'Tis true.
I took my Mum and her two friends to 'The Sultan's Tent & Cafe Moroc' for a special surprise Mother's Day lunch. Having been there about eight years ago, back when they were located at Bay and Yorkville, I remembered having a good time even then. After being marked for demolition (to make room for, what else, a hi-rise) and relocating to Front and Church, 'The Sultan's Tent" now boasts a better chef and an exotically authentic ambiance.
Arriving ten minutes earlier than our reservation time, we were warmly welcomed and seated in a cosy corner of one of the many beautifully decorated tents. John, our tall and handsome waiter dressed all in black, was cheerful and competent, not wasting any time coaxing us to try their pomegranate-fruity cocktails, which we found to be quite tasty albeit too little.
The menu consisted of a prix-fixed Mother's Day three-course meal with much to choose from in each category. John recommended us each ordering a different appetizer and sharing; a great idea which worked out quite well. We ended up with a lot pita, hummus, and pureed eggplant, which was all very good, but not as good as what I ordered, "Maftoul" - hand rolled "Moroccan Cigars" or pastry filled with beef, cashews and raisins. Yummy! (erm, yes, I caved, I am no longer trying to be a vegetarian).
For our entrees, John warned that the "Chicken Marrakesh" would be a very heavy meal. He was right, as two of us found out.

My Mum got the "Couscous Royale" which consisted of chicken, lamb and sausage with Moroccan root veggies and of course, couscous. (I am not a huge fan of couscous).

The "Salmon Shermoula" was pretty much just salmon with basmatic rice, those root veggies again, oh, and would you care for a huge dallop of green sauce?

 

While the entrees weren't amazing, I didn't mind because I looking forward to dessert. John insisted that we wouldn't want to miss their special pomegranate and cranberry ice cream cake. He was right. It was absolutely divine!

The highlight of the meal was, of course, when the lights dimmed and the music swelled, for here came, hips swivelling, arms undulating, the belly-dancer! I quickly discovered that she was too swift for my camera, and missed plenty of exciting opportunities to capture her sword-balancing acts. The low-lighting also posed a problem for my Nikon Coolpix 5200. Surprisingly, I was able to capture some interesting moments.

We were also treated to mint tea, poured by a very skilled tea-pourer.

 

The ladies were gifted with pink roses and our doggie bags too. With full bellies (there would be no more belly-dancing that night, that's for sure) and memories of exotic North Africa, we stepped out into the bright May sunshine, and headed over to Rainbow cinemas to catch "Friends with Money".
The verdict? Belly-dancing is enjoyed by everyone ("Friends with Money", not so much) and the Sultan's Tent is highly recommended!