Shirvan Café Métisse of Paris Comes to Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech is delighted to welcome Chef Akrame Benallal’s world-famous Paris restaurant, the Michelin-starred Shirvan Café Métisse, to Marrakech. And what better setting than Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech to bring together the aromas of the Orient, Europe and Asia with the scents of the nearby Medina.

From 20 December, Chef Akrame takes over the resort’s restaurant and transforms it into a Shirvan Café Métisse. This pop-up restaurant is designed by architectural duo Gilles and Boissier as a “modern refuge with Berber and Andalusian Arab influences”. The relaxing atmosphere blends the modern with Oriental culture and the Tales from the Arabian Nights.

Chef Akrame comes from Paris with his entire team to develop a menu where the textures, tastes and aromas of traditional Moroccan food mix with those of the West and some subtle hints of Asiatic cuisine. It’s like an invitation to a gastronomic world tour. For example, guests can order a small Tartare of Bluefin Tuna, with an unmistakably Far-Eastern character. Or Oysters Chermoullah Style, flavoured with a mix of world spices: harissa, ras el hanout (a blend of traditional Moroccan spices), zkhoug (a hot sauce from Yemen) and chimichurri (a sauce from South America). There’s also a Pastilla de Homard (Lobster Tart), the result of a love affair between Moroccan and French gastronomy, and a magnificent Shoulder of Suckling Lamb Confit en Croûte.

The idea of fusion underpins the style of the Oriental and international cuisine of the new Shirvan, a source of richness and diversity. To accompany these outstanding dishes, Chef Akrame, has some vegetarian fusions like a legendary Tahini-Roasted Cauliflower with orange blossom.

Many of the vegetables come straight from the hotel’s 100% organic kitchen garden. The garden also boasts a fine collection of herbs, which give the dishes and desserts exotic flavours and aromas. The proof is in the puddings with a superb Sorbet Grenade (Pomegranate Sorbet) with ginger and mint from the garden, and the resort’s inimitable Baklava Glacé.

Some more good news. On New Year’s Eve, the Shirvan will dress itself in light and, for just one evening, become a dreamlike escape from reality. In a discreetly subdued atmosphere, guests will be able to savour a special menu steeped in the flavours and perfumes of the Mediterranean, before enjoying the Electro-Oriental music provided by a DJ specially booked for the occasion. The Shirvan will be open from 6pm so guests can admire the sunset against a backdrop of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains.

Shirvan Café Métisse Restaurant and Bar is open every evening from 6pm to 11pm from 20 December. Dinner on 31 December is MAD2,680 per person.

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