Restaurant Name: Riad Omar
We had barely had time to drop off our bags at Riad Hamza when Ahmed suggested we might be hungry. In fact, I was ravenous and so we decided to accept Ahmed's offer of finding us a place to dine for the evening, particularly in light of his success at finding us a beautiful place to stay.
We walked back onto the main street and followed Ahmed's nimble silhouette to Riad Omar. The entrance and halls were similar to our accommodation's but on a larger scale. We were surprised to be shown to the terrace despite the pouring rain, but a marquee style canopy protected a luxuriously upholstered dining area from the elements. The terrace was crowded with French and Moroccan diners and we chose a corner couch with a discreet view of the room. There was no music but the constant cheery chatter gave the restaurant a lively atmosphere.
Looking at the menu, Ahmed helpfully selected two meals that we should try. I noticed they came in boxes with five lines each seeming to end in a separate dish - a five course meal...EACH??? Ahmed assured us the portions were small and his suggestion would be perfect for us. We must have looked hungry!
I know this sounds daft, but I must mention the toilets! They have the dearest little open air entrance with wash basin leading onto cubicles with swing-shutter doors that lock with huge iron bolts!
Due to the lack of alcohol at Riad Omar, Jonathan had started to sober up fast and it was lucky that several feline visitors kept his mind off his hangover. Thus we began the longest meal of our lives!
Favorite Dish: The five course set menus cost 250 dirhams each and could feed an army! Our evening commenced with cold salad dishes and bread. Spiced carrots, olives and pasta all featured and also very sweet honeyed dates which I found peculiar at the beginning of a meal. The next course was tagines of lamb and chicken which were beautifully prepared and presented. The lamb tagine was cooked with chicken livers which are a favourite of mine and Jonathan's.
Couscous was served next with many different root vegetables to compliment it. I found this quite bland but satisfying after the spicy tagines. A huge basket a fruit was brought to the table once the couscous was cleared. At this point we were beginning to feel uncomfortably full and then melon was soothing and refreshing. A word to the wise - don't fill up on that bread in the first course or you will explode!
When the mint tea was finally served we couldn't even look at the sweet pastries that accompanied it!
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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30
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Address: Rue Riad Zitoun El Kedim
Directions: Straight down the road from Djemma El-Fna, just before you get to The Tazi.
Marrakesh
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on May 19, 2006
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