Restaurant Le Saveur De Poisson.

Day 4: Tangier, Morocco

This place doesn’t take reservations. In fact, you show up and have to stand outside on the crooked cobblestone street between the meddlers, peddlers and beggars selling their wares. We waited an hour to be seated. The interior is small, probably the size of the average American living room. The smell of fish permeates the air and every now and again you get a hint of the bok choy wafting in from the kitchen at your back. We were seated three to a table. You aren’t given a menu or a choice on what you’re having for dinner. The menu for the evening is created by the chef and it just so happens to be whatever was available at the market that day.

The server saunters over, plonking three bowls on our table: nuts, oily olives, and a fiery harissa to start with. He then unceremoniously drops a basket of bread and vanishes, leaving us to our own devices. No plates, no forks—just a bread basket and a feast of finger foods. They don’t serve alcohol or give you a choice on which beverage you’re having. You’re drinking fresh prune juice tonight. Just make sure whomever your dinner date is, you feel comfortable eating off the same plate, because this evening, you're family.

Next up is a bowl of fish soup. It’s light, buttery and a vibrant yellow in color. You can taste the turmeric on your tongue with every spoonful.

Next, our server each hands us a wooden fork. I question the cleanliness for a split second before digging into the next course: a sizzling platter of seafood, piled high on a bed of wilted greens- a cornucopia of whatever the sea coughed up this morning. It’s delicious.

The main course arrives: a baby shark and a whole John Dory, grilled to perfection, head and all. It stares back, a silent challenge as I survey the room.

We end the evening with a bowl of ruby-red pomegranates and a simple bowl of couscous, dotted with shaved almonds and drizzled with honey. A reminder that sometimes, the most memorable meals are born from the unexpected, the unconventional, and the utterly unforgettable.