L'Atlas

When you want Moroccan food, Paris is a good place to be. There are dozens of good restaurants marocaines, and L'Atlas, located on just off the Seine on the Boulevard St. Germain, is one of them. After a long day of walking, soon after it began to rain, we ducked inside the entrance into a relaxing refuge.

The mostly white and red colour scheme was simple and very elegant. The decor celebrated Moroccan heritage without being over the top.

Service was what you'd expect in a typical Paris restaurant: professional, sufficiently amiable, but without any insincere coddling.

When we sat down, we were served an assortment of olives, but when our mains were about to arrive, the plate was whisked away and was replaced by a generous plate of raisins, chickpeas and harissa.

For our main courses, we just went with some basic choices: chicken,

poulet fermier couscous

and vegetable couscous. Both were excellent.

vegetable couscous

I loved the little lights on the staircase that led down to the restrooms.

Overall, we very much enjoyed our meal at this haven of Moroccan culture.