Review: Bedouin, Cambridge

There is a north African proverb that says: “They ate our food and forgot our names.”

Well, I ate the food and do remember the names of the Algerian family who run Bedouin on Mill Road in Cambridge. Brothers Karim and Djamel Rerizani and family serve up wonderfully tasty North African dishes in this atmospheric, enjoyable restaurant.

We started with bastilla, a super Moroccan dish that combines sweet and savoury. This was a sensational starter – perfectly crisp pastry sprinkled with almonds and icing sugar enclosing subtly spiced chicken, resulting in an explosion of favour.

Tagine kefte bedaoui

My main of shtetha laham is a typical Algerian dish of slow-cooked lamb in a tomato sauce with paprika, garlic and chilli with flat-leaf parsley, chick peas and potatoes. This was one of the most satisfying dishes I’ve eaten – wholesome, rustic and packed with flavour. My friend had a tagine kefte bedaoui – lamb meatballs flavoured with cumin, garlic and herbs, and finished with an egg and grated cheese. Again, this was hearty, stomach- and soul-pleasing food – well-cooked home-style fare that’s great to relax with.

Bedouin serves authentic, tasty and honest North African food. It is family run and has a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere. What more do you want?!

The Rerizani also has a sister restaurant – Al Casbah – down the road.

By Philip Seaman, Cambridgeshire editor

Inside Bedouin

The author:

Philip lives in West Cambridgeshire in the Parish of Catworth with his wife. He loves eating out which he does for both pleasure and business. His other interests are collecting cookery books and menus, driving his tractor and working on the renovation of their old farm.