Whisper it quietly but Christmas is coming and that means gearing up for some serious shopping.

If that’s in the plans of Europeans then a short hop over to Canterbury could be ideal for a cracking pre-Christmas shop.

The famous Kent city is, probably, the nearest shopping destination for people travelling to the UK from Belgium and France. It attracts a staggering 8m visitors per year and is, in fact, just a few hours’ drive from Brussels.

It is also famous for its wonderful cathedral, the home of the Anglian faith and also Geoffrey Chaucer’s landmark The Canterbury Tales which carried educational value for medieval readers and later generations.

Fast forward to 2026 and, in a way, education is just what a new restaurant in the city is also trying to do.

In the case of Café Marrakesh, though, it is all about trying to “educate” the locals as to the wonders of quality Moroccan cuisine.

That’s according to Frank Ward, the director at the resto, who says people still have to learn about Moroccan food is all about.

“Many don’t much about it and think it is just about tagine and couscous. But, of course, there is far more to it than that.”

Frank says many folk, when planning eating out, be it Italian, Indian or Chinese food, decide what they will have even before leaving home.

But people turning up to sample some of the delicious Moroccan food here can rely on Frank and his team to fully explain that,yes, it does extend beyond a couple of things and also, for instance, includes some great fish dishes.

That is where, as Frank readily concedes, the super culinary skills of the head waiter, Moroccan-born head chef Hyat Kholti, come in.

“She is the one who is responsible for the wonderful food you see on your plate here,” says Frank.

Judging by the countless top class customer reviews posted by those who have eaten here, it is a view shared, clearly, by many others.

It is best described as a curated mixture of Moroccan elegance, authentic flavours, and traditional hospitality. with slow-cooked tagines, charcoal-grilled meats, hand-rolled couscous, vibrant salads, flaky pastries, freshly baked khobz, and sweet delights like semolina basbousa.

Each dish is prepared with authentic ingredients and bold spices, offering a rich, flavour-packed dining experience.

All this has happened, also, in a very short space of time as the restaurant only, fully, opened earlier this year.

It was not an easy time to launch, being the start of a new year,normally the quietest time of the year for restos, and in the face of the ongoing economic downturn which has led many restaurants to downsize or even close altogether.

This resto has, happily, bucked that trend and is fast growing a reputation for some fantastic Moroccan food, the like of which is unlikely to be had in the county of Kent.

It is Dev Biswal, a highly successful local entrepreneur and top chef, who is the principle driving force behind this place.

Already a multi award-winning chef himself and owner of The Cook’s Tale, a reputable Indian fine dining resto also located in Canterbury, he came up with the idea of a Moroccan eatery, something that had, previously, pretty much been unknown in the the city or county.

Hyatt, as luck would have it, was already working for Dev in the kitchen at The Cook’s Tale (cooking Indian food, of course) so appeared a perfect fit for any such new place.

And so it proved.

Hyatt’s relationship with her boss, in fact, goes back to soon after 2018 when she first arrived in the UK, working in the kitchen at his former Indian resto in Margate. When he closed that place he was keen to tempt her to Canterbury.

At first, she was reluctant due to the extra travel it involved for her but she eventually agreed.

What a great decision that provide to be.

Hyat, who hails from Rabat, the Moroccan capital, jumped at the opportunity to help launch Dev’s new place in Canterbury and to showcase her ability to conjure up some quite delightful dishes from her home country.

That is exactly what she is now doing -now ably supported by Linda, her assistant in the kitchen.

Hyat is a proud Moroccan – “100 percent Moroccan”, she proclaims – and also wants to focus 100 percent investing her time and energy in ensuring that the dishes on the card are absolutely spot on when it comes to quality and service.

Moroccan food is not as spicy as,say, Indian cuisine so you won’t find anything here overwhelming your taste buds, something that may be reassuring to Belgians who, traditionally, shy away from spicy food.

It does not come much better than this.

The starters are fantastic, including sardines, served in a rich tomato sauce and a fresh onion-tomato salad while mains dishes include lamb tagine.

The phrase “mouth watering” could have been invented for this plate. It is cooked and served in a traditional tagine (an earthenware pot) and is wonderful.

Veggies might be tempted by the seasonal couscous, served with a colourful blend of fresh, seasonal veg in a light, aromatic sauce.

The portions are generous so try to leave a bit of space to sample one of the delicious (Moroccan) desserts which are the perfect way to end what is a perfect meal.

The food Hyat cooks is not your typical, bulk-size “restaurant food” but more akin to the small, but perfectly formed, version you might cook at home.

Dev became inspired by north African cuisines after recruiting a Moroccan chef to join his brigade at The Cook’s Tale. He quickly added the destination to his destinations of his small group culinary tours operation, The Cooks Adventures.

“Visiting Morocco for the first time was a real eye-opener – I was amazed by the similarities in Moroccan and Indian cuisines; our food and cultures have more in common than I could have possibly imagined” said Biswal, adding,” I grew up thinking samosas were an Indian invention!”

It is all excellent value for money, certainly when you consider the quality of the food.

Hyat is very talented at what she does even though she was, in effect, self taught, having honed the fine art of food preparation by undertaking online cookery classes.

She has, since moving to Café Marrakesh, been able to draw on some of the similarities with the Indian food she used to produce.

Both cuisines include things like nan bread, or “batboot” (the Moroccan version is just smaller) and samosas.

While enjoying the food, look out, too, for some authentic Moroccan artwork that adorns the walls of this small but intimate and cosy eatery, located on one of the city’s quiet back streets.

The building itself has a story to tell and actually dates as far back as 1820 and it was,for many years, a pub, called “The Cardinal Cap” which is where Frank used to frequent while studying at a local college.

While the pub became badly rundown, the old bar still remains and there is a further link going back much further in time.

One Mary Carleton once lived on this very site but would later become notorious for her fraudulent lifestyle (she once even posed as a German princess) and came to a sticky end, being hung for her crimes.

This wonderful resto is now fast attracting a reputation of an entirely different kind – for the sheer quality of the culinary creations conjured by Hyatt who, while used to cooking for family occasions back in Morocco, formally trained online to be a chef.

The success of Café Marrakech has not come without sheer hard work and major investment. As Frank explains, it was a near wreck when Dev took it over. So much needed doing,including new floors, that the launch date was put back a few months in order to complete the work.

Dev himself grew up in Orissa in India, was educated in Calcutta and trained at the Dubai Sheraton, before moving to London, aged 26 in 2003 for spells at Mangoes and Eriki.

He became a partner in The Indian Princess in Margate in December 2006, becoming patron in 2010. His restaurant is recommended by all the country’s top restaurant guides, including Michelin, AA, Good Food and Harden’s.

He was the resident chef on Channel 4 TV’s ‘Superscrimpers’, showing how to prepare gourmet meals on a budget. Other awards have included. ‘Best Restaurant’ at the Taste of Kent Awards; ‘Best Indian Restaurant’ by Morrisons magazine; ‘Best Restaurant in the Southeast’ by the Cobra Good Curry Guide. He was named Asian Chef of the Year at the Asian Restaurant Awards.

The nearby Canterbury cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site, attracting tens of thousands every year from Belgium and all over the world, but Dev’s latest restaurant venture is already fast becoming one of this city’s other “must do” things – for locals and visitors alike.

Café Marrakesh, 13 Rosemary Lane, Canterbury

t: 0044 1227 231104

https://www.cafemarrakech.co.uk/