October 2024, Dubai, UAE: The beating heart of one of the world’s finest palaces, La Grande Table Marocaine is the flagship restaurant of the Royal Mansour Marrakech. Now overseen by Hélène Darroze, La Grande Table Marocaine, the definitive gastronomic showcase in Morocco, celebrates the country’s exquisite flavours and enchanting aromas. Belonging to the very exclusive circle of Les Grandes Tables du Monde, it epitomises Moroccan culinary excellence, bringing tagines, pastilla, couscous and many other dishes that are exquisite symbols of the Kingdom, to their pinnacle of perfection.
La Grande Table Marocaine also highlights the prestigious craftsmanship of Morocco in its décor, which is authentic and elegant down to the smallest detail. In fact, a regal setting is revealed, upon opening a majestic, panelled door. Under high ceilings, nestled in deep armchairs, surrounded by walls adorned with works of art, guests are immersed in an Arabian fairytale. Precious crockery and cutlery, colourful glassware and designer linens invite guests to feast, while the languorous melodies of the oud and lute complete the multi-sensory experience.
On the gastronomic front, the Grande Table Marocaine, the best ambassador for the Kingdom’s cuisine since it opened in 2010, has entered a new era. The arrival of French chef Hélène Darroze at the Royal Mansour Marrakech has lifted this iconic restaurant even higher in the gastronomic firmament of Africa.
Jean-Claude Messant, Managing Director of the Royal Mansour Collection, says, “We are delighted to be working with Hélène Darroze. With this great chef, whose talent is internationally recognised, we are not only furthering our ambition to offer new experiences to our guests, in order to continually surprise them, but we are also taking our values of sharing and conviviality to the highest level. By combining the richness of the Moroccan terroir with respect for traditions and the creativity and recognised skills of Hélène Darroze, we are strengthening and perpetuating our ranking as a top culinary destination,” says.
Coming from a dynasty of Basque-Landes chefs, Hélène Darroze has been awarded three stars for her restaurant “Hélène Darroze at the Connaught” (London), two stars for her Restaurant Marsan (Paris) and one star for her restaurant “Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste” (Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade). With her love for the land and for products grown with respect for nature, this chef has always delivered truly caring cuisine. In the kitchen, her key words are authenticity and generosity, values that she shares with the management and teams at the Royal Mansour Marrakech, where she has worked since Spring 2023.
Since time immemorial, the heart of the Moroccan medinas has pulsed to the rhythm of the traditional ovens, those public places where the residents came to bake their bread or their Tangia, under the direction of the ‘Fraini’, who fed the wood fires and put each family’s wooden boards or tajines in the oven. To preserve this culinary legacy, the Royal Mansour has opened a kitchen designed in the style of these neighbourhood ovens. There are two bread ovens: in the first, a terracotta dome, the Tafarnout bread is roasted on stones at a high temperature. In the second, which is conical in shape, Tanourt bread is baked on the inner walls. Another oven with falling embers, resembling a large amphora, cooks mechouis and other meats on spits. Enough to provide ample fuel to inspire Chef Hélène Darroze.
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