Walk far enough into Fes el-Bali and the lanes eventually open onto a roofless courtyard wrapped in pomegranate, jasmine and fig. This is The Ruined Garden, the restaurant attached to Riad Idrissy — a literally ruined house bought by John Twomey in 2006 and stitched back together over four years into a garden room that now does most of its service under open sky. When it rains, the team retreats into a small salon with a log fire; otherwise the kitchen leans into the open-air setting.

The cooking is modern Moroccan rather than the standard medina menu of tagine and brochettes. Most of the produce comes from the souks a few minutes uphill; the herbs come from the beds you are sitting beside. Each Friday at lunchtime, Fatima and her team hand-roll the couscous live in front of guests — a quietly stubborn practice in a city where most kitchens have moved to packaged grain. The slow specialities — the seven-hour lamb mechoui and the pigeon b'stilla — only appear if you ordered them when you booked.

The address is technically Derb Idrissy, close to Bab Rcif, but Fes addresses are advisory at best. With notice, the restaurant will send someone to meet you at Place de la Batha and walk you the five or six minutes downhill to the door. No alcohol is served. Lunch runs 13:00 to 17:00, dinner 18:00 to 21:30, every day.