Carthage Cafe
Their blurb: “Carthage Café is a small and intimate restaurant that offers a unique Tunisian and French menu. The decor is warm and intimate, an oasis of Tunisian hospitality that will make you feel comfortable and welcomed. We offer “food for the soul” that is prepared with care and is sure to excite your taste buds. Our menu is combination of classic French and inventive Tunisian cuisine that is sure to appeal to everyone. We invite you to experience Vancouver’s best Tunisian food. The service is courteous and the atmosphere welcoming. Enjoy a taste of Tunisian culture and imagine yourself in one of the most beautiful African countries on the coast of the sun-drenched Mediterranean.”
Address: 1851 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N
Phone:(604) 215-0661
CLOSED MONDAYS
When I visited: Weekday evening
Booths? No
Noisy? No
Lives up to it’s name? Less of a cafe, more of a restaurant. No alliteration there though I suppose.
Candies with Bill? Yes but boring.
This is one of those restaurants that provide a little basket of complimentary bread with your meal – though I read somewhere they charge for refills. We tried the Moroccan iced tea which was fine, and my date had the seafood bouillabaise -fish of the day, scallops, tiger prawns and mussels in saffron broth and she said it was decent. I really appreciate restaurants that have ‘sampler’ plates where I can try a bunch of different stuff in one entree, so I chose the Couscous Carthage – steamed couscous, chicken, lamb, merguez and autumn vegetables in tomato sauce. It was pretty good. Service was good. Music was light and jazzy and Frenchy but not offensively so.
Although this is indeed a unique dining experience, the food won’t knock your socks off. Desserts “all made on site” but still overpriced. I could get that tart in a deli for half the price. I’ve been here twice – I probably won’t go back, I feel like I’ve got the experience and don’t need to spend the money a third time. I would recommend it though if you haven’t been, are looking for something a bit (but not wildly) different, and don’t mind spending some money.
Biggest Rave: If you’re looking for some fine dining that is open past 9pm this is an option!
Biggest Rant: Unnecessarily hoity-toity. Also – I don’t understand these thin, dry sausages. Who likes them?
TRIVIA: Carthage is a seaside suburb of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis…in Africa! It was once the center of the ancient Carthaginian civilization.
Enjoyed this review? Check out all my Vancouver restaurant reviews at http://www.thickets.net/toren/category/resto-rants/
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