Brunch alert: Rick's Cafe

So you're looking for the best Sunday brunch in Casablanca, but at the same time you think that Rick's cafe its too obvious a choice, and on top of everything you think that the whole thing must be fake since the film was not shot in Morocco...Open your mind. Ricks cafè is already and institution here in Casablanca, in fact they just celebrated its 10th anniversary not long ago; the deco its superb, the waiters are spot on and about the best you can find in Morocco, and the food is always fresh and -to Casablanca standarts- not expensive. So when my american friend rang me to propose me Sunday brunch I was like: eehh...ok...let's play the tourist. How wrong I was, the place is spectacular and super chill-out, some moroccan couples, some foreigners, everyone casual chic (there is actually a dress code to follow); none of those over-excited people with camera... actually I was the only one taking photos.
The brunch is reserved for the first floor, that is way cooler than the lower floor. On the brunch menu there's pretty much everything you are dreaming of right now: eggs benedict, omelettes with whatever ingredients you may like, ham, cheeses (parmesano, roqueford, gouda, etc), grilled potatoes with some kind of beef strogonoff, tagliatelle with seafood sauce...shall I continue? and then of course you've got the fresh orange juice 'a volonte', milk with cacao, cafe, tea, cereals, homemade yogurt, strawberry cake, pain au chocolat, french toast with maple syrup...well let`s say that the choice is larger than your appetite, whatever your weight may be. And all that at 160 dirhams, yes there's no mistake, 160 dhs for a king's brunch, so I guess...I'll see u there next Sunday.

Ricks Cafe
248, Bd Sour Jdid. Place du jardin public.
Ancienne médina. Casablanca. Morocco.
tel. 0522 27 42 07
0522 27 42 08
info@rickscafe.ma

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F.Kabbaj...easy Sunday brunch

We cannot possibly say that F Kabbaj is a secret because this little gem of a restaurant is always in the top ten Tripadvisor list for Casablanca, but what we can say is that once you've been there, you kind of wish that it was. F.Kabbaj works as a restaurant and as a 'traiteur' (kind of a deli) from Monday to Saturday but when the Sunday comes...it's brunch day! They set two large tables, in one side: quiches, duck ham, grilled vegetables, eggs 'mimosa', roast beef with mustard sauce, homemade smoked salmon, Spanish omelette, foie-gras, duck lasagne, different salads, mlaoui with 'khlii', and many more I cant remember but I did eat; on the other table, desserts: apple cake 'tatin', baba spongecake with (or without) Rhum, cheesecake, chocolate mousse, sweet milky rice with cinnamon, and many many more things. The conclusion: we couldn't move from our chairs. at 290 dirhams is really not cheap for Morocco, but considering you get all-you-can-eat, plus unlimited orange juice, bread, jam, honey, croissants, etc etc it makes for an excellent weekend treat. The owners are always there and make sure you feel like home. The clients are all well breed, the sort of people you would cross in Fortum & Mason in London. The specialty of the house are all things duck-related, so if you dream with foie-gras this is definitely your place. On Sundays booking is a must. 

30 rue des Arènes, quartier Racine Casablanca

Tel.: +212 5 22 98 50 78 

http://www.fkabbaj.ma

 

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Blend Gourmet Burger

A relatively new place in Casablanca, Blend Gourmet Burger has established himself as the reference in terms of burger quality in the city. With an easygoing look in the usual New York style, the place manages to make you feel at ease, simple tables, fun bathrooms, open kitchen and the detail I liked the most...free pickles in each table...just help yourself! With the cheapest burger starting at 75 dhs the place is obviously not a bargain, but quality stands up, and you get good meat, decent home fries and a very tiny micro salad, not for humans really. They didn't ask me how cooked I wanted the meat, which is a very bad thing since I like it rare and it came well done, but the taste was good. Unfortunately the mayonnaise was not homemade, but what it was homemade were the juices, that came in giant pots and were very very good, one was a mixture of green elements mixing apple and broccoli and other fruits, and a red one with beetroot and carrot amongst other ingredients.

The place is packed with youngsters and some cool families, and generally people you would not be ashamed of be seen with. The place does not serve alcohol, which is a good thing if you're inviting someone but a bad one if you actually want to have fun.

So basically a good place for lunch in an area with plenty of life and choice and very little parking space.

Rue Theophile Gauthier,9, Casablanca ‎

tel +212 5224-91122

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Les Frères Gourmet, more than a Tea House

Les Frères Gourmet is the kind of place where a writer can go and sit during hours and hours. No one bothers you, the service is very polite, they smile all the time, and never try to rush you so the table is free for some other client. The decoration is contemporary yet very elegant: plenty of bookcases, nice wallpapers, old photographs scattered everywhere...they have a cute little terrace for the 300+ sunny days that you get in Casablanca and is located in the most civilized of streets, where you can find Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard and many other jewelers. I know what you're thinking, but actually the clients are not as snobbish as one may imagine, they come in beautiful cars and smell expensive, yes, but they're more the connoisseur type rather than the judgmental bitch. Gatsby is a regular here, and specially enjoys the best hot chocolate in Town, thick and made out of real chocolate, not some Nesquick powder. Ice creams, sandwiches, omelettes, Frères Gourmet is a good alternative to a regular restaurant since the feeling is much nicer than in some real ones, and the prices are really affordable. Its interesting that in the upper floor they sell cute handmade arts & crafts from candles to cushions and the kind of Jewelery you could find in Ibiza...and that you can only wear in Ibiza. As many other places in chic Casablanca, they offer a car park valet.

Price of the best hot chocolate in town: 30 dhs

Rue AÏn Harrouda,9 (ex. Jeanne d'Arc), Casablanca

tel.+212 522 94 60 00

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Sojou, quick and tasty lunch

Sojou is the healthiest option in the neighborhood when it comes to have a quick and tasty lunch before going back to work, or as Gatsby does it, enjoy the cute little terrace trying one of their smoothies when others go to work.

The daily menu changes constantly, depending on the season you can have a really nice courgette soup, broccoli soup, leek soup or even gazpacho (Spanish raw tomato soup) in summer. They propose quiches at amazingly good value, and also wraps and sandwiches. The star of the place are the self composed salads, you can choose all the ingredients and add as many of you want for as little as 0.5 dhs each, the final price might not be as cheap as the traditional Moroccan place round the corner serving tuna-can sandwiches, but the BIO label, the cleanliness and the friendly staff are spot on. If you still have doubts just try the tiramisú dessert or another of my favorites, the lovely cheesecake.

Tip: ask for the member's card and have one free dessert every ten times you come. Like Tesco says, every little helps.

Price à la carte: 50 to 100 dhs

90 rue Moussa Bnou Noussair, 20050 Casablanca
tel. 05224-72200
From 9am to 8'30pm daily

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Hippopotamus...Best Steak Tartar in Town

Whoever has driven in French motorways knows that there are only two human options if you want to have a decent meal when you're on the road, Buffalo Grill and Hippopotamus. The first one has yet to come to Morocco, but the second one happens to have a very very good restaurant right in the middle of the snobbish neighborhood of Gauthier. Hippopotamus is an easy one, there is never much people, no one really cares about you (sometimes not even the waitress) and its extremely fair priced. The decoration is much like in France but for some reason in this specific Hippopotamus Gatsby likes to feel that the light is specially romantic, maybe because he had lunch here with a very beautiful woman that happens now to be his girlfriend. Perfect for a secret date or a business meal, there is nothing in Casablanca like the steak tartar they serve here. First for the quality, and secondly for its price, around 90 dhs with home fries and a garlic mayo that you will come back for. In the menu you can find all kind of meats, since its the house specialty, but the pastas are also good and you can even find some salads. They serve alcohol at competitive prices and the Tarte Tatin is one of the best desserts in town.

Price à la carte: 150-250 dhs

Place de la Chaouia angle rue Mustapha El Manfalouti, Gauthier Casablanca

tel. +212(0)5 22 27 97 47

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Paul Villa Zevaco

If you like the idea to see and – specially- be seen under the x-rays of all the ladies-who-lunch and that maybe are looking also for a lover or a second husband just go to Paul Villa Zevaco around 17h to have a coffee or an overpriced orange juice. Lodged in the imposing house of the famous Zevaco architect, Paul is at the same time a bakery, a pastry shop, a restaurant, a coffee shop and a garden. The fireplace room is perfect for the rainy days but the exterior seating is perfect all year round thanks to the mild Casablanca weather. The place is centrally located and makes an easy meeting point with plenty of parking space for your Panamera. It feels better than any Venezia Ice and its undoubtedly the starting place for any respectable wannabe social celebrity. Unfortunately (or maybe thanks God) they do not serve alcohol. The food is not great either, so better stick to sweets and juices.

Boulevard Abdelkrim El Khattabi et Boulevard Moulay Rachid, Anfa , 40000, Casablanca, Maroc

tel.+212 5 22 36 60 00

http://www.paul.ma

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