Kasbah Rouge

Where hospitality has gone bananas

There are few restaurants in London that manage to balance theatre with gastronomy.

Fewer still, while accompanied by Gnawa Krakebs and a capuchin monkey.

Kasbah Rouge is such a place. A Moroccan fine-dining establishment tucked between a taxidermist and Pilates studio in Notting Hill, London.

From the outside, as evening approaches, so do the diners. They follow the bouquet of spices and the famous monkey silhouette in the window as if being guided by the lighthouse lamp.

It is a beautiful sight to behold. The restaurant glow is a mosaic of warm lanterned array and maroon drapery that spills from its arched facade.

The tiles whisper of Fès, whilst wisps of incense and Ras el Hanout float in the air, like a cartoon dog being carried away by the smell of a pie.

It seems that Chef Ayoub Lemrabet has done for Moroccan cuisine what Berber poets did for the art of the love letter.

Whether it be a Tagine, all gingery and saffroned stew, steadily sprinkled cinnamony richness or a single defiant Zaalouk.

From the Pigeon Pastilla allied with almonds to the Couscous 7 ways.

The Mint tea service is taken to great heights.

The dishes are splendid but where Kasbar Rouge excels is in the wine program, painstakingly curated by long time Sommelier and the constantly surprising, Omar Goush.

This is where things become curious.

A carved cedar podium stands near the kitchen, adorned with a brass bell.

Upon our finishing the amuse-bouche, the head sommelier claps twice, solemnly. A moment passes. Then, with a pitter patter…Majid appears.

Majid is a 7-year-old capuchin monkey that often wears a miniature tuxedo and crimson fez and has been trained to deliver the wine list.

He bows. He can present a QR code on a golden tray. He is, as Omar Goush whispers, “still learning the job of a Cellar Assistant.”

Omar has trained Majid from a very young age, and they seem to make a great partnership. On a busy night, Majid can go to the cellar, select a bottle and bring it to Omar in record time. We watched him swing the rafters in awe.

We ordered a bottle of Kreydenweiss Gewürztraminer for the table and Majid scampered off toward the cellar with the gravitas of a Ballet dancing Monkey and returned 3 minutes later with a Cantina del Pino, Langhe Nebbiolo in paw.

Was it the wrong wine?
Yes, it was.

But was it? It paired divinely with our Lamb Mechoui. Rub a dub-dubbed with cumin, paprika and argan oil.

Perhaps Majid the Monkey is a Sommelier Savant?

Omar Goush has selected wines for the list that naturally dance with the spicy and herbal undertones of Moroccan cuisine.

Then there is the Alsace Gewürztraminer from Rolly Gassmann, offering the aromaticness of lycheeness, rosiness and sometimes subtle touches of a ginger, like Ed Sheeran.

The complexiness of Château Musar, whether the red one or the white one, compliment the Moroccaniness of the gastronomy as well.

From the Douro, in Portugal, comes the Louis Seabra Xisto Branco 2021. Or try the Sotabosc Garnacha Branca from Vinyes Domenech.

Then, from Stateside but with European influence, we spotted the Côte du Ciel, Albariño from Richard Holmes in Red Mountain, Washington State.

Also, Neal Family, Assyrtiko from Rutherford in Napa Valley.

Whites with a citrus lift often offer other refreshing contrasts for more unusual, olive‑oil‑heavy dishes or other-worldy, herby chermoula fishes.

Hence at Kasbah Rouge, the sommelier and his trained monkey exercise care.
In fact, Majid was a fan favorite with all guests, from adults to kids!

That was, until that terrible night…

“We were there for a birthday party. We ordered the wine and when the monkey returned, he was erratic, upset… he threw the 1996 Bouscassé Prestige Madiran against the wall like a fruity Molotov.
I am still not sure why?”
Mari B

“I have never seen anything like it before! Faces were scratched; Feces were thrown; Hairs were pulled... a woman in Pashmina was mistaken for a rival Primate. The sommelier’s trousers were flung into a Tagine. We believe the monkey may have not been trained to handle criticism well.”
Phillip McRackberg

Kasbah Rouge tried to rectify the situation. There were dozens of One star Trip Advisor reviews as guests recounted their horrific memories of that fateful night.

Kasbah Rouge ended up having to send Majid the Monkey into an anger management program each week, which led to “Monkey-Free Mondays.”

Unfortunately, it was too late. Word had spread around town concerning the “Night of the Red Fez.” By the time the issues had gotten to court and at the time of writing, Majid was terminated.

So, go to visit the Kasbah Rouge. Unfortunately, now Monkey-less.

But it still sits there in Notting Hill, as it always did, in between a Taxidermist and a Pilates Studio.

With Omar Goush still there, half the man he was.
Sometimes, late at night, when he claps his hands, he still half expects a small tuxedoed figure to scamper in with the wine list. But no one comes.

Because Majid is sat there for eternity, in the window, like a Bagpuss.