Grilled Kefta at the La Lampe Magique Restaurant in Chefchaoen
I was finally out in the rain again. I spent an hour or less exploring the kasbah of Chefchaoen. The kasbah is quite impressive but there was little literature on what I was seeing. To think that they can charge sixty Moroccan dirhams for this can be quite outrageous. Locals would pay much less than that so only foreigners get stiffed. In the end, I could only use my imagination on what this place could have been. Apart from the prison at the ground floor, there was little to indicate what the other floors were.
Inside the La Lampe Magique Restaurant in Chefchaoen
Anyway, since I was out in the rain again, I was quickly looking for shelter once again. It just so happened that it was already noon and I thought I might as well go for lunch since the rain doesn’t seem to be letting up. I saw that there is a restaurant which seems to overlook the square including the kasbah. I thought it would be nice to have lunch there. Ideally, this would be perfect for dinner just as the sun sets but there it no sun to see right now so I should just go for it.
Eating at the La Lampe Magique Restaurant in Chefchaoen
La Lampe Magique obviously means the magic lamp, a nod to the Aladdin’s magic lamp. This is another Moroccan place and it has several levels. Each level seems to have been designed with the magic lamp theme in mind. At the time, there weren’t a lot of people eating yet. Most probably because it was raining so heavily. The steps on the stairs were sprinkled with salt to keep people from slipping since they were wet. I was thinking that it could have been because they were preventing ice from forming but it was too warm for that.
Basira at the La Lampe Magique Restaurant in Chefchaoen
I got a seat at the top floor of the restaurant. Unfortunately, outdoor seating was closed and I don’t I would want to go out anyway. I started my lunch with a bowl of basira which is a thick soup of beans, oil and various spices. The soup didn’t feel like soup at all since it was so thick. It was solid enough to scoop with a spoon. For my mains, I had grilled kefta. The kefta apparently is like minced meat. It came skewered and was served with salad and fries. If you think that it looks like something from a kebab takeaway the you are absolutely right. I thought this wasn’t very filling, since all I got was two sticks of meat and fries. I was already in a rotten mood since it had been raining the whole morning. I was just glad that the basira was very hot that it help warm me up from all of that rain.
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