The Bagatelle was a surprising find in Marrakech. A local taxi driver gave us the tip that it was a good place to dine. After the madness of the medina and Moroccan food for 3 weeks the tip was certainly a good one. I had some traditional French food while my wife tried the local chicken tangine. The food was the best we had in Morocco and the service was as good as would be expected at any first class establishment. Tucked away in a side street away from the main traffic area there is a real french atmosphere. Prices were very reasonable. The staff made you feel welcome and there was no rush. By the number of local french customers it is obvious that this establishment has been providing this service for some time.

We had salads to start , the smoked duck with foie gras was superb , duck confit and sautéed kidneys as main courses , both very good , deserts were ice creams as it was hot , and coffees. The bill was about £40 with tip ,, can't fault it

If you want a change from Moroccan food, this is almost like leaving Morocco and stepping into a Parisian brasserie. Even the waiters seem much more French than Moroccan. The walls are filled with nostalgic black and white photographs of the old days of the French colonial period, this also includes the toilets upstairs.

We had lunch outside and could have had a good deal of about 120dh each for three courses, but instead went a la carte as it was our last meal and enjoyed a lovely pastilla (about the only Moroccan thing on the menu) and a rather good beef dish with mashed potatoes and vegetables. It did feel a little strange having a meat-and-potatoes meal in the heat of Marrakesh, but I'm sure the expats living here love the chance to escape from Morocco, if only for the afternoon.

I finished off with "cafe gourmand" - coffee with 3 miniature desserts, all rather delicious. We both enjoyed our meals. The only sour note was that we were overcharged for two items on the menu - one was charged almost at double the correct price. I'm prepared to believe this was a genuine mistake, as the waiter was really most apologetic when we pointed this out and came back with a corrected bill very quickly.

I think the atmosphere inside at night would be extreemly good - there is a beautiful glass cupola over the restaurant and personally, I think evening would be the time to go here. It's quite easy to find on the corner of rue de Yougoslavie opposite the derelict cinema (of which, incidentally, there are some photos on the walls!)

Incidentally, even though this restaurant is as French as French can be, the menu did contain English translations throughout.

We had a impromptu bottle of wine after visiting La Majorelle Garden and decided to come back for Lunch which we barely made due to traffic as the restaurant closes at 3.00pm, however the Manager made it clear we were welcome to stay to finish our meal at leisure so all not lost. Lovely interior and Parisian feel.