Dar Yacout, Marrakech

For our last night in Marrakech, we take our wonderful Riad owners advice and have booked a table at Yacout. We were even lucky to get a reservation with only a few days notice .... This is where anyone-who-is-anyone must dine while in Marrakech, well so we hear. Having played host to a string of celebrities, royalty and presidents from all over the world. We head down to the Kasbah gate in search of some means of transport to take us well within the realm of the Medina. It just so happens that a horse cart pulls up beside us. We check that he knows where it is, which of course he does. We hop into the back seat, which is surprisingly comfortable. The sun is setting, and the lights over the city are so pretty.



It takes about 20 minutes, darting through busy evening traffic, but having plenty of time to take it all in.



We are taken through winding, pebbled walkways of the medina, barely wide enough for the cart. We all of a sudden stop, when it gets really narrow, and way to busy for us to continue. The driver calls over a couple of young boys, and mutters a few words. We work out that these kids are going to lead us the remainder of the way .... We dart in and out of lanes, being just dark enough to be a little unsettling as you can't really see to far ahead, but we turn one last corner and we are there. We give the kids a few dollars, and thank them for their trouble.

Dar Yacout is quite grand. We walk through some large doors before being greeted by a team of staff, and quickly ushered up to the roof for an aperitif. We look down over the pool, and outside dining area on one side, and then an expansive view of the old city contained within the medina, and the bustle of the new city in the distance.



This is one of very few places that serves alcohol in Morocco. This is also the first time in our 11 day trip that we have any, so decide on a simple aperitif of white wine. It comes served in a beautiful goblet, with a bowl of green sultanas and some lightly toasted almonds.



We are then taken down to our table, and offered local Spring water as well as a selection of wines. We choose a Moroccan Rose. It was light, crisp and a beautiful rose color with the crystal glasses glistening under the dim light.



The usual Moroccan salad component of the meal arrives promptly. Little plates of spiced olives, carrot & orange salad, roasted garlic eggplant, zalouk, artichokes & little crispy pastries. These are all devoured with the infinite supply of soft bread.



These beautifully adorned vessels then arrive and rest beside the table.



The first unveiling reveals the oh-to-familiar chicken, preserved lemon & olive tagine. Shockingly, it is a whole chicken! just for the two of us ... we know there is more food to come, so despite it being delicious have to refrain from eating too much.



There is then a tagine of lamb with fresh peas. A massive portion again, we don't even get half way through it ....



Cous-cous with 7 vegetables is a fine example of this preparation, and a very welcome accompaniment to the lamb tagine.



We see a sweet pastilla placed down on the table beside us while we are finishing our main. They are as shocked as we seem with the sheer size, barely managing to get through a 1/4 of it. We wonder what happens with all of the remaining food .... as grand as each of the dishes seem, receiving whole chickens, or giant pastilla, we could have easily had 2 very hungry guests with us and no extra food. As soon as we indicate defeat against the lamb & cous-cous, it is whisked away. Moments later our table is graced with one giant pastilla.



It is absolutely delicious, layers of crisp, flaky pastry with toasted almonds and sweet milk. We manage one slice each, before a pot of mint tea and a tower of fresh baked sweets and cookies completely wipe us out. Oh .. so .. full!

An absolutely amazing setting, the pre-dinner drinks in the upstairs bar with a view of the city a highlight. The food was nice, but next time we will be sure to enjoy it with a few more people ....

Tanjia

Tanjia is both the name of the dish as well as the dish it is cooked in. A tall clay urn that is filled with all sorts of goodies and baked slowly in coals. We had been told that traditionally this was a beggars dish, the beggar collecting whatever people would give, in the urn then leaving it in the coals of the fires used to heat the water of the traditional baths until it had all been cooked to a melting softness.

Nowadays it's also considered a bit of a bachelors dish as well, perhaps due to it's low maintenance and degree of skill required. Being a traditional dish of Marrakech we had been keeping and eye out for any sign of the tanjia. We finally find a small shop with a dozen urns of various sizes lined up out the front. Sealed with paper they must have been put into the coals in the early morning to be ready for midday.



We take a sit and order a tanjia for two, the proprietor reaches into his brick oven and pulls out a tanjia.



It's brought to the table before being unsealed and turned over into a clay plate. The billowing steams brings mouth watering smells, spices, herbs, and the lamb, so meltingly soft it's falling from the bone.



With another couple of the ubiquitous flat breads we're ready to go. The lamb fat has rendered out of the meat making it sticky soft and so rich. We scoop up the juices with the bread and suck the marrow from the bones. Leaving a clean plate and even cleaner bones when we've finished.



Next to us a Morrocan family have ordered the head. It's withdrawn from the urn before being split in two, revealing the creamy brain. We might need a few more people to tackle that one.
I recommend you keep an eye out for the tanjia as it makes a great change from the sometimes endless parade of tagine and cous cous.

Marrakech Tagine

So we were on our way to lunch. Meeting with I and H and they're LATE.... I guess It's understandable y'know being in a strange town in a strange country and all. On the plus side it gave us time to read the menu of our chosen dining venue and watch the type of clients who were dining there. In this case it was tourist groups and it dawned on us maybe this wasn't the type of place we wanted to be eating. So we started to scout around within minutes we found what we were looking for, an alley with a line of tagines up against the wall a steady steam of these were being picked up and carried off for delivery lunches.



Basic math; Busy with locals = good food. So when I and H arrive we veto our current plans and head down the alley. It's a simple affair, a dozen tagines sitting over glowing coals, a choice of chicken or lamb, with or without bread. You order a tagine it is whipped off the coals and placed in front of you. Another is then made by the hugely funny teen assistant (swimming in his butchers coat that he'll grow into in about twenty years) and replaced on the coals. The teen asks if we're American, to which we reply "no", his answer of "good" earns him a clip around the ears.



A lift of the lid reveals potatoes, carrots, peas, tomato and herbs plus your protein of choice it's fragrant and simple....simply delicious.



We have no trouble finishing our portions, but in case you can't you just save half of your bread and it's split open, stuffed with the remainder of your tagine and wrapped for a later snack.



We eat there several times in our stay, each time the various locals eating there greet us with a nod that seems to say "I see your not eating at the tourist trap next door....well done". If you seem to be coming back often enough you are invited to pre-order for the next day, with a seafood or special vegetable tagine on that menu. Maybe next time.

Marrakech Night Markets, stall no. 14

We had a close call at the Fez train station with Io & H unable to find their passports the morning we are departing for Marrakech ... So with taxi's back to the riad, and turning the room upside down, all 4 of us are now in possession of travel documents and manage to board our train in the nick of time. It's a hot day, the train winding through little villages with children playing, sheep running free and so much trash on the outskirts of each town. We keep ourselves amused with some interesting conversation, some amazing pomegranite juice & chicken sandwiches on board the train as well as sneaking in a little nap. Before we know it, hours have passed and we arrive in Marrakech. We are greeted at the train station and transported to our Riad Dar Tasnime. Now after any amount of travelling, there are 2 things very high on the priority list; shower & eat. We are taken up to our suite which smells of orange blossom, and is the warm welcoming color of terracotta with rich fabrics and open doors sprawling out over the courtyard.



Ah, I could just collapse on the bed and be done with day. *"~Focus, shower & eat. So back on track we ask our delightful host if he has any dinner recommendations or suggestions at the night markets. Immediately we start talking about what food we will find down there, what food we had been enjoying in Fes, our time in Morocco, our home and it's food in Japan .... Our host then shares one of his little secrets, a bustling little stall amongst the 100 or so open-aired kitchens that serves up some incredible fried fish & seafood with salads and bread. We make our way towards the Jemaa El Fna square, which is the largest outdoor souk (market) in Morocco. It's just on sunset, and there are performers, snake charmers, henna artists, games & live music. The outside of the square in lined with carts selling fresh squeezed juice and all sorts of dried fruits, and then east side which is full of these little outdoor stalls setting up for tonight's dinner.



As we first enter the markets, we pass through a gathering of stalls all selling steamed snails. We then enter the mayhem, stalls with printed fancy menus, displays on ice of giant shiskebabs and mock terrines, and young boys who will say or do just about anything to have you come and eat at their stall "Stall no. 7 will send you to heaven" We are determined to find this stall no. 14 but there is absolutely no system with these numbers. We turn a corner and notice a tiny little stand, full of locals, chowing down on all sorts of delicious looking treats. And then we spot the no. 14 sign. Ahah, perfect. No young boys drawing you in, no menu, no food on display, except for the piles of fried fish that are getting distributed as fast as they can be cooked ....

A spot is cleared for us, and paper placemats plonked in front of us topped with a bread roll & a plate of chips. Then little dishes of a fresh tomato sauce, and a plate of smashed up & seasoned fried eggplant. No cutlery is provided, the tools of choice here are your fingers as well as the bread to scoop up any sauces.




Thankful for Ioanna's ability with the French language we just start ordering ... Fried chunk of fish, sitting on a plastic plate with a single fried chili & a wedge of lemon. The exterior was so crispy yet encased the most tender & moist fish flesh imaginable.



Fried calamari rings set a new standard for these fried favorites. The coating was seasoned so well, yet had no overpowering flavors. A good squeeze of lemon was all they needed, tasting fresh like the ocean.



Then we had some MFF, Moroccan Fried Fish. Bite sized pieces of coated fish, yum yum!



We see a tray of little whiting fish come out of the fryer, and rely on the old point & nod trick. We finish with these little fishies, this time with a squeeze of fresh lime.



We are quick to vacate our precious seats, as there is still a que of people waiting for their chance at a seat. There a little sink where you wash your hands, before being handed a sheet of placemat paper to dry them. We then pay the very modest bill coming in at around 12€ per / person.

Getting a glimpse of the little mobile kitchen as we leave is quite a site ... vats of scalding hot oil balance on rickety legged tables, makeshift sinks / benches and storage are showing ware from daily assembling and disassembling. But the fresh ingredients and team work shines.

We know we will be paying at least another visit to no. 14 on this trip .... Now, back to the Riad to collapse in bed.

A little cabinet draws us in ....

We were wandering through the Medina of Fes ... All 9,000 of the little lanes & alleyways, that are mostly unmarked, hold some kinds of treasure. Sometime turning the corner you find pots of snails simmering away in a salted broth, other times a whole street lined with hand-made silk buttons, then there's the fresh nougat on carts, the bags of spices, and the hand-made pastries. One turn we made led us down a narrow path and we found a little cabinet sitting out the front that immediately drew both of our attention. It was filled with a range of meats & little sausages with some crusty baguette style breads and some pita style pockets.



We were both immediately intrigued, and with our interest are warmly welcomed inside. Kim chooses the little sausage, which they warn us are very spicy - perfect! and has them on a crusty roll with chili sauce & pickles and it comes wrapped in paper with a generous serve of hand cut chips.



My version is sans bread roll, and just a selection of grilled random meats with a few green olives and a handful of chips. There's mayonnasie & a light tomato & chili sauce on the side.



All washed down with some almost-salty Arabic Coca-Cola and we are set to tackle the Fes Medina once again.

Thami's, Fes Medina

Thami's is probably one of the worst kept secrets in Fes. Since the secret is so badly kept there's no harm in us telling a few more people right. From the blue gate you take a right and there under a magnificent spreading mulberry tree is Thami's. A couple of tables and chairs tucked into the top of one of the Medina's busiest thoroughfares it's not only a great place for eating but life watching as well.

As soon as you approach a friendly gentleman (Thami it turns out) will dart out and hand you his card. Not that it was needed, we were here for you Thami. Luckily there was no wait for one for the three tables and it was not long before the most delicious tagine of kefta and eggs was in front of us. Apart from the awesomeness that was the tagine, it was so nice to be eating something that wasn't same same tourist aimed salads and lamb/chicken tagines.

Quick to follow was a hearty bowl of Harria the staple Moroccan breakfast soup, braised lentils in a rich sauce with plenty of bread to mop up all the juices.

With a couple of orange juices and a healthy dose of passing life it's not a bad way to start the day (as long as your day starts around midday), or take respite from the heat and dust in the afternoon.

under the mulberry tree

Thami's
Bou Jeloud, 50 Serrajine
The Medina, Fes, Morocco
070 640 130

Hands on Cooking Class, fescooking.com

We shopped around a little to try and find the most authentic, one-on-one cooking class that we could in Fes. We wanted to go to the markets, shop for ingredients, and then return to a working Riad to cook up some tasty treats. A few e-mails were exchanged and we had booked in to meet Lahcen at the Bab Boujloud, or blue gate which is a monumental entrance to the old Fes Medina.



It was originally supposed to be just Kim & myself, but a lovely couple from Portland Oregon had apparently showed up the day before and not managed to meet up with Lahcen, so they joined in on our class. The 5 of us then wandered around the Medina and decided what to cook ... We spot some plastic containers which are filled with chickpeas, that have conveniently been soaked overnight already, and are ready to use. We buy some of these for our Harira, which is a Moroccan tomato & chickpea soup.



The Lahcen selects a range of fresh vegetables and herbs which will be used throughout our menu.



We spot a stall full of dates, and think it would be fantastic to do a dessert with these. Our dessert will be a coconut and date roll, so we select a big plump date full of flavor.



We pick up a few other things, including a fresh chicken, fresh artichokes, oranges and cous cous before we head back to the Riad to start cooking. There are 3 Fatima's already starting on the days prep for the guests staying in the Riad. We join them for some bread making ....



Before we know it we are at home in this quaint little kitchen, chopping, peeling, slicing & dicing our way through the preparation. We have all the ingredients ready for our first dish, the Harira soup.



We press all of the pulp from the tomatoes and then simmer the skins with herbs to make a stock, which will be the base for the Harira.



Kim gets on peeling some artichokes with Fatima for our next dish.



We then prepare some pretty little date balls. Some rolled in coconut, the other in toasted sesame seeds. These are then baked on a buttered tray before being left to cool ...



I found out this day why cous-cous tastes so damn good in Morocco! The cous-cous has handfuls of salt and a very generous amount of olive oil in which it is marinated in before being steamed .... mmm, salt



We then get set to make the most challenging dish of the day, pastilla.



A spiced chicken mixture is layered with a slightly sweet almond mix and wrapped up in big sheets of pastry that have been brushed with melted butter. Once the piece is complete, it goes into the oven to be baked.



Everything is on the stove, bubbling away. We are lucky enough to be sent upstairs to sit at the table while the Fatima's plate our lunch for us.



First up, Harira soup. So hearty with a great richness. The chickpeas have broken down and thickened up the soap, which is rich & intense and so full of flavor. Some freshly chopped herbs really liven it up.



When we try this next dish I think we are all glad that Kim had chosen artichokes at the markets. They have been simmered in orange juice with a little garlic and have the wonderful aroma of orange blossom.



Pastilla = deliciously ugly! The pastry so flaky is shatters when you penetrate it - the fillings exploding from both sides ... a little messy, but oh so deliclious!



The Fatima's were having cous-cous for lunch, so were kind enough to show us the ropes ... We also enjoyed cous-cous with 7 vegetables along with our lunch spread. A broth simmering below with herbs & tomato and then the 7 vegetables are added at different times to ensure even cooking. The cous-cous sits above in an open topped device, all those lovely vegetable flavors steaming through each grain.




Dessert arrives, our little date balls. The coconut & sesame seeds are golden and add a nice crunch to the sticky sweet date mixture. Some orange segments and a dusting of cinnamon almost complete the meal ...



Ah, a cup of Moroccan mint tea and we are happy as can be.



We thoroughly recommend spending a day with fescooking.com if you are in Fes at any time ... I think cooks and foodies of all levels will get something out of spending a day with Lahcen & the team back at their working Riad ... and just think of all that delicious food you get to enjoy!