A bite in Tunisia

>> L’Étoile de Tunis shines with couscous,
tagine and more

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

It’s rare that I’m struck with a couscous craving, maybe because so often it seems to make for a rather predictable meal. My appreciation for this dish was reawakened on a recent visit to L’Étoile de Tunis, a little restaurant that takes what I thought was relatively familiar North African fare and transforms it into an exciting, refined experience.

The place itself is very old school, with typically Mediterranean blue and white tablecloths, hanging birdcage lamps, and one particularly atrocious oil painting. The mid-week atmosphere was subdued—just a few diners talking in hushed tones while strains of Arabic music blended with the rhythm of the slightly rusty overhead fan, making it feel like we were all marooned in some forgotten desert town.

For an all-in-one taste sensation, I highly recommend the chef’s couscous ($16). It’s presented in a hand-painted ceramic dish with a peaked lid, opened with minimal theatricality by the waitress. Inside are five different simmered meats, each of which can be ordered as a main course ($10–14). The first element we sampled was an incredibly tender lamb chop, cooked so that the very real, slightly gamy flavour of the meat came through. The chicken was equally brilliant—succulent, moist and tasty. The merguez was the real thing, a whole different sausage than the bright red links so rampant at supermarkets. The assortment was rounded out by a savoury lamb meatball loaded with parsley, and small chunks of grilled lamb brochette.

As for the couscous itself, the not over-generous portion of fine semolina had absorbed a rich red hue. A bowl of thin gravy, more complex in flavour than the tomato-based infusion I’m accustomed to, was served on the side, along with harissa to pump up the volume of the spice. My date’s only complaint was that although the carrots, turnip, and chickpeas were cooked to just the right texture, there could’ve been more vegetables in the mix. Overall, though, we’d never had couscous this good.
Tagine ($12) is another Northern African specialty, but the Tunisian recipe differs from the Moroccan version. At its base is a stew of small pieces of lamb, simmered with potato and a few veggies. That’s mixed with eggs, cheese and herbs, and then baked as a pie. It’s sort of like a frittata or a quiche, although neither of those do justice to the wonderfully distinctive, almost tangy, taste. It came with a small mound of couscous, as well as an iceberg salad that at first glance didn’t look too impressive. The dressing, however, had the distinct taste of green olives, a little like Senegalese yassa chicken.

There are other intriguing traditional dishes to try here, such as ojaa, a sort of a ratatouille omelette, and briks ($4), crispy pastries filled with egg and tuna. Fish or calamari couscous, as well as Tunisian ragout, can also be made to order for groups of four or more. For a well-rounded sampling, the table d’hôte starts at $35 for two people. Lunch is an even better deal, when couscous plates range from $6.50–8.
Whenever you go, a pot of mint tea wraps up the meal on a sweet note. It’s poured into tiny glasses from a silver teapot, the spout held high in the air. We also shared a date-stuffed maqrud ($2), a firm pastry made with semolina flour and doused in honey. As we lingered, the waitress sat down to eat with the owner. That’s always a heartening restaurant scene for me—it means the food must be good, not that I needed any confirmation of that fact here. :

L’Étoile de Tunis
Address: 6701 de Chateaubriand
Phone: 276-5518
Hours: Mon–Fri 11am–2pm, 5–10pm; Sat 5–10pm; closed Sun
Best features: Tunisian tagine, couscous, briks
Alcohol: Yes
Vegetarian friendly: Limited
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Two steep steps
Price: $20/person before tax, drinks or tip
Rating: HHH1/2 out of HHHH

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