Saturday, April 18, 2009

Fez Restaurant Review - Trois Sources




Good restaurants can be fickle things. With the passing of time, the turnover of staff or a change of chef can all effect the standard of both service and food. With that in mind The View from Fez will be visiting restaurants around Fez and report back on any differences in the cuisine since we last reviewed them.

A welcoming fire at Trois Sources

Back in May 2007, The View from Fez reviewed Trois Sources, a restaurant that many of us had been visiting for several years. This week we returned and can happily report that both the food and service has been maintained at the high standard people have come to expect from this top restaurant.

The location of the restaurant on the outskirts of the Ville Nouvelle, on the Route d' Immouzer, can be a problem with transport but Trois Sources continue to run a pick up and delivery service that collects you and takes you back to your hotel or home. This service must be booked in advance and is recommended for those without private transport as taxis are almost impossible to get near the restaurant late at night. Although this is a free service, we suggest you tip the driver on your return journey.

Gérard Chemit

On arrival we were greeted with a glass of Kir and a warm fire which was most welcome in the cold weather. In summer one of the delights of Trois Sources is a beautiful outdoor area. Being a little way out of town it is always interesting to see the restaurant so well patronised. On this occasion one of our fellow diners was the photographer, Gérard Chemit and his wife. Gérard was relaxing prior to the opening of his photographic exhibition at the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture

The ambiance is very relaxed and Trois Sources maintains a standard ,menu and a daily selection. In our experience it is best to use the daily selection as it is here that you will find the chef's latest creations. Although the wine list contains some very drinkable wines, the list is a little limited and on the expensive side.

The entrées are all very reasonably sized and the dish of prawns ( pictured above) was actually enough for two people to share. There was also a very agreeable Vietnamese prawn salad (pictured below).


Trois Sources has a great reputation for seafood and the owner, Mehdi Msefer, makes a point of trucking in his own fish direct from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coasts which guarantees you are eating only the freshest of fish.

Swordfish steak

The swordfish (espadon) is particularly good. As the menu changes from time to time, do look out for the souffle of crustaceans - a mix of prawns and lobster - it is irresistible, as is the mountain trout.

magret de canard et de coquelet

However, last night we tried the magret de canard et de coquelet, the tournedos rossini and the swordfish. The magret was superbly cooked with just the faintest tinge of pink at the centre. Served with a light sauce and beautifully cooked vegetables it was of the same quality that one would expect in any fine French restaurant.

Having a final course is always problematic - simply because the choice is hard. This time we settled on the Fondant au Chocolat and were not disappointed.

Fondant au chocolat

To sum up: the food, service and ambiance at Trois Sources has remained at a high standard and is recommended as the place to go for a special meal. You can book a table and transport for Trois Sources at: 0535 606 532.

Mehdi Msefer not only owns Trois Sources, but has recently opened his new antique shop in Batha. You can read about it here: Boutique Numero 1.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I struggle to understand the positive reviews of Trois Sources as my only experience somewhat differs from that of the author of this article. I indeed arranged a transfer to the restaurant – it was an hour late, the vehicle was not roadworthy and I had to pay for fuel at a garage en route.

On arrival there were very few customers in the vast dining room and the atmosphere was distinctly dark and dreary – certainly not welcoming. In fact it is like stepping back in time – not in a good way! Things deteriorated when a local band started playing excruciatingly poorly at a very antisocial volume.

The prawns are good but the other dishes were nothing special. This sort of dated approach to cooking would be laughed at in Europe but seems to survive here given the very limited international culinary scene in Fez.

Anonymous said...

The comment (above) seems very strange and I wonder if it was written by a competitor? The food at Trois Sources is as good and as modern as I get on my regular trips to France.

I have my own car so do not use their transport but friends do and say it is fine.

Either the person above is mixing up his restaurants or is on another planet.

Jacques