Review: Plateau, Canada Square
Lucia Blash enjoys a cabalistic casbah at Plateau
YOU may be forgiven for thinking that the bars around the Wharf are already filled with their fair share of snakes and charmers, especially if you happen to be out drinking post 9pm on a Thursday night.
But pay a visit to the über chic Plateau and you’ll come face to face with a real snake and its charmer, willowy beauty Solariss and her 7ft albino Burmese python Sheba.
The exotic pair are part of Plateau’s Moroccan Nights, a nightly event inspired by the mysterious souks of Marrakech and the cinnabar-soaked casbahs of Casablanca.
Having visited Marrakech last year, I was intrigued as to how the restaurant’s industrial steel and glass interior could be transformed in to anything resembling the kaleidoscope of colour that is Morocco.
All I can say is a genie with a magic lamp must have been at work. Stepping foot into the atrium is like entering an authentic shisha bar, all rich textile cushions, silk kilims, billowing drapes, aromatic incense, and twinkly glass lanterns.
In keeping with the exotic surroundings, the cocktail menu features a host of themed delights, (all £8.50) including Sahara Martini (Cabana, triple sec, cranberry juice, raspberry puree), Marrakech Martini (Cabana, fresh blackberries, cranberry juice, lime juice) and Agadir (Cabana, lemon, fresh kiwi). My particular favourite was the Tickled Pink (Cabana, fresh grapes, fresh strawberries, lime juice) which slipped down the throat a tad too easily. My companion was drawn to the delicious Fresh Fruit Cabana Caipirinha (Cabana, fresh lime, kiwi, strawberry, passion fruit) convinced she was getting her five-a-day fruit quota.
Feeling a little light-headed – we blamed the incense burners, most definitely not the potent cocktails – we tucked into the food-to-share menu which featured reasonably priced authentic dishes such as Grilled Spiced Aubergine (£2), Prawns, Garlic And Almonds (£2.25) and Beef And Preserved Lemon (£2.50).
We opted for the Flat Bread And Tabouleh, Taktouka and Hummus (£1.50), the bread light, the dips rich and creamy; Harissa Marinated Lamb Cutlet (£4.50), tender and tasty; and Lamb Kofta With Cucumber And Mint, (£1.75), a spicy skewered meat feast with a crisp, cool dip.
Sated, comfortably ensconced among the vibrant scatter cushions and Handira-covered sofas, drawing on a strawberry-flavoured shisha pipe (£5), we sat back and were charmed by the mysterious Solariss and her pet python (www.solariss.net), whose snake handling skills have enthralled such luminaries as Sting, Bob Geldof and Mick Jagger.
With the entertainment changing nightly – other traditional artists include a henna tattooist, belly dancers and a Tarot reader – Plateau’s Moroccan Nights is like taking a magic carpet ride to the riot of enticing colour, noise and smells that is after-dark Marrakech.
And the beauty is you don’t have to queue for hours waiting to go through passport control.
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