La Case Restaurant, Meknes ~ Review

In the new part of Meknes, behind a cheerful striped façade, lies the restaurant La Case. La Case has long been one of the best restaurants in the region and is owned by Reda Zniber, the driving force behind popular wine label Celliers de Meknes.

The View from Fez team visited for a weekday lunch. The interior décor of the restaurant is warm and appealing, while the menu is a mix of French and Moroccan, with a focus on fresh fish.

The daily specials board offered crevisse or freshwater crayfish, so we had this as an entrée accompanied by a cream sauce which may have had cognac waved over it. The amount of meat obtainable from the small crustaceans, compared to the work involved in getting it out, tends to be disproportionate. However, this just makes you appreciate the subtle and delicate result all the more, and that was true in this case.

Continuing on the water theme, we chose swordfish and lobster for our mains.

The swordfish steak was a considerable size. It was very fresh and perfectly cooked, with just a hint of salt and lemon. Unfortunately the same could not be said of the vegetables, julienned courgettes and carrots, which were over-boiled.

The triumph was the lobster. At 90 dh per hundred grams, this is a dish for special occasions. Prepared simply, the flesh was light and sweet and the chef had wisely served it simple and unadorned.

Our meal was complemented by the wonderful Cote de l’Atlas wine; full-bodied with an overtone of resin. It’s the only Moroccan wine to have a well deserved AOC - appellation d’origine controlée.

Desserts included a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate fondant, with excellent house-made vanilla ice-cream, and Crepes Suzette. The latter eschewed the usual sauce made from Grand Marnier and orange juice and instead owed a lot to marmalade - an unexpected, but not unpleasant flavour.

La Case is an excellent place for a lunch outing, which can be followed by a visit to the Château Roslane, where Cote de l’Atlas is produced.

La Case Restaurant, 8 Boulevard Moulay Youssef, 50000 Méknes. 
Reservations: +212535524019

Text and photographs: Suzanna Clarke

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