by MATHILDE RABBAT

Publisacs and mailbox flyers are usually fit for only one thing: lining your recycling box. As such, rarely do they move me to try a resto advertised therein. But since it's been a while since I've had my cards read, I thought a trip to Au Tarot, a Mediterranean joint on the Plateau featured on one of those leaflets, was in order. To my great chagrin (or was it delight?), no one there predicted what the future had in store for me, but I did get to nosh on some interesting North African grub.

Small likenesses of camels, Middle Eastern vessels of various sorts and images depicting mountainous coastal regions in northern Algeria set the stage for the meal. It was once possible to have your fortune read in this setting, but these days the only deck to be found consists of business cards on which a tarot card for "Temperance" and one baring "The Pope" are represented. Mysticism aside, there is a soothing aura about the place, with its mostly warm tones and oh-so-dim lighting provided by mock torches of the halogen variety.

The table d'hôte ($32.90), which includes a soupe du jour or a salad, a main dish, dessert and coffee or tea, is a good way to sample a bit of everything. The salmon salad was a hearty size and quite enjoyable. Weighty sheets of smoked salmon lay on a bed of curly lettuce, accompanied by a sprinkle of capers, tomato half moons, chicoree wedges, English cucumber and onion, topped with an interesting aioli-style dressing. A whole lemon, cut in half, also sits on the edge of the dish patiently awaiting your squeeze. For about eight bucks, you can choose a second appetizer if you wish. I highly recommend the merguez, a quartet of delicious grilled sausages, not too greasy and properly seasoned with just the right amount of cumin.

Other than the table d'hôte, the menu is replete with a plethora of couscous concoctions ($16–$30), and if there's one thing they know in this place, it's definitely couscous. Presented in a large ceramic dish, warm golden grains are served with three little portions of chickpeas, dried white raisins and cranberries, and a delicious red-hot chilli sauce, which also went very nicely with meaty main dishes.

Besides the scrumptious couscous, you may want to try one of any number of tagines, ranging from $20–$30. These clay pots with hooded lids, typical of North African cuisine, allow vegetables, fish, poultry and other meats such as veal and lamb to cook slowly as they stew in their own juices. Though the taste of onion in the translucent gravy was a little overpowering, the chicken tagine, featuring a rather large, salted chicken leg, was tender and cooked to perfection - the result of the lengthy mode of preparation and the fact that they use grain-fed chickens (at least according to the take-out menu).

Sharing your tagine with a friend will set you back an additional $8–$15, depending on the dish. When it comes to other main dishes, of note is the jarret d'agneau (19$), chunks of lamb served with cooked veggies, which was absolutely mouth-watering.

Sadly, the baklava stuffed with walnuts was quite dry, somewhat heavy and lacking in both the freshness and the flavour departments. However, a nice mint herbal infusion ($4 with dessert) to help the meal go down smoothly was just what the doctor ordered. As the lamenting Om Kalsoum, one of Egypt's greatest singers, pours out her heart on the sound system, you'll get a kick out of watching your server lift and tilt the tea pot almost a metre above the table, giving the clear elixir some time to cool as it cascades down to tiny cups below. Once in a while, a few little mint leaves swimming in the pre-sweetened mixture sneak past the spout and find their way into your glass.

Au Tarot
ADDRESS: 500 Marie-Anne E. (near Berri)
PHONE: 849-6860
HOURS: Every day from noon–2 p.m. and 5–11 p.m.
BEST FEATURES: Yummy couscous, delicious grilled merguez,
filling portions, a BYOB licence and they deliver.
ALCOHOL: Bring your own
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: No
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NON-SMOKING SECTION: It's all no-smoking
PRICE: $30 per person before taxes and tip
RATING: *** out of ****