This Amanjena Restaurant Menus and Dining Review is part of a trip report including Iberia Business Class, plus reviews of luxury hotels and dining in Marrakech, Morocco. For the prior posts, please see:
British Airways Galleries Lounge at JFK Terminal 7 Review
Iberia New Business Class A330-300 Review
Solano at Four Seasons Marrakech Restaurant Review
Atlas Mountains Berber Village Experience
Amanjena Review, Marrakech, Morocco
Amanjena Restaurants and Dining Options
Amanjena's small, boutique size belies the several dining options for guests: traditional Moroccan cuisine is served in the evening, and Amanjena's Thai Restaurant serves Thai specialties for both lunch and dinner. The Pool Terrace, where we had our lunch, is open for breakfast and lunch, with both Mediterranean and Thai food offered. Guests can also enjoy private dining in their Pavilion, and we took advantage of this for our early morning breakfast, before departing for the airport. For a special occasion, Amanjena can organize a dinner accompanied by Moroccan music in the Caidal Tent. And finally, the Bar, where we enjoyed listening to music, is perfect for preprandial drinks or a post-dinner nightcap.
The Dining Scene at Amanjena
Our spring visit wasn't in peak season, so it was at lunch at the Pool Terrace when we saw the most Amanjena guests in one place during our stay–a family and two other couples. At dinner, we were the only guests in the beautiful Thai Restaurant. Perfect for couples who value a romantic dinner and privacy, although the munchkin of course wanted to know “where are all the people?” Most likely enjoying private dining by their fireplace, was my guess.
Amanjena Menus and Food
Our first meal was at the Pool Terrace, where we enjoyed lunch al fresco. This was my chance to try Amanjena's Thai food, known as being the best Thai food in Marrakech, with fresh ingredients flown in from Thailand. Here's the lunch menu:
The lunch menu is abbreviated from the longer dinner menu. Fortunately, even though the Panang curry I was hoping for was only on the dinner menu, Amanjena's Thai Restaurant accommodated me and made it for lunch.
There are also Mediterranean and French options for lunch, if you don't care for Thai food:
And there was even a kids' menu, from which the munchkin happily chose the pasta carbonara, and I chose for him a side of carrots.
Our lunch started with a platter of fresh bread and organic olive oil from Amanjena's own olives poured tableside, along with a dish of tapenade made from Amanjena olives:
The munchkin's Pasta Carbonara was incredibly creamy and rich, such that even with his appetite, he couldn't finish it all:
I loved how even the side dish of carrots was beautifully presented as carrot “ribbons” flecked with parsley:
But the piece de resistance was definitely my Panang Curry with Beef–it may not be the spiciest Panang Curry I've had, but it was among the most flavorful and I ate every last bit. It came with rice, not pictured.
Dinner was served in the Thai Restaurant, even though we selected from the Moroccan menu. The architecture features soaring ceilings and a melange of Thai and Moroccan styles:
We were seated at a banquette near the fireplace, our table set with highly polished wood accents:
The Moroccan dinner menu featured traditional specialties, any number of which I would have liked to have tried had I been hungrier, but I let the munchkin choose since I was still living off my Thai lunch.
To start, we were brought fresh bread, Amanjena olive oil and cured olives:
Next came a complimentary foie gras amuse bouche for each of us, although it was actually more the size of an appetizer. A delicious surprise for me, even though the munchkin didn't enjoy his.
The munchkin had chosen an entree of chicken with lemon confit and olives, and I didn't manage to take a photo before it was cut and carved for us tableside. So the photo doesn't look like much, but it was very good, especially the tanginess imparted by the lemon confit of preserved lemon. The munchkin was far hungrier than I and ate most of the dish by himself.
In classic Aman style we were brought cool towels to wipe our hands after the meal:
We enjoyed looking at the dessert menu, but since neither of us was that hungry, we chose from a selection of housemade ice creams and sorbets: raspberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream and pistachio ice cream.
It took a bit of time for the dessert to arrive, which surprised me as we were the only guests, but it was beautifully presented and adorned with some additional sweets when it was served. I especially enjoyed the raspberry sorbet, but perhaps the favorite for both of us was the complimentary banana vanilla ice cream we were served earlier that day by the pool.
Amanjena Breakfast
Complimentary breakfast is included in your stay when booking as a TravelSort Client thanks to Virtuoso benefits. We enjoyed ours in our Pavilion, where it was beautifully layed out on the table, although in warmer months you might want to enjoy it outside in the courtyard.
The munchkin wanted apple pancakes, and these reminded me of the fantastic banana pancakes we enjoyed at Amankila in Bali (see Amankila: Best Breakfast in Bali).
The fruit plates featured orange, melon, plum, grapes and banana, all prettily plated:
There were more pastries and breads than we could make a dent in:
One of my favorites was the thick and creamy plain yogurt, served with honey:
And my other favorite was the dark and rich Valrhona hot chocolate. The photo didn't come out well, but this was the best hot chocolate I've had in a long time–highly recommended for any chocolate lovers.
The Service
Service throughout, at Amanjena's Pool Bar, the Thai Restaurant and private dining, was superb. As you would expect, it was attentive but never rushed. There's no one waiting for your table, ever, and this is a pleasant change from dining in NYC or any other major cities or larger resorts. Everyone who served us in the restaurants spoke excellent English and French.
The Verdict
Sometimes the one criticism of an Aman Resort is that food doesn't quite match the otherwise incredibly luxurious experience. For anyone who enjoys Thai and Moroccan food, this is not the case at Amanjena. I can't speak to the more prosaic Mediterranean offerings at lunch or dinner, as I didn't try them, although the munchkin's pasta from the kids' menu was tasty. But the Thai and Moroccan specialties come highly recommended, as do the breakfasts.
Have you enjoyed dining at Amanjena?
Disclosure: We paid for our own lunch and dinner at Amanjena. My family and I were guests and enjoyed a complimentary stay and breakfast at Amanjena, however the views expressed in this post are my own.
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