Carthage Cafe

Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants > Africa > Tunisia.

In amongst the East Van Ethiopian lurks a lone Tunisian restaurant – Carthage Cafe. The Ethnic Food Lover’s Companion tells us that “North African dining resembles Ethiopian in that bread is the only utensil” but North Africa has been involved in Mediterranean trade since Carthage was a busy port and the cuisine has been borrowed from many cultures.

At lunch Matt honed in on the combo dish of house-made merguez sausage, lamb, and chicken with couscous and vegetables and I ordered the ‘Carthago’ mussels – Mediterranean mussels grown locally in Horseshoe Bay – spiced with cumin and harissa and served with delicious, hand-cut fries.

I had been to Carthage Cafe a while ago, back before they had a liquor license, so I wasn’t surprised to find some changes when I went back to check it out for Ethnic Eats. A trendy bistro feel – dark walls and Paris-themed art – made it feel like we were going to have to come again for an evening visit.

And when the food came we amended the plan to include several more people, or perhaps a St. Bernard. The portions were huge! Fat mussels in their dark shells created an elaborately stacked structure dripping with chili oil and flanked by a plate of French fries and a finger bowl. On Matt’s end, there was a heaping platter of meat – a lamb leg, a chicken leg and a mess of sausages – on top of savoury, saucy couscous and some roasted vegetables. This was after we had incautiously filled up on soft French bread and butter.

We were so full we had crackers and cheese for dinner, but it was satisfying. Matt didn’t use a knife for his entire meal, all of it tender and the meat just falling off the bone while I languidly dipped fries in the gravy boat of homemade harissa long after I thought I couldn’t have another bite.

There are a couple of dishes I’d like to check out (not to mention the wine list) so I’ll be back soon, but in the meantime I am going to ponder the French bistro-Tunisian restaurant-African eatery continuum some more.

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Carthage Cafe
1851 Commercial Drive, Vancouver