Try a little couscous

Adam's Cafe, 77 Askew Road, W12 (020-8743 0572). Mon-Sat £48 **

Couscous has a long history. In Algerian folklore it is said that the tiny balls of hand-rolled grain were created by the Djinn. Before the days of 'instant' couscous, supernatural powers would have come in handy to keep the grains light, soft and separate during the steaming process. Couscous is a staple of North African cooking to the extent that some local names for it are identical to the word for 'food' in general. Owners Abdel and Frances Boukraa, passionate about the quality of the cooking, not long ago brought over a new, young chef from Tunisia who has a particularly deft hand with couscous. His tagines and fish dishes are also notable. Adam's Cafe - fry-up by day, North African by night - has been praised from the start for its charm and amazing value. Nearly 15 years on, there is no need to say different.

Momo 25 Heddon Street, W1 (020-7434 4040). Mon-Sun £88 **

Sexy, sultry Momo, the first London venture of Mourad Mazouz, who went on to open the extraordinary Sketch, is usually associated with evenings of harem-like diversions - flickering lights, undulating staff, scented water for rinsing hands. Food is not really the issue. Go at lunchtime though and in the cool light of day it is easier to assess the cooking which has recently taken a distinct turn for the better. A sceptical friend, himself involved in a new Moroccan venture, reported crossly that the couscous he tried for lunch was unassailable, superb. Perhaps, as is said about Greek restaurants, the preparation of dishes is undertaken in the morning and they are thus fresher, more immediate in flavour at noon. Seek out slow-roasted lamb mechoui which comes with couscous and the sweet-spicy pastry-wrapped pastilla made here with pigeon, the very best filling. And have mint tea poured from a height.

Cafe Arabica 4 Conlan Street, W10 (020-8960 5757). Tue-Sat £60 *

In Borough Market, foodies' heaven, Jad and James, owners of Cafe Arabica, have become sought after for their Damascene falafel. Their evenings-only restaurant, located in the Bus Space Studios in North Kensington, explores Arabic food more innovatively and intricately through a long list of mezeh (sic) and a few intriguing main courses, e.g. roasted shoulder of Herdwick lamb with cardamom-walnut stuffing and sour yoghurt and spinach risotto and Quail Of Eden - oven-roasted marinated birds with a salad of new potatoes, forbidden fruit (I don't know either), asparagus and fresh mint. Couscous with sun-dried tomatoes and roasted shallots is an interesting side dish. There is a faintly amateurish air to the enterprise but good intentions and dedication to organic, beneficial produce are successfully conveyed. Hessian-covered walls and low-level seating in the bar area are reminiscent of student accommodation. The night I visited a Cher lookalike sang sweetly and plaintively.

Original Tagines, 7A Dorset Street, W1 (020-7935 1545). Mon-Sat £60 **

My first visit was after a movie at The Screen On Baker Street, one of those evenings where an undemanding film - starring Jennifer Lopez before she became J-Lo - and an agreeable meal made a pleasing, rounded whole. In those days the word Original wasn't used in the restaurant title. Fortunately, its application hasn't meant unwanted creativity with an authentic Moroccan menu. On a recent visit a table near the charcoal grill - which is behind a glass screen --inspired us to add sizzling merguez sausages and excellent grilled kidneys to first-course salads based on lentils and aubergine purée. A main course tagine of fat prawns was first-rate and lamb khedra couscous with caramelised onions one of the best I have encountered - a tantalising tango of sweet and savoury underscored with soft, creamy grain and piqued with home-made harissa. Try the reasonably priced Moroccan wines.

Pasha, 1 Gloucester Road, SW7 (020-7589 7969). Mon-Sun £80 *

Remember handsome Mogens (pronounced moans) Tholstrup, the Danish restaurateur who relaunched Daphne's in Brompton Cross as an Italian restaurant favoured by Princess Diana? Moroccan Pasha was another of his creations, followed by Vietnamese Bam-Bou. All were sold to the group that now owns The Ivy, Le Caprice etc, and Mogens floated off to spend less time with his family. Chef Brian Scully, who had been working at The Ivy, joined Pasha a couple of years ago after spending time researching the influences and traditions of the Maghreb. His signature dishes include ouarka 'cigars', a Moroccan spring roll filled with chicken and almonds served with a fig compote, seared tuna salad with orange, olives and harissa dressing, tagine of lamb with okra and pears, pigeon pastilla and couscous Royale which comes with lamb, chicken and merguez sausage. Seductive decor appeals to the sort who rent private riads when visiting Marrakech.