With beige walls, black drapes, attractive dark tables and a comfortable bar where one can drink or dine, Rishon Letzion's Oro is a haven for the eye in a somewhat run-down industrial zone. In a move no less pleasing for some, this is one of the few restaurants in the country where the smoking section is really and truly separated from the non-smoking section. Most importantly, under the eye of chef Guy Peretz, the Moroccan food served here has just enough of a modern Mediterranean touch to make it truly appealing.
As we were perusing the menu, we were presented with a loaf of simple but good home-baked bread, served hot from the oven. It came alongside a dish of roasted garlic cloves in a sweet date sauce, a slightly hot but good, smooth tomato-based salsa, and a plate with a small heap of dark garnet harissa sauce on top of two hot green peppers. The harissa, a traditional blend of dried red chili peppers, garlic, salt, coriander, cumin, caraway seeds and olive oil, was pleasantly hot. The two green peppers were so searingly hot that one can understand why some Moroccans believe there are fire-breathing dragons in the North African desert.
We chose to open our meal with two portions of "cigars." Almost four centimeters thick, these were much larger than the traditional North African dough-filled pastries, and they were conveniently halved so that they could be eaten with the fingers. The first, of deep-fried filo dough stuffed with sauteed veal sweetbreads tossed with spices and chopped date bits, was delicious; the sweetbreads were just tender enough, the dates added a nice touch of sweetness and the dough was light and crisp. Served with a sauce of date syrup and Cabernet Sauvignon wine, the dish was a treat. Almost as tempting was another plate of cigars. This one was filled with small chunks of veal, chopped roasted almonds and a Ras al-Hanut spice mixture. Ras al-Hanut can contain more than 100 different spices, all depending on the whims of the chef. Until the early 1990s, the mixture not infrequently contained Spanish fly, which is still considered by many to be an aphrodisiac. However, Spanish fly can have fatal effects and is now illegal throughout Morocco, so aphrodisiac powers the mixture did not seem to have. It did, however, contain cardamom, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and chili peppers, all toasted and ground together.
We continued by sharing a serving of Mugdur sardines. The large sardines were split open, filled with a blend of fish eggs, chopped cilantro and green peppers, coated with seasoned breadcrumbs and fried. These also were best eaten with the fingers, as is done in Morocco. The dish was bursting with flavor and, to add to its pleasure, it was served with a just chunky enough cream of pickled lemons that added an appealing touch of sourness.
Because the portions here are quite large, we decided to share a single main course. In keeping with tradition, we had a tagine. This stew was made from mutton, tossed with carrots, turnips, celery root and parsley root, blended generously with aromatic herbs and seasonings. The dish was cooked slowly, and the just fatty enough meat was soft enough to cut without a knife. The flavors of the meat, vegetables and herbs came together beautifully. With our strong closing espressos, we sampled a pleasant but not special kada'if, with chalvah parfait enclosed in pastry and topped with a coconut sorbet.
Throughout our meal the service was responsive and friendly. The wine list is somewhat basic but we opted for a bottle of the not-at-all complex but quite pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon from the Golan Heights Winery's Golan Series, and because it was a hot day, we added two ice cubes to our wine as we sipped it. Based on the dishes we had, the food bill for two will come to a very reasonable NIS 270, to which a bottle of the wine we selected will add NIS 85. Fixed-price lunches cost about one-third less than that. The place is definitely worth visiting.
Oro: 16 Moshe Becker Street, Old Industrial Area, Rishon Letzion. Open Sun-Thurs noon-1 A.M., Friday until 1 hour before Shabbat; Saturday night until midnight. Tel. (03) 950-7085. Kosher.
