MARRAKECH NIGHT, 1F 57-16 ITAEWON-DONG, YONGSAN-GU, SEOUL Tel: 010 5801 9444

Having left behind our (minimum) once weekly fix of Lebanese cuisine from the awesome Beirut restaurant in Bangkok, imagine our delight to find that the closest restaurant to our house is a Moroccan Arabian Kebab joint offering falafel, baba ganoush and all the trimmings a short saunter down the hill from our place.

Marrakech Night is owned and run by Rhiti Mostafa, together with some of his family (I think his wife perhaps). Formerly the chef for the Morrocan Ambassador in Seoul, Rhiti now serves up fabulous, hot, freshly-made authentic cuisine from this absolutly tiny restaurant with just five tables. Only five tables but approximately 15 smoking hookah machines available for customers to use if they wish.

The walls are draped in North African hangings, topped off with a wobbly line of flashing multicoloured fairy lights and decorated with random tourist souvenirs: ceremonial knives, odd photos and what not. In the corner, on a wall-mounted platform the TV displays either the music channel number, or more interestingly, shows of hugely fat women with died blonde hair and scarily bright make up, energetically belly dancing or rolling around on rugs all the while accompanied by one of those dead pan Arab bands.

The food is fab. About 10 crispy falafel come on a bed of lettuce, which we ordered with baba ghanoush one time, and home made yoghurt the next. Both excellent. The chicken with apricots was supreme - delicately spiced sauce and fat apricots all sizzling in the dish (caution: the apricots remain hot for a very long time...). Quite a short menu but lots of yummy options.

The tables are so close together that the atmosphere is really laid back. You will often get chatting to your neighbours, and if you can reach the beer fridge, you may help yourself and Rhiti will count the bottles of cans at the end of the meal when he is totting up your bill.

We liked this place, and even more when it came in as the only place we have been able to eat our fill, enjoy a few drinks and not spend more than US$50 total bill. highy recommended, but not for posh people who don't like slightly grubby places.

Located at the Banpo Bridge end of Itaewon High Street, on the right as you go up the hill past Pizza Hut. If you stand on the other side of the road outside MacDonalds and look across and up to your left you will see the little yellow sign.