La Goulette, Tunisian fare in Northwest London
Last night I went to try out a Tunisian restaurant in the Kilburn area of London called La Goulette. It was an hour's trek for us, but we thought that it would be worth it, as the website seemed promising. Boy were we wrong!
Upon entering, the restaurant was crowded, so we were immediately seated in an empty area at the back. We were given menus and then spent a long time waiting to put in our orders. The menu was not as varied as we'd hoped it would be and we opted to start with Tuna Brik ( tuna, potatoes, and a runny egg fried in pastry). The brik was ok, but I felt the pastry was lacking and it didn't compare to the brik at the Adams Cafe, another Tunisian restaurant in London.
For the main course, my dining companion ordered grilled sea bass and I ordered a mixed grill. Both were accompanied by tastira, fried peppers and eggs. The restaurant owner's girlfriend, who was taking care of us because our waiter seemed not to care about our welfare, had already warned us my dish would take 30 minutes, but I figured since we had ordered appetizers, it wouldn't be a long wait. Well, it seems that our order was put in long after our brik was cleared away, and boy did we wait. All in all, our meal took 2 hours, and it wasn't because we were slowly savoring the food.
The sea bass was very good however, and my mixed grill wasn't bad at all. The tastira was interesting, but overall the food was quite bland and lacking in the traditions of hot and spicy Tunisian food.
Most egregious was the lack of capacity in wait staff and kitchen, resulting in eternal waits for food that not even the owner's nice girlfriend could make up for with friendly chatter. The decor was nice, but this restaurant was decidedly not worth the trek. If you want Tunisian, better go to the Adams Cafe.
La Goulette
51 Willesden Lane
London NW6 7 RL
www.lagoulette.co.uk
0207 624 5800
Upon entering, the restaurant was crowded, so we were immediately seated in an empty area at the back. We were given menus and then spent a long time waiting to put in our orders. The menu was not as varied as we'd hoped it would be and we opted to start with Tuna Brik ( tuna, potatoes, and a runny egg fried in pastry). The brik was ok, but I felt the pastry was lacking and it didn't compare to the brik at the Adams Cafe, another Tunisian restaurant in London.
For the main course, my dining companion ordered grilled sea bass and I ordered a mixed grill. Both were accompanied by tastira, fried peppers and eggs. The restaurant owner's girlfriend, who was taking care of us because our waiter seemed not to care about our welfare, had already warned us my dish would take 30 minutes, but I figured since we had ordered appetizers, it wouldn't be a long wait. Well, it seems that our order was put in long after our brik was cleared away, and boy did we wait. All in all, our meal took 2 hours, and it wasn't because we were slowly savoring the food.
The sea bass was very good however, and my mixed grill wasn't bad at all. The tastira was interesting, but overall the food was quite bland and lacking in the traditions of hot and spicy Tunisian food.
Most egregious was the lack of capacity in wait staff and kitchen, resulting in eternal waits for food that not even the owner's nice girlfriend could make up for with friendly chatter. The decor was nice, but this restaurant was decidedly not worth the trek. If you want Tunisian, better go to the Adams Cafe.
La Goulette
51 Willesden Lane
London NW6 7 RL
www.lagoulette.co.uk
0207 624 5800
Comments
The staff were very friendly ,they really look after you,it was a very pleasant and enjoyable experience and one I hope to be repeating again very very soon with some more friends and family.The decoration of this restaurant is wonderfull,all white e turquoise ,u feel like ur in holiday....just love this place ,the food and atmosphere....
What is special about La Goulette restaurant is the conformity to the Tunisian tradition transplanted in the heart of the UK. In fact, in famous touristic places in Tunisia such us the area of Sidi Bou Said, La Marsa, Gammarth, Hammamet, Sousse and many others, high standards restaurants are almost identical to the model of La Goulette of London in the Menu style, presentation of food, authenticity of the same taste and ESPECIALLY the truth of food's 'face' and by this i mean no camouflage or extra spices put in the food so that people would love it easily.
Apart from its impressive decoration that is inspired from the pure Tunisian style ( which is different from the Islamic architectural style) colors (white and sky_blue) and ambiance, the food in La Goulette is what i expect to find in Tunisia, same smell, same spices and same atmosphere of taste. As reproducing other countries' food is not an impossible task but a task that in the end will evidently lack the Native touch of the chef, La Goulette is not the case at all. I have tried almost all its dishes since its opening last year and still the taste and originality did not fade away.
concerning the waiting time, it is an ordinary thing. since most of the dishes are not pre_cooked and need a little time for compilation. If you want to eat fresh you have to wait for it! Some reviews here and there stated other restaurants that I would not dare to make a review about especially concerning Tunisian food because simply I personally did not find Tunisian food there. I know what Tunisian food is since i was raised in Tunisia and I do not think a Couscous, Tastira or even Cousha are the same in other restaurants as i once asked for Tastira in some restaurants and they served me a dish that I have never seen before, and also insisted that it is Tunisian! Although I made sure that the waiter understood that I am from Tunisia and that what I am seeing is not at all what Tastira is!
So in short for anybody who wants to taste and see how Tunisian food is like, with reasonable prices, just go and have a look there, you will not regret it, the ambiance is so warm and welcoming and the staff will not disappoint you.
In the end I could affirm and confirm that the major advantage of visiting La Goulette is that there is genuine Tunisian food in the menu and if you find that the choice is restricted that is simply because they do not serve other food than Tunisian, no Lebanese or Syrian or any Arab or Middle-Eastern foods are included in the Menu.
PS: You can also enjoy genuinely imported wine from Tunisia i.e. Magon, or Selian. A refined great tasting wine as Tourists in Tunisia love it.
The decor of the restaurant was nice, but I'm not sure I would call it "impressive". Buddha Bar has "impressive" decor and La Goulette is decidedly decorated like a nice neighborhood restaurant (which is fine, because it is located far enough that mainly locals and big fans of Tunisian food go).
In terms of wait time, I very much disagree that it would be normal to take 2 hours to eat a meal. There are many restaurants who make fresh food and do not make customers wait so long for food. Especially since what we ordered is simple to make. If the chef cannot turn the dishes out fast enough, something is wrong in the kitchen. That's just pure restaurant sense. Hopefully other diners have had a better experience with the wait time!