…we have to talk !

I think it was the size of it that knocked me over… no, not the bill, the tasting platter!

Helene ordered the aforementioned platter…the visual effect alone was worth visiting the restaurant, it was very original. This well-sized dish (I’m talking about the platter, not Helene, I have to explain everything around here!), carried lots of different things to nibble (sushi, spring rolls, Thai tuna salad, garlic, ginger, little Satay sticks, ravioli…) and at first sight the sheer quantity made an impression, just as much as the flavour of everything.

As for me, I stuck to the traditional end of Thai cuisine. A shrimp carpaccio, fresh, a little spicy, a little basic, but well presented and agreeable to the taste buds. And with a duck curry as well, I was feeling good.  Our friends (yes, we have 2 or 3), regulars at the restaurant and the reason for us being at the Thai Bistro, also stuck with the sure fire hits of Thai cuisine…chicken salad, pad thai…everyone finished their meals, leaving us feeling good overall.

Well, that’s right isn’t it Bruno?

“Well, I don’t know if it’s the Porto I had as an aperitif or my week fighting with Morocco Telecom, but I found that a little insipid… But actually it was really fine.”

The menu itself, a little full, presented the different dishes in a newspaper-type layout, which was very original. Our waiters were available but not intrusive, smiling and flexible, not always easy to find in a Marrakech restaurant. The environment was agreeable, let’s say restful and peaceful, and the terrace we ate on was spacious and very green…a bit like Bruno who was still chewing over his problems with Morocco Telecom.

The Colonel test: not on the menu, but after an explanation, was served with a smile and in the end was rather well presented – a first!

And finally, the bill was a truly pleasant surprise:

4 starters and mains + aperitif + 2 bottles of wine (Bruno’s fault) + 2 Colonels (again Bruno’s fault) = 1398 Dirhams… Waiter – the same again!

Hurry to take advantage of this great value, it may not last!

Emmanuel.

PS: Bruno has since resolved his problems with Morocco Telecom…

Bistro Thaï

8, rue Oued El Makhazine, Gueliz
40000 – Marrakech – Maroc
Téléphone : +212 5 24 45 73 11

Tell this to the rest of the world !

Let’s not get carried away: we’re talking about a Thai restaurant…in Marrakech!

Here’s how it went:
Screened by two gorillas (an unknown species as they are not found among the fauna of the Thai jungles…), we entered in to one of the rooms of the restaurant. While a little dark, there was a good impression of warmth and conviviality, agreeable music playing, at a good level…
We were accompanied by a hostess who seated us and started us reading the menu. Reading the menu is very interesting, a little lengthy as it’s very full…and of course it’s quite dark…so the aperitif was very welcome, even if it didn’t have an amuse-bouche with it (more’s the pity!)….

…so we attacked the entrees, already on the table.

The presentation was clean, appetising and the flavours were good. What we ate was good and in a fair quantity. The rhythm of the meal is rather fluid and well managed , given the constant comings and goings of diners (that’s success for you), which don’t create any bother. The food is always in the right tone and in the right time, which perfectly covers over a few little cracks in the service, not very noticeable (well, yes, but me, I’m particularly fussy, doncha know!)

The appearance of the plates was overall satisfying, from what we could see in the gloom!

On to the Colonel’s Test ( the Colonel is a type of dessert made of sorbet and spirits, very well known in Francophone countries ) a lapse in taste, as it wasn’t on the menu…certainly it’s not a Thai speciality, but well, the ability to improvise is always a plus…especially as Asian cuisine in general isn’t very well stocked in desserts. So I didn’t get my Colonel…sniff sniff…

The Marrakech restaurant ‘Mai Thai’ left us with a good impression overall, in a very beautiful villa, a good standard of cooking, well managed and with an agreeable atmosphere. Count on around 500 Dirhams per person, drinks included.
I will return with pleasure.

Emmanuel

Mai Thai Restaurant

( Open for lunch/dinner from tuesday til sunday )
Villa la Saumuroise
Angle Paris Street – Echouhada Avenue
40000 Marrakech – MOROCCO
Phone : +212 5 24 45 73 01
Fax : +212 5 24 45 72 94
Email : maithaiinfo@yahoo.fr

Tell this to the rest of the world !