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I'm taking a friend out to dinner for his birthday next week and he suggested we try The Sultan's Tent. Because of its location in the middle of the Front Street tourist strip, I'm a bit apprehensive about the quality of the food and general experience.
Anyone have any first hand experience with this place?
Moorepark
Apr 11, 2007 12:37PM
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I found the food to be below average; underwhelming flavours, poorly cooked (on one plate something undercooked, yet something else overcooked) and a place with flavours not representative of the middle east.
Service was abysmal and inconsistent; up to an hour between courses, and no communication about why things were so slow despite asking several times--I don't like to be rushed in my meals by any stretch, but this was an extreme.
Personally, I will not venture back.
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Sultan's Tent is just scary. I ate there once last year - we were too late to get into JK Wine Bar (2 hr wait) and we were starving. Couldn't think of anything else in the 'hood so off we went. I felt like I was eating at a resto in Epcot Centre at Disneyworld. Need I say more?
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I found Sultan's Tent to be a poor approximation of Moroccan Food, but of the two locations I would suggest Cafe Maroc as you can order EXACTLY what you want and not have to contend with the "prix fixe" menu with upgrades. It should be noted that the "prix fixe" at the Sultan's Tent (and I use quotations for a damn good reason) can reach up to $80 a person with upgrades and drinks, despite the initial $40 price tag.
There are other Morrocan Restaurants in Toronto with better quality food...but I suppose you won't get the "ambience" of the Sultan's Tent...
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I ate at the Sultan's Tent in January, and it was very disappointing. The food and drink, with the exception of the maftoul and Moroccan tea, was poorly prepared: the meat was overcooked and the flavourings badly matched. The bellydancing sounded like a good idea in theory but made both me and my dinner guest uncomfortable in practice, at least in our case: the dancer (there was only one when we were there) kept coming right up to our table and if we looked at her, we felt like we were ogling her. I would not recommend this experience to anyone. You could do a lot better.
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Ok, this isn't exactly the same type of food, but my friend who is Morrocan actually loves this place (over Sultan's)... THE RED VIOLIN 95 Danforth Avenue - 416-465-0969
It is Brazilian style food. He loves the atmosphere and the way the food is served.
It's worth looking up online and seeing if it might interest you and your friend.
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It looks like several threads about this place have been removed from the Chowhound archives. Suffice it to say, if you like heavily salted, garlicked and overcooked meats in abundance, buffets that look like they have sat out for hours and eating in a dance studio, you'll love this place!
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The food at Sultan's tent is bland and incredibly over priced.
If you must go, be sure to have the tea, its' the only redeemable item on the menu.
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I went to the Sultan's Tent last Saturday night for my friend's birthday party. I haven't been to the restaurant in a couple of years so I was pretty excited about eating there again (Yes, I have had positive experiences with both the service and the food in the past) and writing a mini review here! We were a group of 10 and had a reservation in the Tent section for the 4-course prix fixe menu...
Atmosphere: I love the way this place looks - the drapes, candles, and cushions. Cozy, inviting, and very sumptious. I would, however, suggest wearing a short sleeved top as I always find it gets warm in there.
Service: Our server was a friendly and amusing fellow. He was also quite knowledgeable about the menu, helping the first-timers by making suggestions and recommendations. I have read some reviews about how slowly the food came out - we did not experience this problem -our food came out one course after another in quick succession, the dining area was packed but I do keep in mind that we sat in the 10:30pm seating...
Food: I have always enjoyed the food at the Sultan's Tent. Not so much this time. I started off with the Harira - a spiced lentil and bean soup. I was a little disappointed as I thought that it tasted like a warm, slightly bland, watered-down version of the rich and fragrant soup that I had on my previous visit. A friend concurred.
I added the B'Stila to my meal for an added cost. DO NOT ORDER THIS. When our server said that some people found it was a little dry in the centre, he underexaggerated...it was completely dry! It was stuffed with dry shredded chicken but little else. I don't think that I've seen so much powdered sugar as a plate garnish! I ate a bit of it (washed down with a glass of water), gave a piece to a friend and left the remaining half on the plate. Another friend ordered the crab cake and didn't like it at all. I tried some and found it a little too moist for my liking (I wasn't sure if it was totally cooked through...).
For my main, I had the Cous Cous Royale which consisted of a lamb chop, 3 merguez sausages, chicken supreme, morrocan root veggies and cous cous with tangine sauce. I really enjoyed this dish - the chicken was meaty and juicy, the sausages were tasty, and the lamb chop, though a little small, was really quite good. I was pretty full at this point so I didn't bother with the mound of cous cous on my plate. There were rave reviews about the lamb shank. I must say that if you go to the Sultan's Tent, you can't go wrong with the lamb! According to the server, they've won awards for having the best rack of lamb in the city. One of our party is a vegetarian (who could eat chicken and fish but prefers not to) and was disappointed that there was no vegetarian option on the menu...
For dessert, I chose to have a creme brulee. It was delicious. A couple of our party ordered what is called the Chocolate Oasis - described by our server as "a spoon of flour and the rest chocolate...". It sounded decadent...but tasted like a heavy dense chocolate pudding - waaaay too rich to have more than a spoonful.
Food aside, I would say that we had a pleasant time at the Sultan's Tent. Our bill including alcohol, surcharges, taxes and gratuity came out to be approx. $80 per person. It is quite a novel experience to eat inside a tent and to be entertained by a bellydancer - and fun if you're with a group of people. But, if it's the food you're after, stick to Cafe Maroc (the a la carte version).
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Just don't go to this place, it's soo bad. The first and only time I've been was with a group of friends. It was a bad night, I think the low point was our waiter talking about how it was a "great job serving there because it's prix fixe, kind of expensive, and not even fine dining". Just don't go, please for me.
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Bad. Just bad food, bland, few choices. We went there because my sister is a vegetarian and there were a few interesting sounding choices for her...unfortunately, even the addition of meat couldnt bring any flavour to either the with or without meat courses. The belly dancing was awkward. Unless you were totally wasted, the sight of a near naked woman shimmying down the isle was just silly. Sitting on cushions and low seating in a draped area sounds romantic but when you are sharing that area with strangers sitting 2 feet away from you, well, more awkwardness. It was like checking into a Morrocan themed Holiday Inn and finding someone else sleeping in your bed. One expected to see the tour buses pull up at any minute. Scary place, overpriced, bland. A comical stereotype of a lovely culture. It's actually embarassing. Avoid.
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I think that there is a reason it's located where it is. Mainly for the tourist crowd. The last time I went was approximately ten years ago, and the descriptions here don't sound any different. If you're going for the experience, or with kids, maybe you might get something out of this. If you're interested in the food, try 93 Harbord. Much has been written here about the great quality, knowledgeable service, and innovative menu.
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If you want North African food, what about Boujadi?
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a bit hesitant due to all the negative reviews
what can i order if i HAVE to go here? (friend's birthday party, and she's planned it here)
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I can't speak on mains, as I didn't like mine much, nor did I enjoy my dinner companion's dish. (Lamb and salmon, I believe.)
The maftoul appetizer, though, was absolutely delicious. I plan on visiting Cafe Marco in the future just for a few orders of those.
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I would rather not eat at Sultan's Tent again. The first time I thought the food was bland. We tried it again several years later thinking that it was worth a shot. It's not. It is over-priced (anything you think you want to eat is an upgrade on the prix fixe menu) and then the food arrives and you realize that the food is bland and dry tasting. I would rather eat at Wendy's close by.
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I concur! Ate there only once. Found the food very salty and 'overcooked-dry'. Never again!
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