Moroccan Castle

For an antidote to straightlaced, straight backed dining, find a dim, curtained booth here and sprawl across the soft, luxurious cushions. After washing your hands -- Which will serve as your utensils -- in orange-blossom-scented water poured from a silver kettle, the choice is presented: will it be the multi-course Royal Feast or à la carte? Either way, don't dare miss the extraordinary North African appetizer on the menu, b'stillah-Cornish hen rich with saffron and almonds, enveloped in phyllo pastry, then dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Lamb tajine, the classic ginger-and-saffron-flavoured Moroccan stew baked in an earthen pot, comes here in three stylels: with olive and lemon, prune and almond, or seasonal vegetables. Couscous Fassi adorns semolina with chicken, raisins and chick-peas. For even more exotica, there's Cornish hen with pears in sesame-quinee sauce, or tender hare simmered in honey and tomoto. By the time you reach the final round of mint tea and pistachio-based pastries, you'll understand why a sultan might prefer to eat in a reclining position.