CASABLANCA
Rick's Cafe
Celebrating its 6th year, this iconic cafe in downtown Caza is a favourite with locals and expats. Complete with a piano, in a beautifully refurbished house, the restaurant hopes to invoke nostalgia for bygone decadent flair. The food is good, with a nice risotto for veggies. Recommended.
RABAT
La Mamma
A popular joint with locals, this trattoria is in a bylane in busy Rabat. Lots of nearby office goers throng in here at lunchtime for a bite of the hearty Italian fare. My veggie penne with olives and vegetables was very good. Recommended.
CHEFCHAOUEN
Casa Hassan
Lodged in the same building as the hotel, the Casa Hassan features the classic blue walls of Chefchaoeun and flagstone floors. The set menu includes a salad, a tagine and a fruit platter and is good value for money. My veggie tagine was just about average. Worth a look.
FES
Riad Fes
The food at the Riad Fes restaurant seems quite popular as the restaurant is quite packed in the evenings. Housed in the modern part of the riad, it is intimately lit for dinner by candlelight. If one chooses to eat here, you have to give them advance intimation in the morning as the food is prepared only by order. The harira, both veggie and non veg versions stands out, and Gordon enjoyed the lamb tagine. The veggie pastilla is very rich and heavy, and was more than what I bargained for in size and decadence. Overall the food is good, and breakfast is substantially filling. Recommended.
La Medina
Eponymously named for its location, the restaurant is in a stunner of a house with elaborate zellij work on the walls. The veggie cold starters are very good with the beans and the cauliflower standing out. My veggie couscous was also very good. Recommended as a good place for lunch within the hustle and bustle of the medina.
Riad Maison Bleue
Diners have an option of choosing where to sit for their meal, in a traditional seating, or a more modern decorated room. The fare is Moroccan to the core however. I had the couscous and found it decent.
MIDELT
Kasbah Asma
We stopped here along with hordes of tour buses headed for Erfoud. The food was just about ok, Gordon had the chicken tagine and I tried the veggie tagine which was too bland for my taste. The attendant seemed to pick up on this and threw in french fries for free, so for a service oriented attitude alone, it's worth stopping by.
ERG CHEBBI
La Belle Etoile Bivouac
Apart from the experience of eating whilst in a genuine Tuareg camp, the food at the camp was excellent as well. The broken wheat harira at dinner was a new twist to what we had been having and was fantastic. The veggie couscous was good too. Breakfast meant lots of freshly squeezed orange juice with fresh, warm breads, all with attentive service. Highly recommended.
DRAA VALLEY
Auberge Ennakh
We stopped here for lunch enroute to Zagora. The location is spectacular, on a bluff looking out over the palm groves. Gordon had the usual tagine, I stuck to french fries. The attendant was a big fan of Bollywood movies and it showed in his service.
ZAGORA
Riad Lamane
The riad has a couple of dining areas, all set amidst lush gardens. On the night we were there, just one was operating. Our half board terms of stay included dinner which consisted of a set menu of salad, a main, and fruit. Gordon had Brochettes, and I made a meal of the salad and fries.
ERG CHICAGA
Nomad Camp
We stopped here for lunch enroute to our camp in the Chigaga dunes. One of the most memorable lunches of the trip simply due to the location. Its back to basic, no frills stuff - sit on the floor on rugs and wait in the afternoon warmth for food to be served. Ingredients have to be brought along. While Gordon waited for the chicken brochettes to be fired up on the grill, I made a meal of the salad and ramen noodles that I carried with me. Its not always about the food. Stellar.
Dar Ahlam
Hands down the best all round food experience of the trip. Starting from the welcome tea on the dunes, to tea time titbits whist watching the sunset, a gourmet dinner under the stars, and the heady breakfast on the sands, this was extraordinary all the way. What stood out was the quality of the ingredients - everything felt very fresh and top of the line, including the wines. These guys don't let the fact that you ar a million miles away from anywhere get in the way of true luxury. Absolutely spectacular.
AIT BEN HADDOU
Ksar Ighnda
Proof that you can get great food even in a small village, as long as you manage to get a really good chef. This place seems to have wangled someone special, as is evident from the gourmet offerings at dinner. Our half board included a set menu of a started, a main and desert. Gordon managed to partake of the full offering two days in a row and raved about the food. I was content with gulping down second helpings of the fantastic harira with pasta. Superlatively good stuff.
SKOURA
Unnamed Cafe
So the cafe isn't exactly unnamed, just that I did not write it down. Its the one with the beautiful grey cat, if thats any help. And the one which served me some very nice spaghetti, which was sorely needed to break the monotony of tagines and couscous. How can that be anything but good?
TELOUET
Hussein's House
Seems like a bit of a racket - guide people around, get them into your carpet shop and sell them carpets and then schlep them upstairs for lunch. But when the guide has a good sense of humour, his carpet selling isn't pushy, and its a good way to enjoy a home cooked meal, well, it works very well indeed.
TOUBKAL
Kasbah du Toubkal
The meals at the legendary kasbah tend to be quite expensive for pretty much the same traditional far, although in all fairness, helpings are large. The main hall also tends to be very dark inspite of all the eco friendly lighting for dinner and is better appreciated at breakfast time. Nothing spectacular to write home about, but the location makes it all worthwhile.
ESSAOUIRA
Atlas Hotel and Spa
We had three meals at the Atlas. The first was room service, and unlike most room service experiences, this was a change, as both Gordon's sea food pasta as well as my veggie spaghetti were very good. Breakfast was the usual lavish spread one comes to expect with hotels of this kind and did not disappoint. We decided to eat lunch at their beach restaurant across the road, and I have to say that for once, the room service outdid the restaurant.
MARRAKESH
Ksar Anika
We sprung a surprise request for dinner on them the day we arrived and they responded with the receptionist rolling up her sleeves and cooking for us. If thats not service, I don't know what is. As a new establishment,there are bound to be some quirks that need sorting out, like a more varied breakfast spread, although the yoghurt was absolutely spot on. The pastillas and french fries that we had were very good, and not as heavy as the ones at Riad Fes.
Jardin
Our rogue guide Mustafa led us here, and while the location is quite nice with a lovely garden to sit in, the food seemed just about average. There were quite a few expats around though, so it seems to be popular and may be we just ordered the wrong stuff.
Dar Moha
This place is quickly earning the top spot of eating establishments amidst some very healthy competition in Marrakesh. The tasting menu of cold starters is what stands out, for the subtle flavours that are new and yet somewhat rooted in tradition as well. The mains continue to hold to a very high standard as well. The location is stunning, and if you snag a pool side table, it may be your best meal in the city.
For those unable to get a reservation here, no fear, there are many other places yapping at its heels. Choose from Tanjia, Jad Mahal, Dar Yacout, Le Comptoir, Foundouk, Tobsil, Al Fassia with its all women staff, among others for a fine Moroccan dining experience.
Caffe Arabe
Our last lunch in Morocco was deservingly memorable in the cool red and blue toned courtyard of the wonderful Caffe Arabe. Deep in the medina, and the first original cafe of its kind there, its a wonderful place to stop and catch your breath over a small bite or coffee. My pasta was great, as was Gordon's, and it came as no surprise that the owners are Italian. Its a place that begs to be lounged in, unmindful of the clock. Very highly recommended.
