Rainy evenings in Dublin don’t inspire you to drag yourself off the sofa and head to a restaurant. Go to Dada and you’ll be delighted that you did. Wet, dark and dreary Dublin disappears as soon as you enter, replaced by warm, balmy Morocco.

My partner, my parents and myself dashed through a rain-soaked capital on the way to South William Street only to sink into the welcoming atmosphere, tantalising scents and happy chatter in Dada.

The menu (link opens a pdf) is full of eastern delights with a concentration on tajines of every sort. There are also a choice of couscous, stew and lamb recipes to make your mouth water.

For starters, we went for a mixture of things as we were unable to make up our minds. There were Moroccan dips served with pitta bread; mini cigar, filo pastry wrap with sardine, black olives & spices; Briwat, filo pastry wrap of Manchego cheese & spinach and marinated chicken kebab and harissa dip. Everything was delicious. The dips were moreish, the sardine refreshingly Briny without being over-bearing and the chicken kebab was sticky and tasty.

As it was a cold night, the tajines were looking even more tempting than usual. I went for tagine of spicy lamb with sautéed French beans, preserved lemon and harissa, my partner chose green vegetable and preserved lemon tagine, courgette, french beans, peas and fava beans while Dad opted for lamb tagine with apricots, walnuts, almonds and cinnamon. The mother was determined to get something different so plumped for Dada’s roasted lamb shoulder with Ras el Hanout and saffron and rosemary potatoes.

My spicy lamb wasn’t spicy at all but that was immediately forgiven as soon as I started to eat; the lamb fell apart and was juicy and tasty. Dada know their lamb. My mother, not a woman to make huge statements, said that her lamb shoulder was “the nicest lamb I’ve ever had”. It was tender beyond belief, treated with respect by the chef and devoured with gusto by our party.

My partner is a tough nut to crack, gastronomically speaking. She’s a vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables. Aubergine and courgette are particularly hated as people seem to think they ‘beef up’ a veggie meal and they, therefore, take over the plate. Her tajine had plenty of courgette (as stated in the menu, in fairness) but there were also lots of fava beans, green beans and other things to distract her. “Next time, I’ll ask if I can replace the courgette for spuds,” she said. Next time….sounds good!

We shirked desserts as we were well stuffed at that stage. Dad and I went for Moroccan lattés which were nutmeggy and spoiled the tastebuds. All of this and the staff were attentive, utterly charming and in no hurry to scurry us out.

With full bellies, warm bodies and happy smiles we left Dada, determined to be back as soon as possible.

The bill for four starters, four mains, two bottles of a gorgeous red wine, two Morocaan lattés and a tea, was just €168. Go on, you deserve it.

Official Website

Menu Pages