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The View from Fez team sampled the fare at Maison Blanche this week, a new restaurant in the Ville Nouvelle.


This is a very swish place with ultra-modern decor of grey slate, lots of black and accents of shocking pink. Upstairs is a large bar area where you can have an aperitif.

The menu changes with the seasons and is overseen by French chef, Julien Louis. It features a smallish range of fusion food from the Mediterranean and Morocco which is beautifully presented.


Tempted with an amuse-bouche of a small mushroom vol-au-vent, the team went on to try a first course of Parma ham. Portions were generous - the ham came accompanied by antipasto and bruschetta. Main courses followed: dorade cooked to perfection and served with a lemony mousse-like sauce and a pretty tartlet filled with perfect al dente vegetables. The beef fillet was also cooked as ordered and came with a good jus, almond encrusted potatoes and a vegetable caponata.

Chocolate-lovers are well catered for in the dessert section with both a fondant and a nem-like creation of chocolate and bananas.

A few small criticisms: a lack of staff training was evident, and service with a smile would have been appreciated. Note that the degustation menu is only available if ordered for two people or more, a fact that isn't mentioned on the menu. Finally, for some reason it's not possible to have a glass of wine in the upstairs bar, where only champagne, liquors and cigars are served, despite a massive wine cellar in plain view.

The wine list is impressive here, with offerings from Europe as well as new world wines. It's also possible to have wine by the glass, a nice touch.

The team's meal for two, including a couple of glasses of wine each, came to Dh1050 before the tip.

Maison Blanche: 12 Rue Ahmed Chaouki, Fes Ville Nouvelle (opposite Hotel Jnan Palace).
Tel: 0535 622 727. Open for lunch and dinner from 19h30 daily except Monday.