Cheap eats review: Le Souk
THE flavours of Algeria make for a satisfying winter lunch, writes Jessica Galletly.
I FEEL sorry for Pete Evans. He never gets to eat chickpeas. Or any legume, for that matter. Because paleo says “no”.
Pushing aside the fact legumes are super-nutritious and affordable, they’re also damn tasty. Many cuisines have mastered the use of legumes; in an Italian household, I grew up with pasta fagioli (pasta with beans); Indians have dahl and the Middle East has falafel.
At Algerian diner Le Souk, you’ll find legumes thrown into salads, made into soups and piled on couscous with slow-cooked meats and other vegetables. And they’re utterly delicious.
The Central Market diner was the first for owners Azou Bouilouta and Julia Melvin, who last year opened a restaurant version in Gawler Place. It’s a casual affair at the market but food is restaurant quality.
On busier days, it can be hard to nab a table, let alone a seat at the bar but the nature of the market means there’s usually a high turnover.
Lunch comes with a bit of theatre. First off, you’ll be offered a sweet date to try. Order mint tea and someone will come pour it for you, lifting the silver pot up high so you can watch the long stream of hot tea splash into the glass they hold steadily with their other hand. The addition of pine nuts makes for a subtle nutty flavour and crunch.
Le Souk claims to be the only place to twice-steam its couscous, using no oil, and flavouring it with house-made spices. The result is a clump-free, fluffy bowl of couscous that’s topped generously with fall-apart lamb, which has been cooked for six hours in earthy ras el hanout, a North African spice mix.
Chickpeas, peas and carrot have also been cooked long enough that it all melds together, helping to carry the flavour and making for an uber-comforting, warming winter dish. Pimp it to taste with a little (or a lot) of harissa that won’t blow your head off. It’s awesome value at $18, and big enough to share.
A deep brown, lentil soup is also a feat to finish ($12). Say “yes” to the addition of yoghurt but be warned that they’ll charge you an extra $2. It seems a little rich, considering the harissa is free, but worse is not being told of the charge (it is, however, mentioned on the menu). I could have done with even more of the cooling yoghurt, which brings a nice contrast in temperature and a slightly sour note to the earthy, textural lentil soup that I can only get about halfway through before declaring defeat.
If you’re more a sandwich kinda guy or gal, the melwi is a folded flatbread that’s grilled until crisp and golden. Ours is filled with tender chicken that’s juicier than it looks, along with melted cheese, avocado and spinach. Yum.
But the highlight might just be the accompanying chickpea salad, which has an addictive sweet-and-sour thing going on, thanks to a pomegranate dressing and raisins and dates tossed through. Fresh coriander and mint and a little lemon finish it off. The complete dish, including harissa, is $15. If you’re on the run, you can grab that chickpea salad to go, along with some falafel.
Middle Eastern sweets such as baklava and almond biscuits look tempting on the counter, even if they’re not made in-house.
Otherwise, use your leftover dollars to take away some of Le Souk’s house-made spices, or perhaps go for a jar of preserved lemon or that addictive harissa.
What better way to spruce up the humble legume at home?
Sorry, Pete.
LE SOUK
WHERE: Stall 10, Adelaide Central Market, facebook.com/LeSoukAdelaide
OWNER: Azou Bouilouta, Julia Melvin
CHEF: Azou Bouilouta
FOOD: Middle Eastern
PRICE: Mostly $12-$18
DRINKS: Coffee, teas
OPEN: Breakfast and lunch Mon-Sat, and until 9pm Fri.
ATMOSPHERE: Pocket of warmth
CROWD: Market shoppers
TRY: Lamb couscous
TIP: Budget the extra $2 for yoghurt (on anything)
SCORE: 8 out of 10