Ashokai Japanese..closest thing to all-you-can-eat

Ashokai is maybe not the best Japanese restaurant in Casablanca, nevertheless it deserves to be considered as a fun and convenient option for group dinners due to its centric location and unbeatable price. In a quiet spot of Gauthier, Ashokai looks more like a normal coffee shop than a Japanese restaurant, bright light, white sofas and apparently only 1 CD, Ashokai remains a fun place to meet up your friends and be loud. The clients are young and clean, the waiters are kind and unpretentious, and the menu options are very complete with all the classics you may want in a Japanese. They do not have alcohol license, which only means that the bill is always surprisingly low. Last time we were a group of 8 people, we ordered some menu that included more than 100 pieces and came with a tasty miso soup as a starter. The sushis were good and fresh enough, and with quite a lot of variety. We did not manage to finish them. Desserts were not Japanese at all but in any case they had the classics one may like: cheese cake, banofie pie, tiramisú, mousse de chocolat, etc the most expensive being 30 dhs. The bill arrived, including drinks, we divided by 8, the result: 140dhs each, that considering what we ate is an outstanding value. 

We have tried to order take away and was equally satisfactory if not very quick. So if you want a cheap Japanese lunch/dinner before doing a Harakiri, Ashokai may be a good option.

Rue d'Oran, Casablanca, Morocco (opposite Hotel Yto)

tel. 212 5 22 27 57 06 

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Iloli, the best overpriced Japanese of Casablanca

The other day decided to go and give a try to Iloli, an upmarket japanese restaurant that our friends A. and S. had liked so much. The restaurant is very well made and gives the impression that could be anywhere in the world, warm woods, perfect lighting and an open kitchen with perfectly japanese people working on it. Even if the interior is really cozy, specially the tables in the mezzanine (consider booking there), we decided to sit outdoors, in a large terrace surrounded by beautiful bamboo, it was the evening and the heating was just Comme il faut. The setting was perfect. We asked for some gin and tonic at 90 dirhams (no choice of gins, only Bombay, so not bad anyway) and had a look at the menu. Because the names are mainly Japanese they provide you with what they call a little "passport" containing the explanation of all their dishes. Nice touch. Waiters were extremely kind and well informed. There is a selection of menus around 500 dhs but we like to do things our way so we asked from the carte. I ordered the tuna tartar as a start and foie gras and shiitake ravioli as a main course...priced at 220 dhs. Very very expensive for Morocco, even by snob casaouis standards. A really tasty amuse bouche arrived, some rolled beef deep fried, very good. Then the tartar arrived...or a microscopic sample of it. Very well made and fresh, it was really a pity it lasted for about 2 minutes, without exaggerating there were probably around 60 grams of tuna meat. At 90 dirhams was hardly a bargain. We kept drinking the white wine, a Pinot Grigio. The ravioli on broth arrived; of course being Italian I know I cannot expect the quality I eat at home when my aunty cooks, but really I expected better for the price of a two days salary of a mid-income person in Morocco. I could taste the foie, but broth had no taste, and I don't buy Japanese have no taste for good soups. So big disappointment. People seemed to be enjoying their overpriced pasta with clams (are we in a Japanese?). M. after eating what he ordered and everything being so tiny, had to ask for something else. We had a look at the desserts, all priced at 120 dirhams. No comment. Since we were curious about such a wonder price we asked some desserts to share, typical Japanese desserts like moelleux au chocolat...we were automatically transported to Tokyo. But not because of the special taste, but rather when the bill arrived, worthy of the most expensive city in the world. 

So the conclusion is simple, everything was rather good, but disconnected from the prices. So if you dont care about money you can very well give it a shot. Do not expect any kind of ambiance around you, rather romantic dinners going on and very low voices and a Buddha Bar CD from 2007 going on and on and on.

Restaurant Iloli: Najib Mahfoud, Casablanca, Morocco

Tel:+212 608-866633

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