more than their Reserve Jean Bernard, which said 'Beaune' on its label but came from Algeria! Erica and 1 had no room for desserts after this deli- cious but very substantial meal, and s° ended appropriately with some fine sweet- ened mint tea, poured into small cups from a great height through the pot's long, tapered spout. We went out fortified into the cold, wet night, this truly satisfying MO; having cost just £46, including service. P' remarkable bargain in a restaurant that richly deserves to be used.
Cafe de Maya: 38 Primrose Hill Road, Lon- don don 1VW3. Tel: 0171 209 0672. Open week.
Tajine: 7A Dorset Street, London Wl. 0171 935 1545. Closed Sundays.
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