Mustapha Khattat from Fes / Marietta Wanner from Vienna
Between the walls of the old town and the expansive streets of the new town, Mustapha Khattat spent his childhood full of diversity in the historic metropolis of Morocco. In his early 20s, looking for challenges and magically drawn to the distance, he set off on an extended journey full of curiosity. This ended in Austria, where he met the open-minded Viennese Marietta. From then on, the two were inseparable, not only privately but also professionally. They developed an ever-changing business concept in which the two focused on their shared affection for Mustapha's homeland of Morocco. In the process, they discovered more and more of their creative abilities and how they complemented each other wonderfully.
In 2005 they opened a small shop for Moroccan handicrafts in Gumpendorferstrasse, where their "one-table restaurant" is also located. Mustapha experiments in the kitchen and it soon becomes clear that his passion for cooking is becoming a calling. In 2013 they found a small shop in Stiegengasse and started the "private dinner" pilot project in Leopoldstadt. In a basement restaurant they created an incomparable Moroccan oasis. The insider tip, which can only be booked online and by pre-ordering a menu, is entered through an unspectacular entrance in Rotensterngasse and exactly what could happen in Marrakesh or Fes happens. You open an inconspicuous gate and find yourself in a completely different world.
Mustapha now also cooks with interested people and passes on his knowledge in individual workshops. At this time he impressed the food critic Severin Corti with a "Pastilla Fassia". His unmistakable style of cooking eventually earned him a toque from Gault Millau. Anyone who wants to visit the hotspot for Moroccan cuisine no longer has to climb down stairs, because after the extension to the restaurant it is also accessible on the ground floor. L'ORIENT is not only exceptional in terms of cuisine, but also impresses with its interior. Inspired by the style of a riad in Fes, it combines all kinds of Moroccan craftsmanship, paired with contemporary design.
Furniture design and the implementation of interior design concepts are Marietta and Mustapha's other passions. Mustapha's visions are the driving force behind the further development of L'ORIENT. He often spends weeks with craftsmen in the workshops, commuting between Marrakesh and Fes. With great effort and personal commitment, the two transform their ideas of contemporary design into Moroccan craftsmanship.
