Saturday, October 16, 2010

Postcard from Tangier

The View from Fez continues its virtual tour of Morocco with a revelation and a warning: Tangier is fast becoming the culinary capital and restaurants in Fez have been left behind!

For years Tangier got very bad press ~ it was "dangerous", "louche", "full of hassles" and hardly worth visiting! Over the last few years, The View from Fez has been visiting Tangier and doing our best to correct the wrong impressions about this wonderful city.


On our last few trips we have discovered wonderful restaurants such as Restaurant Le Nabab (above) in the Kasbah and Les Passagers de Tangier, (below) overlooking the Grand Socco.


Now we can reveal another stunning addition to the stable of Tangier's fine restaurants.


Situated almost beside the American Legation, is Riad Tanja. Although it is a very pleasant place to stay, its restaurant is open to the public and most definitely worth a visit.

With fixed price menus from 250 dirhams or a la carte, the food on the menu looked as if it would be simply more of the usual Moroccan cuisine.

Mosaique de Petites Salades Marocaines

Far from it. The Mosaique de Petites Salades Marocaines was extraordinary. Each of the small offerings was an explosion of tastes - each unique. The main courses of Poulet en croute d'herbes et d'amandes was as stunning as their deliciously slow-cooked Tanjia. The desserts were all wonderful, although the stand out was Galettes de dattes a la réglisse. This was food with flare and creativity.



Service was extremely good, wine reasonably priced, the décor perfect and all this accompanied by a suitably subtle oud player.

For those of us that live in Fez, there is a challenge. Our notions about what is Moroccan food, need a real shake up. The days of "nine salads" or chicken with preserved lemon, or lamb with prunes are long gone and one day Fez chefs will wake up to the fact that there is a new Moroccan cuisine. That day can't come soon enough.

INFO:
Riad Tanja, Rue du Portugal Escalier Américain, Tanger Médina
Ph +212 539333538

See all The View from Fez POSTCARDS HERE.

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