If Sanah Djebli has a guest, she always serves hatay, a Moroccan tea. Made from fragrant gunpowder green tea, fresh mint and sugar – all elegantly poured from a silver teapot – the comforting drink is the cornerstone of North African hospitality, which Djebli and her husband Nadim El-Zein highlight at their new Surry Hills spot, Cafe Tanja.

“We drink tea all the time in Morocco: with breakfast, late at night with family or friends,” Djebli tells Broadsheet. “The way we pour is important. Pulling the pot high enhances the flavour by mixing oxygen with the tea as it falls into the glass. It’s also a traditional gesture of hospitality in Morocco, showcasing the host’s skill and grace in serving guests.”

Tanja – which is the Arabic name for the Moroccan city of Tangier – is warm and welcoming, like stepping into a Moroccan home. It’s a family business that honours French-born Djebli’s North African heritage. Her mum, Mama Linda, emigrated to Australia to work with El-Zein in the kitchen, bringing her expertise in creating traditional, homestyle Moroccan food.

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

Thin, pancake-like msemen (flatbreads) are filled with lamb or marinated chicken; Algerian eggs are fried with freshly ground cumin, then served with fluffy matlouh bread; tuna, potato and egg fill the paper-thin, crisp brick pastry. Mama Linda rules the couscous roost. The carb requires a labour-intensive process: two hours of steaming, dividing and steaming bring the semolina grains alive with a fluffy, buttery consistency. Bread is made fresh daily for sandwiches and for mopping up the (chicken or lamb) tagine.

“Tagine is iconic,” says El Zein. “It’s the heart of Morocco. Everyone has a variation. My favourite is our lamb. It’s slow-cooked and at the end we add almonds and juicy prunes and serve it with matlouh.”

Drinks are made with just as much care. Aside from coffee and hatay, there’s fresh-squeezed OJ; house-made rose and lemon-infused sodas; and zaazaa, a mellow avocado smoothie piled with fresh fruit, nuts and honey.

Before becoming a chef, El-Zein was a carpenter – and you can catch his handiwork across the fit-out. There are brightly painted walls, tile details and banquette seating. “My mum brought artefacts from overseas and Nadim built sederi, traditional couches covered in pillows,” says Djebli. “We wanted it to feel like customers are at our house, sitting in the salon, having tea and a meal.”

North African food is rare in Sydney. “I used to know a lot of French Algerians and French Moroccans, but they didn’t stay and live [in Australia]. Since we opened, so many people have come, telling us they miss their food. We’ve become a place for the North African community to meet.”

The couple has plans to open for dinner, and Djebli’s mum is currently in Morocco shopping for decor to fit out the upstairs space.

“We’re already planning the summer menu, doing some fish or salads for lunch and doing classic dishes for dinner. There are so many options with the cuisine; we have lots of room to explore.”

Cafe Tanja
638 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Hours:
Wed to Sun 8am–3pm

@cafetanjasurryhills