Mohamed Ould Atigh arrived in Montreal from Mauritania in 1996 with three dollars and a student visa, cooked out of a dorm room, then out of a rented garage on Parc, before settling at 142 Fairmount in 2007.

La Khaïma, which takes its name from the communal desert tents of nomadic Mauritanian tribes, is widely considered the only Mauritanian restaurant outside Mauritania. There is no paper menu. The prix fixe format delivers m'berberli soup (lentils, ginger, caramelized onions, lime, cumin), mezze, and a large shared platter of couscous with three daily preparations: typically a chicken tenadi with candied lemon and olives, a beef marjen slow-cooked with dates, and a vegan option. Meals end with mint tea.

The dining room, with its low tables, cushioned benches, and quilted tapestries, is designed to evoke the khaima itself. Atigh makes his own bissap, a hibiscus juice available in original, mint, and ginger versions, sold at the restaurant and in stores across Montreal. BYOW.