El Cantara in Soho, London

Fluid Eating's Review of El Cantara

Best for: Rooftop dining, Spanish cuisine in Soho, cheap eats, pre-Theatre restaurant feed

Great: Service, decor, roof terrace, Moroccan tagines

Buildings, they do burn. Not much good comes from wood, brick and fabric turning to ash. When buildings burn, people run, fireman work, and insurance cheque writers get hand cramp. On the whole, people generally aren’t too happy when buildings go whoosh. Phoenixes, on the other hand, use the moment as their time for glory.

A few years back this Soho restaurant called in the firemen and the insurance bods. A phoenix was released from the flames. A happy phoenix that rose up from the ashes of central London and swooped across the European landscape, steering its fiery snout towards a Mediterranean tan and an inevitable dodgy Spanish/Moroccan accent.

Our phoenix was having a very good time indeed and with his new found freedom fancied himself as a bit of a cultural collector, buying up authentic Moroccan tiles and water features, genuine wooden doors from Grenada, and wines from Spain.

But despite being quite taken by the Mediterranean sun, culture, food and people, the phoenix ultimately yearned for his London home. Plus, he didn’t really have anywhere to put all his new stuff. So one day he decided to return to his roots, to seek a marriage between old and new. He stowed his belongings beneath his blazing wings, along with gifts of Moroccan organic soap for his guests (also available at Harrods), and flew back to Soho (just opposite Little Italy, right next door to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club).

He also brought with him ochre coloured walls, many flamboyant cushions, fresh modern tables (that no more than two persons could comfortably sit at), cheap cocktails (even by the jug), and an upbeat pop soundtrack that was as far removed from contemporary British music as one can get without mentioning the word ‘Eurovision’. Clearly, he felt every day should feel like a Friday in Marrakech.

My friend and I recently visited the phoenix, and he was a most gracious host. As soon as we walked in we felt as though we’d entered someone’s house. There were iron railings outside, a proper front door, and a hallway filled with family photos. A couple of the phoenix’s new family welcomed us. They were far too blonde to be Spanish or Moroccan (Scandinavian, at a guess) but they were extremely friendly nonetheless.

From there our visit took various intriguing twists and turns. Sat in the open window of the ground floor brasserie, we watched the world of Soho (so fond to the phoenix’s heart) pass by in all its beauty. Our eyes were briefly distracted from this vantage point by the enormous menus put before us, a page spilling over with phrases such as Cazuelita de Garbanzos (chickpea & onion casserole), Calamares a la Romana (squid with garlic mayonnaise), and Merguez Briwat (spicy lamb & feta pastries).

The calamari turned out to be a pale imitation of our expectations and there were a few minor temperature issues with the tapas. The Albondigas, however, proved to be no ordinary meatballs. These were meatballs that had learnt how to dance and play music. The peas that swam in its tomato and cumin sauce were also enjoying the fiesta. In a toss up between the 20-odd tapas dishes on offer, these won hands down.

A phoenix is a hot character by nature, and when taking the form of a beautifully presented tagine (fish or lamb, both are fantastic), he burns with a mighty rage. Hot; lava hot. So hot that the accompanying lemon had to be rescued with a spoon, then cooled off before having the requisite pressure applied to its sides to encourage its tangy juices to join forces with the broth. Thank goodness for the Moroccan Guerrouane Blanc which, although lacking in boldness, was crisp and dry enough to tear through the haze of steam.

There is life beyond the brasserie though, and the El Cantara phoenix has an immaculate downstairs bar for party bookings, as well as a secluded restaurant upstairs. The aspect which makes the phoenix most proud, however, is its little secret: the roof terrace; Soho’s only roof terrace (open to the public), apparently. No bigger than the imagination requires, and yet cosy enough for a nesting phoenix, the terrace promises sun, shish and decent amount of indecent canoodling; but not in front of the children, please.

The over 30s tourists and visiting dignitaries downstairs in the brasserie (the only youths are the waitresses) will happily part with their money without ever leaving the ground, satisfied with their cinnamon lamb cous cous. For us (eternally) young and restless Londoners, however, cous cous is dish best served on the terrace of dreams, beneath the sprawling blue (sometimes overcast grey) canopy of contentment. This is why the north African-southern Spain accent of the El Cantara phoenix is oh-so very Moorish; if not moreish too.

Reviewed by Christian Rose-Day

DESCRIPTION: El Cantara meaning bridge or arch in both Spanish and Arabic is the first Moroccan & Spanish venue in Soho, London. Renowned for our authentic cuisine, arabesque decor and plush seating El Cantara transports you from bustling Soho to the tranquillity of Marrakesh and Andulisia.
Sample a home cooked tagine, whilst smoking a Shisha pipe in our private terrace or dine in the red room whilst watching our exotic belly dancers.
All in all we offer something for everyone, so why would you not want to pay us a visit!

Shisha Terrace
El Cantara brings you Soho's only private terrace, offering the very finest Shisha and dining experience. Sample of variety flavours including apple, strawberry, mint, grape and many more. All of tobacco is produced by the Egyptian company Al-Fakar meaning that we serve only the best quality.
Why not try something a little different by sampling our new fresh apple or milk shisha's which can be with an array of different cocktails.

Entertainment
In true Arabic and Spanish style evenings at El Cantara would not be the same without traditional forms of entertainment. Belly dancers from Arabia perform nightly shows, their amazingly colourful outfits and enchanting music provide the background for a night with a difference.
True to our culture we also offer a variety of additional packages, why not learn to belly dance where one of our dancers will teach you her secret moves or watch with amazement as she dancers with her snake!
For something a little calmer ask our tarot card reader to show you your future. If all else fails then finish the night with the flamenco dancers and Spanish musicians.

Private Party Facilities
We currently have three seperate private rooms available to hire. Our Lounge Bar can hold up to 50 covers and come complete with its own bar and plasma TV. Our First Floor is spectacularly decorated with mainly Moroccan artifacts. Can hold a maximum of 80 covers which includes an outdoor terrace and private sound systm. Finally we can offer the ground floor which is a spanish style restaurant but this is usually only offered when you require the entire restaurant. (Updated 14/09/2010)

El Cantara Food & Drink Menus

Listed below are few sample food and drinks items available at El Cantara. These lists are not enhaustive, but are instead designed to give you an overview of the venue's offerings and assciated prices.

El Cantara Food menu

El Cantara is a Spanish and Moroccan hybrid.

Item	Price
Spinach Briwat (Tapas to share)	£4.75
Filo pastry filled with spinach & feta cheese
Zaalouk (Tapas to share)	£4.45
Roasted aubergine purée with cumin & coriander
Hoummus (Tapas to share)	£4.25
Chickpea purée and tahina with lemon juice
Patatas Bravas (Tapas to share)	£4.25
Fried potatoes with a spicy tomato salsa
Pastila of Chicken (Tapas to share)	£4.95
Savoury Chicken baked in a thin pastry with almonds and cinnamon
Calamares A la Romana (Tapas to share)	£4.75
Deep fried squid in a light,crispy butter, served with garlic mayonnaise
Albóndiga (Tapas to share)	£5.25
Beef meatballs in a rich tomato and cumin sauce with garden peas
Tagine	£13.95
chicken tagine, lamb tagine, fish tagine, vegetarian tagine (£12,95), beef tagine
Seabass	£14.95
Pan fried seabass serwed with rice & salad
Butterfly Prawns	£14.95
Grilled mediterranean prawns with a spicy harissa marinade serwed with rice & salad
Cous Cous	£12.95
Cous cous is steamed, crushed wheat served with mixed vegetables and your choice of meat (lamb, chicken, merguez, vegetarian)
Paella Vegetariana	£12.95
Vegetarian paella with a selection of vegetables.
Paella Valenciana	£14.95
Seafood paella with prawns, squid, mussels and chicken
Paella Carne	£13.95
Paella with chicken and spicy sausage
Grill	£13.45
All our charcoal grilled dishes are served with salad and rice or cous cous (chicken skewers, lamb skewers, kafta skewers)
Casablanca Feast	£24.95
STARTERS: HOUMMUS,PATATAS BRAVAS,CALAMARES, CAZUELITA,HABAS,TORTILLA,JAWANEH,ALBONDIGAS, CHAMPINONES, MAIN COURSES: LAMB TAGINE,VEGETARIAN TAGINE,PAELLA VALENCIANA,MIXED GRILL & COUS COUS +DESSERT
Barcelona Feast	£23.95
STARTERS: A SELECTION OF 5 COLD & HOT STARTERS OF THE CHEF’S CHOICE MAIN COURSES: YOUR CHOICE OF ANY MAIN COURSE PER PERSON DESSERT: SELECTION OF BAKLAWA AND MINT TEA
Shisha	£17.95
our exclusive shisha terrace available till 1am

El Cantara Drink menu

Our bar staff mix up contemporary cocktails and Sangria, together with a lengthy catalogue of premium spirits. Complementing your food is a strong but succinct wine list, encompassing a range of strong reds from Rioja and smooth whites from North Africa

Item	Description	Price

El Cantara Special Offers

Lunch special:
any tapas £3 (12pm-4pm)

Tapas feast:
4 tapas for £16,95
5 tapas for £19,95
6 tapas for £22,95
7 tapas for £25,95

Barcelona Feast £23,95

Casablanca Feast £24,95

El Cantara Opening Hours

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
12:00pm - 12:00am	12:00pm - 1:00am	12:00pm - 1:00am	12:00pm - 1:00am	12:00pm - 1:00am	12:00pm - 1:00am	12:00pm - 1:00am

El Cantara Map

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“There are two reasons why I would visit this nifty Soho restaurant: the meatballs and the roof terrace. The first were out-of-this-world delicious. The second is a cosy little hideout. I love hanging out in Soho and I found this to be a nice stop off point before heading to one of the many bars in the area later in the evening.” Rating: — Cheryl, Stockwell (19 Sep 2010)

“Celebrated my wife's birthday here on July 30th 2010. There were six of us at her party. We were advised to go for the set menu - the Casablanca feast. I must say that food and wine were exeptional! The interior of El Cantara is very stylish, we loved the Moroccan and Spanish details in the decoration! Will return there on out next trip to London.” Rating: — Mary, Maryland (12 Aug 2010)

“Excellent cuisine and service, and generally very good value all round. I went as a 4 but can see that El Cantara would favour romantic 2s, and maybe large parties that could take over the place.” Rating: — Roland Street, Maidenhead (04 Jul 2008)

“Fantastic place. A great fusion of Moroccan and Spanish food. Reasonably priced with a fun atmosphere. Had a meal there with a few friends and enjoyed every second. The staff were friendly and tentative. Definitely recommend for parties. Will be going back.” Rating: — H Harrak, london (17 Jun 2008)

“Fantastic Place, great place to mingle with mates over Tapas and good wine. Friendly staff and the owners actually served our table ensuring we got the best service possible! Good atmosphere with flamenco music playing in the background..... i am going back this weekend with my partner this time for a romantic meal for two.” Rating: — S Duval, London (10 Jun 2008)

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