The secrets beneath Casa Maroc - Restaurant Review

After being Gino’s for many years, I was intrigued to see what changes Casa Maroc were bringing to the restaurant situated on Bartholomew Street.

I visited Casa Maroc on a Thursday evening and despite Exeter’s car parks being full and the outside of the restaurant being brightly lit and inviting, I was surprised to find the restaurant relatively empty.

I visited the restaurant just a couple weeks after its re-opening and new menu launch. I was warmly greeted by new manager Rob Neil and was pleased to be offered to sit wherever I wished.

Out of the three seating areas (The Harem, The Italian Formal area and The Souk area) my partner and I chose to sit in The Souk Area, which was a perfect blend of formal dining furniture and Moroccan decorations.

I liked that every table in each individual seating area had plenty of space and that there weren’t several tables placed closely together.

I chose to sit towards the front of the restaurant and despite being situated near Exeter’s Catacombs, the restaurant does not offer any particular pleasing views. However, the decorations inside the restaurant make up for this. Instead of a boring white ceiling, the ceiling is adorned with bright material. Instead of flowers on the windowsills there are bongos, and instead of boring beige walls they are painted Green and Yellow.

The waitress that served us was warm and friendly throughout the meal, and never made us feel pressured to hurry our order.

We decided to go for soft drinks (as it was a work night!), but I was pleased to see there were many alcoholic options to choose from.

We were offered some bread, which rather than being your usual bread stick basket consisted of French Fougass Fingers. My partner and I were both new to this dish but found ourselves enjoying it so much we asked for another batch!

Whilst we waited for our main courses, we were shown around the restaurant. Having visited the restaurant prior to its launch I was amazed to discover that a downstairs function room exists. The downstairs function room, named the Casa Blanca, is almost the same size as the entire restaurant. This great function room, furnished with a mixture of formal and relaxed seating options, contains its own bar, projector screen and sound system, making it a perfect venue for both formal and informal occasions. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the Casa Blanca can be hired for nothing more than a £50 returnable deposit. Whilst the restaurant do ask that some food is purchased, the Casa Blanca is set to be a great place to go for an intimate party away from the diners.

Once back upstairs I was interested to hear more about what Casa Maroc planned for its hidden gem downstairs. I was informed that as well as being a venue available for private events, Casa Blanca will also host some public events including music nights and comedy nights.

My chat was cut short by our food arriving. I ordered the gorgeously creamy Wild Mushroom, Truffle and Grana Padana Risotto, whilst my partner chose a chicken tagine which had been personally recommended by the chef. Despite my partner’s meal being a recommended dish for two he managed to completely polish off his meal, whilst I was left struggling. I’m a big eater, but even this portion managed to beat me this time! I would thoroughly recommend the risotto, but don’t order this under the impression that it will be a lighter option than other menu choices!

Although I was unable to finish my main I still managed to find some room for desert. I tried the Pannetone Bread and Butter Pudding which came with a generous dollop of cream. This last course was the perfect addition to an already filling meal. Our food came to just over £30, which I would say is extremely reasonable when neither of us just had one course. The above price was without any discounts, but Casa Maroc do offer discounts to students (25%), Exeter College staff (20%), and public service workers (10%).

To book a table at Casa Maroc or to book Casa Blanca as a function room please call 01392 498181.