Love, Actually

12.07.06
Too often, when you return to restaurants you love after a long absence, it’s kind of like having a drink with that person you had such a crush on in high school—all it does is ruin your memories. So when I was in London last week, I almost didn’t go to Moro, the laid-back restaurant in Exmouth Market where two years ago I had one of the most satisfying restaurant meals I can remember. Fortunately, though, I couldn’t resist, and I was once again reminded how a gifted culinary mind can transform inspiration into dinner. Chef-owners Samuel and Samantha Clark borrow from Spain, North Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean to create dishes like the best grilled eggplant I’ve ever tasted, the meatiness of the vegetable brightened up with the perfect doses of chile, mint, and labneh; fatte, a wonderful chicken dish in which the meat is layered with chickpea pilaf, eggplant, pomegranate, walnuts, and yogurt; and a chestnut and chorizo soup with flavors so deep, rich, and compelling that we all swore it must have secret ingredients, though it did not. (The meal also made me again wonder why more chefs don’t mine this same gastronomic vein, but that’s another story.) Now if someone would just publish their first cookbook, Moro, in the United States, we could all try at least some of this at home.
Subscribe to Gourmet