After eating mostly pastillas and various kinds of tajines for the past two weeks in Morocco, we were ready to expand our palette and try something new for lunch. After arriving in Tangier by train, we opted for a petit taxi to get to our hotel. There are two kinds of taxis in Morocco – grand and petit. Grand taxis are old Mercedes cars – they cost a bit more, have A/C and are hired as needed. Petit taxis are smaller cars that function a bit more like Uber Pool or Lyft Line. The driver waits to fill up his taxi before heading off or may pick up a rider or two along the way. Our petit taxi companion (who also functioned as our translator for our driver) recommended we try a small fish restaurant as it was located near our hotel.
Seafood in a coastal town? Yes, please!
On our second afternoon in Tangier, we made our way to Restaurant Le Saveur De Poisson. On arrival, you are greeted with a narrow storefront displaying fresh produce, and a tiny open kitchen using a primitive wood/coal fired stove to grill fish. The small dining area on the right serves about 30 people at a time and it’s seat yourself. With luck on our side, we scored the last small table.
As you enter the restaurant, there is a small sign with the “menu.” They do not provide a menu at the table as the meal is prepared based on the fresh catch of the day and what’s available at the local farmers’ markets. Your only role is to sit down and prepare to be amazed. We were soon approached by a warm and friendly waiter with two glasses of fig and other fruit juice, two bowls of fish soup, a large bowl of nuts and a bowl of fresh baked Moroccan bread with a side dish of fresh harissa. The dishes are simple and designed to highlight freshness. Even the cutlery is handmade out of wood. The portions were large, and we couldn’t stop eating the delicious soup. Ladies and gentlemen, this was only the beginning.
The second course was a dish of grilled baby shark and octopus served on a hot plate. We’ve never had baby shark before, but it was tender and delicious. The octopus was perfect…not chewy or rubbery at all. Just squeeze a little lime and get going.
The third course was a whole John Dory fish along with skewers of more baby shark. Again, squeeze lime, grab some soft bread and enjoy. Simply divine.
Dessert was a bowl of warm whole figs with warm nuts and barley drizzled with honey. Nothing complicated but everything worked beautifully together.
This was the most fantastic and fresh meal we have had in our entire first six months of travel. How much do you think this meal cost us? We dread to think how much would it have been in San Francisco? At about 200 Moroccan Dirhams each (about $20 per person), the meal doesn’t qualify as cheap but seemed a very fair price for such excellent food and service. Our waiter even included a parting gift of a local handmade mug and a woven basket purse.
We noted in our Bourdain piece that one of his favorite restaurants was Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco. It’s one of our favorites too. We think Bourdain would’ve flipped out over Restaurant Le Saveur De Poisson. There are many similarities but just enough differences to make the experience unique. The restaurant is perfect in every way. It’s not overly fancy. Doesn’t take itself too seriously. And the food is the featured star. The only thing lacking for Bourdain is that they don’t serve alcohol though we don’t think he would’ve minded. The food is that good.
From our present home in Seville, to get back to Tangier, we’d have to take a train from Seville to San Fernando/Cadiz, a bus to Tarifa and a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier. Isn’t it absurd to even consider a half day journey with 3 forms of transport to return for just one meal at Restaurant Le Saveur De Poisson? Hold on, we’re thinking…and checking the calendar…
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