Marrakesh Cuisine
Gourmet Magazine
by Frederick Vreeland
In the dozen years following Morocco's 1956 independence from its French protectorate, La Maison Arabe was the restaurant for discriminating visitors to Marrakech such as Sir Winston Churchill. This bi-cultural Mecca served the finest Moroccan dishes, closely supervised by two formidable French ladies who claimed they had inherited their cooks and recipes from the lavishly prodigious Pasha of Marrakech, Thami el Glaoui. European initiative was essential in a country where, since everything good takes place behind closed doors, there is no tradition of eating out. Eventually, Moroccan entrepreneurs displaced the aging French ladies, and purely local eateries for tourists mushroomed.
This year marks the return of bi-cultural superiority. The restaurant is Tobsil (meaning "dish" in Arabic). Far from the dreary image of her predecessors, the new patrone is Mlle. Christine Rio, young, hyper-active and attractive. Steeped in the secrets of Northern French cuisine, she has mastered the recipes of her newly adopted homeland, where some regional cuisines offer as many as a hundred ways of cooking chicken. To the soothing tones of two musicians from a spiritual brotherhood, in a subtle, decorous patio (mysteriously closing or opening to the sky) you are served appropriately subtle and decorous Moroccan dishes chosen daily by Mlle Rio, inspired by the arrival of fresh produce in the three local food markets (Muslim-Arabic, European-Arabic and Jewish). This innovative and surprising fare could be called Nouvelle Cuisine Marocaine. To begin, you will have a bevy of tiny vegetable dishes, including the unforgettable honey-laced tomato puree, grated carrots with orange blossom extract, and wild celery-like "mauve" cooked in a sauce of spices called Ras-el-Hanout. Your main course could be lamb with artichoke hearts, sometimes served with fresh new peas sitting in each heart, cooked in a broth in one of those terra cotta Tajines, with the conical-cover that auto-bastes the meat until it is tender and almost golden. Then try the desert version of the traditional Pastilla -- normally served as a pigeon pie starter, spinkled with confectioner's sugar -- a luscious pile of crunchy, wafers, rather like giant cornflakes, flavored with a light custard sauce.
Yacout, the other Mecca for Moroccan cuisine, tends to be more conventional, with such hearty staples as Harira, the essence-of-lamb soup Moroccans drink after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, chicken with preserved "confit" lemons, lamb in a sauce of prunes and almonds, and sliced oranges in rose water. As with the Tobsil, dining at the Yacout is an experience, an evening of magical sensuous delight. Host Mohamed Zkiri has orchestrated a combination that is pleasing to the eye, with decor by Morocco's premiere architect/designer Bill Willis, to the ear with the music of traditional Andalusian stringed instruments, to the nose with incense as you enter and savory spices as you are being served -- and of course to the palate as you taste one fine course after another.
Other traditional Moroccan restaurants include Dar Marjana and Palais Gharnata. The latter was the first restaurant to open in Marrakech serving purely traditional cuisine. If you order ahead of time, your hosts the El Amrani family will put on a Moroccan wedding extravaganza while you dine. The pageantry matches the long succession of Tajines and sweet-smelling delicacies. Dar Marjana has a more formal atmosphere, with rose petals covering the carpets and your name in sequins on the table-top. These are fairly well hidden within the city walls of the Medina, or Arab city, and are best reached by taxi.
Just off Avenue Mohamed V, at the center of the European city is Le Jacaranda, with its complex menu of French specialties. Service tends to be spotty when the owner, Alain Demars, is away, but the cuisine is impeccable. Dishes are what Parisians call "Plats cuisinés," such as Ris de Veau au miel citroné, or Tripe de Veau au cidre et Calvados. Most impressive is the Tournedos Cordon Rouge, a very juicy steak, cut in half with Magret of duck and Foie gras in the center, garnished with deftly sliced fresh vegetables on the side. Chocolate deserts are a specialty, but you may prefer the succulent lemon tart topped with meringue.
Red checked table clothes and easygoing ambiance are features of the Rotisserie de la Paix, where most of the year you are seated in an airy garden with fountains playing and friendly cats crawling. This less expensive restaurant has successfully turned from its French colonial origins to being the favorite of Marrakech locals for family gatherings and special occasions. They come here for the chicken and brochettes of lamb or beef grilled on an open fire; the crispiest french fries in town, and crepes suzettes au Grand Marnier. Begging felines will help you finish off the generous portions of grilled Lotte, and you will have no problem with the home made creme caramel.
A different formula is offered by Kasbah La Rotonda, not far from the Royal Palace in the Kasbah quarter of the Arab city. This brilliant theatrical set includes superimposed Moroccan and Italian restaurants, plus a partially covered roof-top bar, with unforgettable views of the Atlas mountains at sunset. Each restaurant has its dedicated kitchen, as well as gorgeously appointed rooms for private parties or guests who just want to be alone.The concept is by the Venetian designer Luciano Tempo who is frequently off working in Thailand -- as reflected in the sumptuous orientalism of the almost overwhelming decor -- and his brother Roberto, who faithfully presides in the Italian kitchen while keeping a keen eye on the sophisticated Moroccan cuisine. Truffles and Parmesan, olive oil and pasta are imported from Italy, and the menus change frequently, as Roberto exhibits the spontaneity and prodigality of his native land. You might start with Carpaccio, carefully chosen from locally raised beef cattle, followed by ravioli that will be filled with different goodies depending on the season, then grilled swordfish drenched in white wine and finally a pastry assortment reminiscent of Roberto's origins on the Grand Canal. The Moroccan cuisine emphasizes variety, with specialties such as Tajines of lamb or chicken that each day are prepared in a different sauce, including prunes, lemons, olives, and wild cards or other curious local vegetables.
Purely Italian is La Trattoria, where you immediately feel welcome. The rooms are cozy and the art works are a lesson in European cultural exposure to the Arab world. The prosciutto crudo is worthy of Parma, and the marinated trout was in a Middle Atlas mountain stream a few days before reaching your table. Spaghetti alle vongole verace is properly served with the clams in their tiny shells. Ravioli alle quatro formagi has grated nutmeg and four delicious tastes, a combination of cheeses from Italy and from Morocco which increasingly is producing fine dairy products. But the sum of the parts is ineffably Italian, and the ultimate you can attain here is for Giancarlo himself to cook your pasta.
Asian food used hard to find in Morocco, but Marrakech now boasts Japanese, Indian and Thai restaurants. The first-rate Vietnamese restaurant, Kim Son has unfortunately been closed for repairs for some time, but it is worth looking for its reopening.
A basic rule for travelers is not to eat in a hotel. But if your hotel is called La Mamounia, under your roof are fine Moroccan and Italian restaurants, and an international extravaganza called L'Imperiale as well as an upscale bistro called La Caléche; and next to the swimming pool you can eat arguably the best -- but most pricey --buffet lunch in the world .
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Tobsil - La Medina. Tel 44.444052, Fax 44.443515
Yacout - La Medina. Tel 44.310158, or 44.310104
Dar Marjana - Bab Doukkala (opposite Glaoui's palace), La Medina. Tel 44.445773
Palais Gharnata - Derb El Arsa, Medina. Tel 44.445216
Le Jacaranda - 32 boulevard Zerktouni, Gueliz. Tel 44.433192
Rotisserie de la Paix - 68 rue de Yougoslavie, Gueliz. Tel 44.433118
Kasbah La Rotonda - 39 derb Lamnabha, Kasbah. Tel 44.440065. Fax 44.440188
La Trattoria - 179 rue Mohamed El Bequal, Gueliz. Tel 44.432541
Kim Son - 5 bis rue Ibn Toumert, Gueliz. Tel 44.430159.
Hotel La Mamounia - Tel 44.388600
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by Frederick Vreeland
In the dozen years following Morocco's 1956 independence from its French protectorate, La Maison Arabe was the restaurant for discriminating visitors to Marrakech such as Sir Winston Churchill. This bi-cultural Mecca served the finest Moroccan dishes, closely supervised by two formidable French ladies who claimed they had inherited their cooks and recipes from the lavishly prodigious Pasha of Marrakech, Thami el Glaoui. European initiative was essential in a country where, since everything good takes place behind closed doors, there is no tradition of eating out. Eventually, Moroccan entrepreneurs displaced the aging French ladies, and purely local eateries for tourists mushroomed.
This year marks the return of bi-cultural superiority. The restaurant is Tobsil (meaning "dish" in Arabic). Far from the dreary image of her predecessors, the new patrone is Mlle. Christine Rio, young, hyper-active and attractive. Steeped in the secrets of Northern French cuisine, she has mastered the recipes of her newly adopted homeland, where some regional cuisines offer as many as a hundred ways of cooking chicken. To the soothing tones of two musicians from a spiritual brotherhood, in a subtle, decorous patio (mysteriously closing or opening to the sky) you are served appropriately subtle and decorous Moroccan dishes chosen daily by Mlle Rio, inspired by the arrival of fresh produce in the three local food markets (Muslim-Arabic, European-Arabic and Jewish). This innovative and surprising fare could be called Nouvelle Cuisine Marocaine. To begin, you will have a bevy of tiny vegetable dishes, including the unforgettable honey-laced tomato puree, grated carrots with orange blossom extract, and wild celery-like "mauve" cooked in a sauce of spices called Ras-el-Hanout. Your main course could be lamb with artichoke hearts, sometimes served with fresh new peas sitting in each heart, cooked in a broth in one of those terra cotta Tajines, with the conical-cover that auto-bastes the meat until it is tender and almost golden. Then try the desert version of the traditional Pastilla -- normally served as a pigeon pie starter, spinkled with confectioner's sugar -- a luscious pile of crunchy, wafers, rather like giant cornflakes, flavored with a light custard sauce.
Yacout, the other Mecca for Moroccan cuisine, tends to be more conventional, with such hearty staples as Harira, the essence-of-lamb soup Moroccans drink after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, chicken with preserved "confit" lemons, lamb in a sauce of prunes and almonds, and sliced oranges in rose water. As with the Tobsil, dining at the Yacout is an experience, an evening of magical sensuous delight. Host Mohamed Zkiri has orchestrated a combination that is pleasing to the eye, with decor by Morocco's premiere architect/designer Bill Willis, to the ear with the music of traditional Andalusian stringed instruments, to the nose with incense as you enter and savory spices as you are being served -- and of course to the palate as you taste one fine course after another.
Other traditional Moroccan restaurants include Dar Marjana and Palais Gharnata. The latter was the first restaurant to open in Marrakech serving purely traditional cuisine. If you order ahead of time, your hosts the El Amrani family will put on a Moroccan wedding extravaganza while you dine. The pageantry matches the long succession of Tajines and sweet-smelling delicacies. Dar Marjana has a more formal atmosphere, with rose petals covering the carpets and your name in sequins on the table-top. These are fairly well hidden within the city walls of the Medina, or Arab city, and are best reached by taxi.
Just off Avenue Mohamed V, at the center of the European city is Le Jacaranda, with its complex menu of French specialties. Service tends to be spotty when the owner, Alain Demars, is away, but the cuisine is impeccable. Dishes are what Parisians call "Plats cuisinés," such as Ris de Veau au miel citroné, or Tripe de Veau au cidre et Calvados. Most impressive is the Tournedos Cordon Rouge, a very juicy steak, cut in half with Magret of duck and Foie gras in the center, garnished with deftly sliced fresh vegetables on the side. Chocolate deserts are a specialty, but you may prefer the succulent lemon tart topped with meringue.
Red checked table clothes and easygoing ambiance are features of the Rotisserie de la Paix, where most of the year you are seated in an airy garden with fountains playing and friendly cats crawling. This less expensive restaurant has successfully turned from its French colonial origins to being the favorite of Marrakech locals for family gatherings and special occasions. They come here for the chicken and brochettes of lamb or beef grilled on an open fire; the crispiest french fries in town, and crepes suzettes au Grand Marnier. Begging felines will help you finish off the generous portions of grilled Lotte, and you will have no problem with the home made creme caramel.
A different formula is offered by Kasbah La Rotonda, not far from the Royal Palace in the Kasbah quarter of the Arab city. This brilliant theatrical set includes superimposed Moroccan and Italian restaurants, plus a partially covered roof-top bar, with unforgettable views of the Atlas mountains at sunset. Each restaurant has its dedicated kitchen, as well as gorgeously appointed rooms for private parties or guests who just want to be alone.The concept is by the Venetian designer Luciano Tempo who is frequently off working in Thailand -- as reflected in the sumptuous orientalism of the almost overwhelming decor -- and his brother Roberto, who faithfully presides in the Italian kitchen while keeping a keen eye on the sophisticated Moroccan cuisine. Truffles and Parmesan, olive oil and pasta are imported from Italy, and the menus change frequently, as Roberto exhibits the spontaneity and prodigality of his native land. You might start with Carpaccio, carefully chosen from locally raised beef cattle, followed by ravioli that will be filled with different goodies depending on the season, then grilled swordfish drenched in white wine and finally a pastry assortment reminiscent of Roberto's origins on the Grand Canal. The Moroccan cuisine emphasizes variety, with specialties such as Tajines of lamb or chicken that each day are prepared in a different sauce, including prunes, lemons, olives, and wild cards or other curious local vegetables.
Purely Italian is La Trattoria, where you immediately feel welcome. The rooms are cozy and the art works are a lesson in European cultural exposure to the Arab world. The prosciutto crudo is worthy of Parma, and the marinated trout was in a Middle Atlas mountain stream a few days before reaching your table. Spaghetti alle vongole verace is properly served with the clams in their tiny shells. Ravioli alle quatro formagi has grated nutmeg and four delicious tastes, a combination of cheeses from Italy and from Morocco which increasingly is producing fine dairy products. But the sum of the parts is ineffably Italian, and the ultimate you can attain here is for Giancarlo himself to cook your pasta.
Asian food used hard to find in Morocco, but Marrakech now boasts Japanese, Indian and Thai restaurants. The first-rate Vietnamese restaurant, Kim Son has unfortunately been closed for repairs for some time, but it is worth looking for its reopening.
A basic rule for travelers is not to eat in a hotel. But if your hotel is called La Mamounia, under your roof are fine Moroccan and Italian restaurants, and an international extravaganza called L'Imperiale as well as an upscale bistro called La Caléche; and next to the swimming pool you can eat arguably the best -- but most pricey --buffet lunch in the world .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobsil - La Medina. Tel 44.444052, Fax 44.443515
Yacout - La Medina. Tel 44.310158, or 44.310104
Dar Marjana - Bab Doukkala (opposite Glaoui's palace), La Medina. Tel 44.445773
Palais Gharnata - Derb El Arsa, Medina. Tel 44.445216
Le Jacaranda - 32 boulevard Zerktouni, Gueliz. Tel 44.433192
Rotisserie de la Paix - 68 rue de Yougoslavie, Gueliz. Tel 44.433118
Kasbah La Rotonda - 39 derb Lamnabha, Kasbah. Tel 44.440065. Fax 44.440188
La Trattoria - 179 rue Mohamed El Bequal, Gueliz. Tel 44.432541
Kim Son - 5 bis rue Ibn Toumert, Gueliz. Tel 44.430159.
Hotel La Mamounia - Tel 44.388600
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posted by Blogger @ 1:52 PM
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