Le Touareg

We went to this restaurant because of the nice reviews at Unilocal but were quite disappointed.
First of all the service: the waiter gave us a friendly welcome but then all of a sudden changed his behavior — apparently after we asked if we can both share a couscous platter. He said that it’s not possible and we have to order 2 couscous, then he went away without any explanation. I think it’s fully ok if you give some recommendations to your guests regarding the plates but this was not a recommendation but a rude instruction. Then, as he brought the couscous, we asked him to leave the starters on the table — since they were delicious and we haven’t finished them by that time. After 5 min he came back and took the unfinished starters away without saying a word and leaving us speechless.
As for the food: couscous itself was delicious (and deserves its own star) but the vegetables looked and tasted like they have been cooked for hours.
So all in all quite a bad experience which was dominated by the unfriendly behavior of the waiter. Wouldn’t go there again.

LE couscous du Chesnay
Né cherchez pas ailleurs !

I grew up in this neighborhood, close to Versailles and about half an hour away from Paris, before moving to California, yet somehow never ate here before. On a recent trip back to my hometown, I finally had the chance to try this place out with my girlfriend on a quiet Sunday night.
Le Touareg is a great hidden restaurant to have couscous in Le Chesnay /​Rocquencourt.
The wait staff is courteous and attentive, and the dining room has a North-​African feel with discrete ambiance music and a few hookas and various decorations on display.
An appetizer platter was brought to our table, and included small portions of seasoned vegetables, fruits and almonds. Some spicy, some not. Good start.
The main courses’ portions are generous, with a wide variety of couscous to chose from, each one composed of different combinations of meat: chicken, stewed lamb, skewered lamb, meat balls, merguez sausage, and of course vegetables.
The meats and vegetables are served on a platter that is kept warm on your table atop an alcohol burner, so you can take your time eating without fear of them getting cold. You will need time, because the portions are pretty big! I especially liked the merguez, meat balls, and lamb skewers.
The semolina (the couscous grains) are served on a separate platter, and a flavorful broth/​sauce with garbanzo beans is served separately in another deep dish.
A fancy cup of harissa (red tunisian chili paste/​sauce) lets you turn up the heat to your liking.
The dessert selection included ice creams and various lokum.
In short, we had an enjoyable huge feast, at a reasonable price.
Note: closed on Wednesdays.

Le petit «+» de la maison, c’est la semoule berbère, avec épices et petits morceaux de poivrons. Un vrai régal !!!
Pour le reste, la carte est classique, toutes les formules de couscous sont possibles (autour de 20EUR).
L’accueil est très sympathique et chaleureux.
Disons ** pour la carte, * pour la semoule berbère, et * pour le service et l’accueil.
Je vais y retourner très vite !

Excellent accueil, sourire omniprésent, grand choix de plats. Couscous délicieux. Bref foncez !! Et n’oubliez pas de réserver.