Mamounia Lounge Knightsbridge (Bar, Restaurant)

Best for: North African experiences; and starting your weekend correctly with dinner, lounging and shisha.

Great: cocktails; Arabic dishes; and upbeat atmosphere.

Rhythm: you either have it or you dance like a nervous penguin. I lean towards the latter myself but that didn’t prevent me from awkwardly manoeuvring around the London Palladium stage back in my youth, dancing, nay, twitching, to Mambo No.5. I finished to applause, albeit the sad, limp but politely British kind.

Having recently spent five nights in Morocco, I know you won’t find many penguins in North Africa (no sh*t), but you will find rhythm. And quite a bit of sand.

Everything in Marrakech has a beat: the ‘clip clop’ of donkeys pulling karts; the ‘R-Ding-Ding-Ding-Di’ of swarming scooters; the hypnotic notes from snake charming flutes; the hissing of succulent street food; the repetitive shouts of merchants in the souks; the mosques calling their flock to the melodic chorus of worship; and African drumming from the ramshackle cafes.

I returned to the UK’s relative silence screaming, ‘take me back!’ And then I found the next best thing: Mamounia Lounge, not in Morocco, but in Knightsbridge, London.

Similarities between the chaotic, dusty Marrakechi streets and the sparkling designer shops of west London’s Brompton Road are sparse: the small dog I would see foraging for food in the rubbish heaps near my hotel, wears a diamante collar in Knightsbridge and prances with superiority past Harrods aside its equally well-groomed owner; and the donkeys here are clad in Barbour and Burberry, the only burden on their backs: large shopping bags.

From entering until exiting Mamounia Lounge, however, I was in a heady fog of déjà vu.

The pulsing Arabic music is Mamounia’s heartbeat; should it stop, so too would the restaurant’s soul. The beating is rhythmic and high energy, my foot began to tap under the table. This penguin had happy feet.

It was a Friday night and everybody was gearing up for the weekend. Chatter, laughter, smiles, pats on the back, hugs; enveloped in low lighting, couples and groups of friends, large and small, made the second layer of music, their enjoyment lyrical.

Shisha was being enjoyed out on Mamounia’s frontage. The beat slower and more relaxed, moving at a different pace to the fast cars and fast lifestyles of the buzzing Knightsbridge high street.

And this is the rhythm Mamounia Lounge sways to; relaxed and unpretentious (surprising, considering its location), the restaurant is the personification of unassuming pleasure.

Pleasure revealed itself in my Mamounia raspberry mojito. The gent opposite me also only allowed his smile to falter so as to be able to sip the liquid concoction known as Raspberry Perfection, which was billed as ‘one for ladies’. This chap was dancing to his own tune.

The pursuit of happiness continued through three courses of Lebanese and Moroccan inspired dishes; perfectly flaky pastry stuffed with a joyous combination of halloumi cheese, onion and pine nuts had my taste buds dancing for joy; and mixed grill skewers of succulent chicken, lamb and kofta left my head nodding in approval, Churchill dog style. I didn’t eat this well in Morocco.

The background distractions – the sounds, the smell of incense and spices, the attentive staff – having only slightly registered during my self-indulgent focus, my peripheral view jolted me back to the golden-walled, drape-quartered, texture-laden interior of Mamounia Lounge.

A belly dancer snaked between tables and commanded the space in the bar’s lounge area, not hypnotised but herself hypnotising. Contorting as if no bones or muscles restricted her, she moved in perfect time to the music.

Just as those had done for me at the London Palladium, I began clapping limply, not for lack of interest but for lack of ability. I was stunned, in a state of shock. I almost felt rude for staring so intently but wowee, the girl had moves. Not even the cold air on the walk to the tube cooled my raised temperature.

If you want a genuine taste of North Africa, Mamounia Lounge encompasses it all. It is a destination in itself. I could wax lyrical about the sounds, the smells, the tastes, the look, and the intoxicating atmosphere and distinctive vibe. If Mamounia Lounge was a song you would put it on repeat without ever getting bored. And turn it up to eleven! ...read more