When the king of Morocco calls, you answer.
In truth, the ruler of the North African nation didn’t actually dial up chef Massimiliano “Max” Alajmo, whose Le Calandre in Rubano, Italy, has been on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 13 consecutive years now. But his people did. And after such wooing, the 45-year-old chef—who was the youngest in history to earn three Michelin stars, in 2002—finally decided to hop a flight south and dip his spoons into some fleur d’oranger to open Sesamo inside the ruler’s Royal Mansour hotel last month.
“Normally, we don’t work with hotels, because we want to manage [things ourselves] or speak with the top line,” says Alajmo, who is also responsible for the cuisine at nine other spots in Italy, as well as one in Paris. “In this case, the top line is the king, but we were promised to speak with the third or the fourth, so we agreed.”
The Venetian-inspired restaurant replaces Yannick Alléno’s French gastronomic spot La Grande Table Française. (Though his Moroccan experience remains.) When guests pull their Range Rovers up to the 10-year-old property—masterfully built by 1,500 artisans complete with rose-adorned marble fountains and metallic carved ceilings—they can choose to go right for Alléno’s prawn tagine with smoked eggplant, or left for Alajmo’s creamy ricotta, sweet tomato, and basil lasagna.
Behind curtain No. 2, they’ll find a dining room designed by Fabrice Bourg and Nicolas Papamiltiades of 3BIS agency, who made a splash with Le Meurice in Paris and the Carlton in Cannes. Here, giant glass chandeliers from Murano descend from three sectioned out areas that seat 42 people. Fourteen tables are each decorated with one whole fruit (a lemon, a pomegranate, etc.) floating in a thick glass square.
Behind the bar, an antique mirror from Venice reflects a convivial yet chic atmosphere further uplifted by specialty cocktails, such as the subtle “Spritz Sesamo” made with citron. All around, the space buzzes with one server for nearly every diner, and other staff including Raffaele “Raf” Alajmo, Alajmo Group CEO (and brother of the chef), who ensures no plate is removed too soon and no wineglass is left empty too long.
Speaking of vino, the list is impressive considering Morocco is a fairly dry country, and sommelier Sebastien Lilio, who has worked with Alajmo since 2016, takes pride in filling glasses—crafted specifically for Sesamo in an array of sizes ranging from orange to cantaloupe—with a rare Tuscan Brunello or a Nebbiolo from Piedmont.
But of course, it’s all about the food, which has been conceptualized to charm a wide range of clientele.
“To work in another country, you must respect and know the guest,” Alajmo says. “Cuisine is like a language. What I want to say is very important, but I must speak in a way that many people can understand. I cannot make something that is so extreme, because this may be the first time someone tries Italian. On the other hand, I must cater to Italians and their taste, too.”
The menu features an array of both those extreme dishes as well as those he calls more “direct.” Broken into four traditionally Italian sections—antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci—there’s something for everyone, from simple rigatoni carbonara served in a small steel pot to fanciful saffron risotto that arrives looking like a colorful canvas painted by Picasso. And for those who can’t decide, the 14-course, 1,950 Moroccan dirham ($200 USD) degustation menu offers a bountiful blend of the best, including crispy cannelloni, grilled lobster, and eggplant Parmesan.
The tasting is also an opportunity for those who follow Alajmo’s cuisine to sample some of his specialties with a Moroccan twist. The “cuttlefish cappuccino,” for example, receives oohs and aahs at each of his restaurants because of the way it’s served: layered in a glass as if it were a post-meal caffeinated drink. In Marrakech, it’s given a dusting of desert by way of blue spirulina, which pays homage to the bright blue tint of the city’s famed Majorelle Garden.
The chef’s classic Milanese is updated by swapping out veal for lamb, because lamb meat is particularly tender in Morocco. Diners are encouraged to eat the meat with their hands, and tips of the small leg bones even come wrapped in tinfoil.
“We work a lot with the senses,” Alajmo explains. “It’s necessary to have contact with the ingredients and the material. The service is also not so formal. We like to feel good, like when you eat at home.”
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