From the minute I reached Tunis, I was overwhelmed with curiosity to discover the city, its wonders, its specialties and of course its food. I honestly didn't have a clue about the local Tunisian traditions until my friends took me to La Cloche D'Or, this typical and authentic Tunisian restaurant serving delicious preparations the old fashioned way.
Do not expect a fine dining restaurant with silver cutlery but imagine a more cozy old house where the decoration is not a priority. Here, people come for the food and that's it. At the entrance passing through a metallic door is a sign: "Touristic restaurant." I didn't much the idea behind this sign, but nevertheless we went in and didn't care much. Tables are simple, round and square, covered with green cloth that reach the floor with another square beige one in the middle. Two plates per person and some stainless cutlery, without forgetting the most important item in Tunisia and that is the ashtray: It is unbelievable how much they smoke in this country.
The menu sections:
- The hot appetizers
- The cold appetizers
- Cold cuts
- The meat
- The specialties
- The fish
- The desserts
We Ordered:
- Brick: pronounced breek is a Tunisian derivative of the börek consisting of thin warka pastry around a filling commonly deep fried. The best-known version is the egg brick, a whole egg in a triangular pastry pocket with chopped onions, tuna, harissa and parsley. Brick pastry (Malsouqa or Warka) is made by slapping a sticky lump of dough onto a hot non stick surface in overlapping circles to produce the desired size and cooked for a minute or two. Typical fillings include tuna, ground meat, chopped boiled egg, chicken, or anchovies garnished with a fried egg and harissa, capers, or cheese.
- The Tunisian salad (Tomato, cucumber, onions, tuna, eggs)
- Salad mechouia (The grilled salad) grilled peppers with cucumbers, lettuce, tomato and carrots
- Tajine (Made with eggs and spinach): What Tunisians refer to as a "tajine" is very different from the more well-known Moroccan dish. Tunisian Tajine is more like an Italian Frittata.
- Their signature Harissa with eggs
- The mixed seafood platter
The signature Harissa with eggs:
Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili sauce whose main ingredients are piri piri (type of chili pepper), serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices and herbs such as garlic paste, coriander, red chili powder, caraway as well as some vegetable or olive oil. It is most closely associated with Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. La Cloche D'Or make it with a raw egg in the middle that you mix with the Harissa making it taste different.
The culinary experience:
Today, all plates were really delicious. Starting by the mini black olives, followed by the crunchy french bread then the homemade Harissa and specially their freshly cooked crunchy Brick. Their Brick is to die for. Crunchy, hot and tasty, with an egg in the middle wrapped with tuna all enveloped inside the pastry and deep fried. All you have to do is bite into it after adding lemon juice and feel the crunch of the outer layer followed by the softness of the tuna ending the love story with the egg yolk flowing on your lips. I fell in love with this creations that was a main part of my love for Tunisia. As for the mix seafood platter, I couldn't taste it as Garlic was one of the main ingredients but I could tell from my friends expressions while they ate, they literally loved it.
I loved:
- The locally brewed Celtia beer
- The mini olives
- The Brick
- The freshness of the ingredients
- The welcoming and always smiling staff
- The black tie worn by the waiters
I didn't appreciate much:
- The decoration of the restaurant
- The ambiance and music
A restaurant I fell in love with. We ate well at a great price - only 13euros per person. Pass by, you wont regret it.
