FEZ CHRISTINE CUNANAN learns how to make a tagine at the PALAIS AMANI

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1 Cooking Lessons in FEZ CHRISTINE CUNANAN learns how to make a tagine at the PALAIS AMANI PHOTOs BY Xxxxxxx.

2 Like many jewels of Morocco, the beauty of Palais Amani lies hidden behind its heavy wooden doors. To say that the Palais Amani underwhelms at the outset is an understatement. I still remember with not a little trepidation our arrival on the first of my two visits there last year. We d driven from Morocco s capital of Rabat to the edge of the old town of ancient Fez, passing the palace of the King and skirting the walls of the medina before alighting in a parking lot amidst wheelbarrows of food and dry goods, vehicles in various states of disrepair, and masses of people from rambunctious teenagers playing ball games to old ladies hawking homemade sweets. And then we had to trudge up a narrow alleyway used by donkeys and pockmarked with stones, entering this via a steep staircase sandwiched by a budget hostel with a television blaring on the top floor and an equally cheap-looking café serving the ubiquitous chicken tagine. It wasn t quite the setting I d imagined for a stylish hotel in exotic Fez. In fact, my companion had very clearly asked me with unhappy undertones, as we navigated an unpicturesque passageway and walked along an equally spartan corridor towards our destination: What kind of hotel have you booked? WHAT LIES BEHIND Fortunately, I chose to ignore this rhetorical question and to simply let the hotel I d booked eventually speak for itself. Like many jewels of Morocco, the beauty of Palais Amani lies hidden behind its heavy wooden doors. That day, a dozen steps past these doors inside and we suddenly found ourselves in a lovely 600-square meter garden palatial, considering we were APRIL - MAY xx

3 inside the medina amidst a setting of greenery, dancing fountains and intricately tiled walls that hinted of a graceful past as the well-loved home of a prosperous family. A CITY FOR STRONG FEELINGS We spent many happy days here at Palais Amani, discovering the best of Fez, which is the kind of city one either loves or hates. The biggest authentic riad in Fez, it s also charming in an intimate way, and I was instantly enchanted by the low-key and easy elegance of this hotel. Our room was one for the books as well. I m sure it was the best suite in the riad because it occupied one whole wing of the second floor. We entered via a living room into a bedroom with two separate dressing rooms and five large floor-to-ceiling windows with French-style balustrades that overlooked the garden. The bathroom was further yes, it was quite a walking workout in a lovely room that might have been a home in itself. It was definitely love at first sight, for me and this suite. Fez is a busy jumble of dark corners and nearly 10,000 alleyways that are chaotic by day, and almost deathly quiet at night with no in-betweens. A major UNESCO World Heritage site, it s a busy jumble of dark corners and nearly 10,000 alleyways that are chaotic by day, and almost deathly quiet at night with no in-betweens. But if you are charmed by this city of contrasts that is still stuck in time somewhere between the 13th and 15th centuries, you will find that this feeling about Fez will stay with you forever like an image from a fairytale. In our case, the Palais Amani played a key role in our memories of Fez, because staying in this little oasis of luxury within the heart of the old medina made us feel so much a part of it. We woke up to the morning calls to prayer from the clerics in the oldest mosque in the medina; and at the end of the day, we said goodnight to it from the rooftop terrace, which had amazing views from up high of the ancient neighborhoods sparkling with lights.

4 In the daytime, it was wonderful to step back in time and stroll through the ancient souks, and then to return to this haven of tranquility and seamless service in between our forays out into a world still steeped in medieval traditions. CULINARY LESSONS IN FEZ One day, we even learned how to cook a Moroccan chicken tagine with lemons, which is one of the specialties of Houssam Laasiri, Palais Amani s chef. We accompanied him to the market at 10 AM to collect ingredients for this favorite local dish, stopping along the way for bowls of vegetable soup at a tiny shop with a large pot perpetually on boil; and then for mint tea in colorful glasses, brewed from fresh herbs by a wizened old man in a corner of a quiet alley that was the size of a cabinet, plastered all around with blue-and-white tiles. Returning to the Palais Amani, we headed for the kitchen on the second floor where recipes, aprons and even souvenir packs of spices awaited us, and this is where we cooked our own lunch. The making of a tagine is at least a twohour process, although conscientious cooks actually start the night before by marinating the chicken in salt and lemon before going to bed. The major cooking is in a stew pot, where most of the spices and freshly-ground herbs are mixed together with relaxed precision, after which the dish is brushed with butter and finished off in the oven. Thankfully, the cleaning up was not part of the cooking class. After we d closed the oven, we made our way down to the blueand-white tiled dining room on the ground floor, for the kind of stylish meal that the Palais Amani does so well. Here, right by the stained glass windows, a table for two was set with crisp linen and fine cutlery. WHAT WE LOVED ABOUT THE PALAIS AMANI The delicious three-course breakfast on the terrace The individual designs of each of the 14 suites The half-day hammam experience. It s perfect for recovering from jetlag. Evening cocktails on the rooftop and dinner in the garden APRIL - MAY xx

5 This is the best chicken tagine I ve had so far, my companion said, as we clinked glasses and toasted to our culinary success. In fact, this is the best lunch we d had on this trip. A MOST DELICIOUS MEAL After the chaos of Fez and the heat of the kitchen, we gratefully sought relief in this quiet sanctuary and awaited the serving of the feast we had just helped prepare. Perhaps it is true that effort is key to any experience, because that first bite of our very own chicken tagine with lemons sent us to the equivalent of foodie heaven. It was flavorful and it had depth and texture, and the lemons provided the perfect tang to an otherwise oily dish. This is the best chicken tagine I ve had so far, my companion said, as we clinked glasses and toasted to our culinary success. In fact, this is the best lunch we d had on this trip. Our three-course meal began with zaalouk, a spicy dish of roasted eggplant with tomatoes and garlic, and ended with a delectable plate of sliced oranges sprinkled with cinnamon powder and shaved almonds. We ate everything on our plates, and it was late afternoon by the time we ordered our requisite pot of mint tea to finish off lunch.

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7 ENDING ON A HIGH And then we had the wonderful problem of deciding what to do before a dinner we d booked at Al Fassiah, a traditional restaurant on the other side of town, supposedly Fez s fanciest. Should we explore another new area of the souk, or try and haggle for the Berber carpet that had caught our eye at a rundown riad we had passed the day before? Or should we head over to the metalworks alley and finally hunt down the Moroccan tea sets we were planning to take home? Let s go up to the roof instead, my companion suggested, so we climbed four flights of stairs to the top. It was just before the cocktail hour so the colorful pillows were all laid out and the drinks were already cooling in a vat of ice, but there was no one else around. THINGS TO DO IN FEZ Explore the souks of Fez, taking one district at a time. Visit the old tanners district and ` watch the tanners process skins the traditional way. Shop for handcrafted items including kaftans, slippers, leather goods, pottery, and metal crafts. Walk along the spice alley and purchase exotic spices and herbs to take home. Visit the Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts and enjoy mint tea on the terrace Just then, the Maghrib, which is the second to the last call to prayers for the day for Muslims, sounded. By then we had grown used to this and this call to prayer now sounded just like music floating over the rooftops of Fez and the hills beyond. It s beautiful, I whispered, and I didn t just mean the prayers. At that very moment, the sun was setting and the air was just beginning to cool, but it was still bright enough so that all around me I could see the ever so different and exotic world we had traveled so far to explore. Everything was just right, and I was exactly where I wanted to be. PALAIS AMANI