My trip to Europe: Le Marrakech, Moroccan restaurant in Grenoble, France

We went to Le Marrakech, a Moroccan restaurant, two years ago and were still talking about it, wanting to go back to eat some of their couscous or tagines. And we did come back this time, with my Dad, brother Hervé, sister in law Rosa and nephew Valentin. 

This place is spectacular, not only because of the Moroccan cuisine, but also because of the fabulous decor that transports you to Morocco as soon as you enter the restaurant. 

I went to Morocco 15 years ago, in a trip through the desert, with stops in Marrakech, with its crowded soukh, and Ouarzazatte, sleeping and eating under a tent, in the middle of the dunes. There, I discovered the Moroccan mint tea that is more flavorful than the packets you can buy in stores, and deliciously sweet, perfect to help with digestion. We in fact started and finished our meal with it. 

If you are not into tea, they also have some local wine bottles. 

I got to try some appetizers that were delicious, such as the brick kefta, a phyllo like sheet rolled like a cigar, filled with ground meat:

Moroccan brunch at Barbès in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

We found Barbès when looking for a restaurant near the Morgan Library as we wanted to see the da Vinci exhibit. I was pretty excited to go to a Moroccan restaurant: I remembered some fantastic vacations many years ago where I spent a week going from Marrakech to Ouarzazate in a 4x4, sleeping mostly in tents in the Sahara desert.

I was wondering if the restaurant was named after the very popular Barbès boulevard in Paris, but unfortunately could not confirm. 

The entrance of the restaurant is a heavy wooden door with a hand of Fatima that can be used to knock. Spiritually, it represents protection. Hopefully, this would provide protection to our stomach as we noticed that the restaurant had a Grade Pending that can mean few things: new restaurant not yet rated, the restaurant disagreed with its grade and filed an appeal, or they really had lots of sanitary violations...

The place had some warmth with its exposed bricks and hardwood floors, and the high ceilings gave a feel of space. 

We started off with some mint tea that they poured from a distance to create some foam on top. Some say it is to bring some oxygen to it.

The tea pot contained approximately four servings.