Kabob House at Wards Corner offers Moroccan delights

NORFOLK

Tasty combinations of chicken, lamb and beef, grilled on a kabob or in a savory, tender stew, await inside Kabob House in Wards Corner.

The restaurant opened in November and touts a menu of specialties from owner Naoufal Bounkhoul's homeland, Morocco. He and co-owner Hammadi Jbilou offer several varieties of kabobs, including kefta, a combination of ground beef, onions and parsley shaped into pieces suitable for grilling.

Tagines - a Moroccan cooking vessel with a flat, heavy base and a conical lid - decorate the storefront space, but are not just for show. Bounkhoul also offers a number of tagines, the dish named after the pot.

It's a cheap trip to a foreign land - the total for three kabob dinners, which each included sides, was under $30.

Bounkhoul came to the United States in 2003. He said he decided to open a Moroccan restaurant because there are so few in Hampton Roads.

The Wards Corner spot, just off Granby Street and near the Interstate 64 interchange, is convenient for folks all over the region. Diners can eat in or take out. Bounkhoul said he recently began delivery to a limited area.

The kabobs are mildly seasoned and nicely cooked, the beef tender, the chicken juicy.

Think of the kefta as a Moroccan version of a hamburger, without the bun. Side dishes include rice and salad.

As for the tagines, Bounhkoul said, most people ask about both the cookware and the dish.

"The main thing is slow cooking," he said. "You put it on low heat. It gives it the juice and makes it soft and thick."

Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com