Showing posts with label Marrakech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marrakech. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 August 2018

Marrakech | Part 2

  Hello everybody!
  This week’s blog post is a follow up from last week’s post, so if you haven’t read that yet, make sure you go back and then continue reading this post. This post is about all the restaurants I went to on holiday in Marrakech! I was there for seven days, but only went to six restaurants since we enjoyed one so much we went twice!



Day 1: Quattro Restaurant & Bar
This restaurant was in the hotel I was staying in; the Four Seasons. It was an indoor-outdoor restaurant where they served incredible Southern Italian dishes. I had shared starters and we ordered; calamari and prawns served with a pesto aïoli and tapioca chips; and beef carpaccio, truffle vinaigrette, arugula, parmesan cheese, toasted bread and fried capers. For mains, I ordered a margarita pizza and for dessert I had traditional tiramisu, mascarpone cream and sponge cake coffee. The food was so tasty and the setting was stunning. It had dim lighting and Moroccan lamps all around.

Day 2: Inara
This restaurant was also in the hotel. It was an indoor setting just above Quattro. The food here featured more Moroccan-inspired dishes. Again, I had shared starters and we ordered; a selection of briouates and a selection of Lebanese mezze. For mains I ordered chicken skewers. I (surprisingly) didn’t have a dessert. I really enjoyed the food in Inara because it was my first time having Moroccan/Lebanese food in Morocco! 

Day 3: Mythe
This restaurant was in the Medina. It was a small but tall restaurant, if that makes sense, set on many floors. The dishes served were traditional Moroccan. I didn’t have starters this time, however for mains I ordered Couscous with vegetables and chicken. I didn’t have dessert either. The food here was more basic and the view over the square was probably the best bit!

Day 4: Azar
This restaurant was in the ‘new town’ area of Marrakech. It had an incredible indoor setting with a chill area to enjoy cocktails/mocktails and a seating area where they did henna tattoos; obviously I had to have one! The main restaurant served Moroccan and Lebanese food, of which all options looked delicious. We started off with cocktails/mocktails and I ordered a (non-alcoholic) watermelon mojito! For food, we had the set menu which included an assortment of 9 mezzes for starters. For mains I had the beef tenderloin with bearnaise sauce and homemade french fries. For desserts we had a selection of three traditional Moroccan desserts. The food was absolutely incredible along with the atmosphere... there was entertainment starting at 10pm which we stayed for and it was insane! There were women dancing with candles on trays on their heads, belly dancers, and my favourite, an amazing live band! Overall, the restaurant was delightful in every way! 



Day 5: Comptoir Darna
This restaurant is actually the sister restaurant of Azar and since we enjoyed Azar so much we had to try their other restaurant. Comptoir Darna is in a part of town with lots of other fancy restaurants around. There was a magical outdoor setting for pre-dinner drinks, with huge trees covering the sky like a roof and star lanterns hanging off branches. The walls outside were painted green with gold swirls which made it feel like I was in a secret, magical garden and there was also a very decorative swinging chair hanging from the tree which was perfect for photos! There was the restaurant inside with dim lighting and Moroccan lamps and intricate carvings in the walls. The food was mainly Moroccan with the exception of a few international dishes. I had a mocktail in the outside patio which was called Coconut Lips. For starters, we shared an authentic chicken and almond pastilla which I wasn’t that keen on and we also ordered an assortment of “briouates” which were delicious. For mains, I ordered the seafood tagine and I also tried  a bit of my mum’s “Legendary weeping Tiger” which was a grilled sliced filet of beef served with grand chef mashed potatoes and homemade tiger sauce which was delicious! For dessert I had salted caramel ice cream which not only tasted incredible, but it was presented beautifully as well! There was a live band playing for a little while and then we had the same entertainment as Azar; women dancing with candles on trays on their heads and belly dancers! 

Day 6: Quattro
We did come to Quattro again just because it was so lovely. For starters, I ordered the calamari and prawns served with a pesto aïoli and tapioca chips again and gorgonzola, pear walnuts and balsamic reduction focaccia and for mains I had an escalope breaded with herbs and spiced bread crumbs served with sautéed potatoes. I didn’t have a dessert! 

 Day 7: La Villa des Orangers 
This was our last night so it had to be special and my dad chose a restaurant himself as a surprise! It definitely was special. The restaurant was located just outside the old Medina and was in an old Palace courtyard with a pool in the centre. The food served was Moroccan. I didn’t have a starter but for mains I had sea bass filet and for dessert I had a delicious lemon macaron. There was a man playing a guitar-like instrument throughout the evening which was lovely! I think the restaurant was also a boutique hotel but I’m not completely sure. Overall the restaurant was the perfect way to end an amazing holiday! 



  That’s all for this week’s blog post! I hope you enjoyed! Visiting Marrakech was such an amazing experience and I would recommend it to everyone! I went to some incredible restaurants. Personally my favourite was Azar but the others were great too! I’m actually travelling today to England so I’d love to know whether you’d like to hear about my travels there in the comments below! I will see you next week for another blog post! Love you all!
  Byyeee!!!!

Sunday, 12 August 2018

Marrakech

  Hello everybody!
  Some of you may or may not know that I’m on holiday right now in Marrakech. I arrived on Tuesday and return home on Tuesday. So far it’s been amazing, so I have to tell you all about it! 

  Souks (indoor market)
The souks can be described as "a honeycomb of intricately connected alleyways, this fundamental section of the old city is a micro-medina in itself, comprising a dizzying number of stalls and shops that range from itsy kiosks no bigger than an elf's wardrobe to scruffy store-fronts that morph into glittering Aladdin’s Caves once you're inside." I do think that is the best way to describe it. My experience was a sense of crowding and lots of different smells and a “feast for the eyes”. I wanted to look everywhere! There are shops with traditional Moroccan things such as; patterned bowls, leather shoes, leather poufs, spices and herbs and they even had “genuine fake” items the shopkeepers called them, referring to fake designer bags and watches etc. It is hectic since shopkeepers are always trying to get you in their shop so it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes but it’s all good fun!


  Jemaa el-Fnaa (square)
The Jemaa el-Fnaa is a square and market place in Marrakech’s medina quarter. It remains the main square of Marrakech, used by locals and tourists. The day time experience is very different to the evening experience. In the day time there are a lot of fruit/juice stalls, women doing henna tattoos, and men selling locally made goods and souvenirs on a sheet on the floor and snake charmers! However, in the evening a lot changes. Men selling their goods and the snake charmers leave to make way for food stalls! The square is filled with what seems like hundreds of food stalls of all kinds. You have all types of food from traditional Moroccan food to fried fish to fast food! I haven’t eaten in one so far, but some of the food smelt and looked incredible!


  Koutoubia Mosque
The Koutoubia Mosque is largest Mosque in Marrakesh! It has a large plaza with gardens and is floodlit at night. Unfortunately, when I went to see the mosque it was closed so we couldn’t go inside, but just from the outside you can see it is beautiful. It is ornamental with curved windows, a band of ceramic inlay, pointed merlons and decorative arches.



  Menara Mall
 Menara Mall is one of the largest shopping centres in Marrakech and opened in June 2015. I really like this Mall because it has local shops. There’s local clothing brands such as DeFacto and Koton and then there’s an upmarket souk. There are also lots of cafe’s and restaurants. We went to a really nice cafe called Victor which was perfect for breakfast!



  Carre Eden Mall
I really like this Mall too because not only does it have local shops but it has well known brands such as H&M and Starbucks. There are also a lot of other shops around the area.



  That’s all for this week’s blog post! I hope you enjoyed! My holiday is finishing soon :( but I would definitely visit here again and perhaps stay a little longer. Next week’s blog post will be a continuation of Marrakech so make sure you read that too! I will see you next week for another blog post! Love you all! 
  Byyeee!!!!