La Trattoria Marrakech Restaurant Review

We love an Italian. It definitely up there with our favourite cuisines from around the world and whenever we're in a new city we normally visit one... Marrakech was no exception!

We visited La Trattoria which is one of the most divine restaurants we've ever had the pleasure of dining in.

Our table was situated by the large indoor pool which was literally so beautiful ahh we could just collapse. Unique artwork and intricate lanterns also featured in the decor of the room.

All the waiters were all SO attentive. In the perfect way like leaving us alone but noticing when our wine or water had depleted and asking us if we wanted another. All the waiters spoke French which was cute but ours made a point to speak in English to us bless him

The service was so good that we even got little stools to put our handbags!!

The Food. Heavenly.

The decor was SOOOO ROMANTIC

We were so glad we didn't come here on Valentine's Day which happened to be 2 days before because good lawd we'd have probably cried and attempted to drown ourselves in the nearby scenery 

Outside terrace with a shisha vibe

Piano lounge bar with a fireplace

Lighting and ambiance made the evening even more perfect

This restaurant takes reservations online which was super simple.

Whenever we decide to visit Marrakech again in the future we'll 100% visit this beautiful restaurant and totally recommend you do too!

xxx

Top 6 Places to Eat / Drink in Stockholm

1. Espresso House

Espresso House is a popular Swedish coffeehouse that can be found across all the Nordic countries. It's basically a better, cosier, cooler, yummier (we've run out of descriptive words) version of Starbucks.

Just like the locals we've encountered this cafe is so chilled and the minute you walk in you feel relaxed and can find a cute little spot and chill there for hours. We particularly liked this because we could chat without feeling pressured into leaving or buying copious cups of coffee.

As if the amazing vibes weren't enough; the food and beverages are lush. We ordered:

Salted Caramel Latte

Melted Hot Chocolate

Blueberry pie with vanilla sauce (custard yaaas)

Chocolate Mudcake

2. Phil's Burger

Right we know we exagerrate how much we love things a lot but honestly we promise we're not this time... Other than alcohol we cannot name another drink we love more than the Oreo Milkshake from this restaurant. Jesus Christ it was amazing and it's deeply upsetting it's a 2hr flight away

If anyone knows of any UK food chains that do amazing milkshakes pleeeeeeeeeeease help your gals out and let us know! P.S. Mcdonalds doesn't count x

Sorry just needed to give that chocolate cup of heaven a shoutout. Anyway the burgers are insane also. We ordered the truffle sauce burger topped with caramelized onions and cheese accompanied by sweet potato fries.

Lorraine doesn't change her mind easily and doesn't rate burgers but this place is so good she's actually been converted lol

Lorraine and her new and forever bae

3. STHLM TAPAS

We're going to be honest, after eating tapas in Barcelona we thought we'd reached a wall and would ever have top notch tapas dishes until we returned to the beautiful city again. HOWEVER this little Swedish restaurant proved us wrong.

STHLM Tapas is a busy yet intimate restaurant located in the Vasastan region of Stockholm. We visited on Friday night so booked in advance and totally recommend doing this as it was heaving.

The waiter we had totally made the experience for us, literally such a sweetheart. The menu is made out of paper which enables you to tick which tapas dishes you'd like as the waiter goes through each dish explaining what it is.

The tapas is divided into Meat, Vegetarian, Dairy, Seafood etc categories and is derived from various locations worldwide: Sweden, Spain and Brazil are the main ones.

EVERYTHING TASTED AMAZING

We ordered about 9 dishes but our favourites were:

Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio

Pulled Pork Taco

Grilled Halloumi

Seared Beef in Teriyaki sauce

There is also a lovely bar area as you enter which offers cocktails so we were sold the minute we walked in to be honest. PLUS they offered non-alcoholic strawberry daiquris (Amy's fave) which made her night because she's still t-total.

4. Greasy Spoon

Ahh we love this place so so much!! We normally don't rate super hipster places but the staff were soo lovely and the food was i n s a n e.

BRUNCH IS LIFE and Greasy Spoon not only gets this but caters for it. The menu consists of pancake stacks, french toasts, Porridge, Brownies, Eggs Benedict, coffees, cocktails... the lot!

We ordered:

Eggs Benedict with bacon
Blueberry Scotch pancakes with blueberry/pistachio mascarpone AND bacon

Carrot & Orange Juice
Cappuccino
Matcha Latte

We'd also like to add that you cannot pre-book a table so just bear in mind you'll have a little wait before you sit down and order - 15 minutes tops!

5. Joe & The Juice

This is basically a cafe which offers an insane amount of juice variations: fruit and veg, spices, milk, the lot. Coffee and sandwiches are also available.

The staff look like hollister models, the decor is beaut but the thing we loved most of all (other than the drinks) was the music! There was SUCH a good house playlist on blast whilst we sat in the cafe trying to warm up and omg it was such a pleasant surprise. 

I kid you not we were dancing in our seats and singing along to those little gems that have lyrics. MADE OUR DAY

We do love a smoothie in Summer so it was nice to have our first one of the year and kid ourselves that we'd undone all the calories we'd consumed over the 4 days lol

We ordered: 

Pick Me Up (Strawberry, Banana and Apple)

Sex Me Up (Passion Fruit, Apple and Ginger)

P.S apparently there are a few branches in London! So definitely give it a visit when in ze capital folks

6.  Pizzeria Al Forno

Located quite close to our hotel so we ate here on the first night. Basic italian so the menu wasn't massive but oh ma gawd the pasta was insaaane. Totally recommend if in the area

We ordered:

Truffle Gnocchi
Quattro Formaggi Ravioli

Hope you enjoyed our review!! 

xxx

3 days in Milan

It's just over a year since our holiday in Italy, where we spent a few wonderful days across two locations: Genoa and Milan. We have already done a post on Genoa (last year!) and thought this was the perfect time to reminisce and advise you all the spots you must visit in Milan!

Duomo di Milano (Cathedral of Milan) 

This is one of the largest cathedrals in not just Italy but the world. A great example of stunning Italian architecture you MUST see when in Milan. 

The building is made of white marble and you cannot miss it once you come out of the Metro Duomo. There are so so many pigeons which is probably the only downfall but none more so than any open space in London.

before amy beat him up

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 

This is the world's oldest shopping malls and is absolutely breath-taking. The architecture in Milan is stunning but the finite details in this building are just *sighs*

In the centre there is a mosaic image of a bull and it’s considered good luck to spin backwards on the bull’s balls. Don’t be alarmed if you see tourists randomly spinning whilst being videoed like we were haha 

Situated directly across from the Duomo so both can be visited on the same day which is perfect for a short break in Milan. Not only is the Galleria home to the topmost designers it also has outdoor cafes inside – absolutely perfect for people watching.

Naviglio Grande

The Naviglio Grande is a canal lined with authentic Italian restaurants offering SUCH good food and more importantly beaut wine and aperitvo. We’d recommend heading down afternoon/early evening and grab an outdoor seat facing the water so that you can watch the sunset. 

We had an early dinner about 6pm, then had cocktails at nearby bars; nothing new there! If you prefer a more chilled evening, drinking wine sitting outside a restaurant is bliss but if you fancy a bit more fun there are a few promoters around offering discounts on cocktails. They  of course love an English tourist but the deals were actually decent.

Temakinho (Milan Brera restaurant)

This is a Japanese and Brazilian restaurant in the heart of Milan which we could not recommend more if we tried. Menu consists of Japanese temakies & rolls using unique Brazilian flavours whereas the drinks menu is fully of lush South American cocktails. 

The restaurant is down a beautiful little street about a 10 minute walk from Metro Moscova. Décor is primarily focused on the Brazilian side of the business so think vibrant yellows and greens but presented in a super chic way. 

We went on a whim because we had a sushi craving but luckily (because we’re extra) we dressed up. 

We were quite shocked by how prestige entry seemed, there were hostess at the front to make sure you’d booked and lots of posers outside who were either waiting for tables or just sipping on cocktails – just a heads up, if you are considering going whilst in Milan!

10 Reasons We Love London On A Weekday

1. It is acceptable to wear heels!! As well as whatever outfit you damn well want to.. we're talking furs, glitter, pink hair? Most Londoners wouldn't bat an eyelid whereas in Basingstoke, stating we'd be stared at would be an understatement.

2. HAPPY HOUR - enough said.

3. Sushi every couple of minutes, ranging from high end (shout out to Sushi Samba, we misss you and we're coming back for you real soon) all the way to itsu - yummy but affordable.

4. Spontaneous fun - with apps like DICE FM and Twitter knocking about you can literally just search for gigs, rooftop bar events, open air cinemas and BOOM there's your afternoon sorted

5. Acceptable to day drink - people either presume you're celebrating or a functioning alcoholic; both opinions we can live with

6. London is constantly alive, at any time of day. There is a permanent buzz about the whole city, not as unbearably busy as the weekend though

7. Most places are within walking distance - bar, specific cuisine restaurant, tube station - you name it! Walk a little further and it'll be there

8. Leading on from number 6. There is endless fun to discover, we reckon you could live in London your whole life and there will always be another kooky bar or lush coffee shop that you still haven't visited

9. Culture - I mean where else can you eat an Indonesian starter, french cocktails, Japanese/Brazilian main, american dessert (sorry but food is bae) followed by a phenomenal theatre show? We'll wait..

10. Skilled barmen! I'm talking strong but delicious cocktails not just you're average long island iced tea. PLUS someone who will make you smile whilst making it

Piccolinos Virginia Water Review

Due to the sudden but short-lived heatwave we decided to drive up to the beautiful location of Virginia Water and have a spot of lunch on Friday.

We chose to dine in a restaurant chain called Piccolinos. Amy had recently been to the Mayfair restaurant and raved about it so we thought we tried our nearest which was located in VW!

VENUE

Really impressive decor and layout. We were seated in the terrace/conservatory which was g o r g e o u s. The roof was retractable and the ceiling was open with the sun streaming in whilst we were seated. It literally felt like we were on holiday *dramatic sigh*

HOWEVER the sun was a little bit much after about an hour (once the whole 'omg I'm getting a tan how fabulous' phase had worn off) and the lady on the adjacent table requested the shutters be closed; luckily because we were way too polite to ask and would have burnt to a crisp in silence lol

There were round tables as well as sofa/bench type seats in blue leather. We loved sitting here as once we'd polished off our puddings we could lean back, get comfy and sip on our cocktails however it is a job to peel yourself off and get up.

To top it all off there was even a cute DJ playing on a raised balcony which definitely added to the atmosphere and obvious eye candy for the afternoon. We imagine the music will add even more to the vibe of the restaurant/bar during the evening, especially weekend.

SERVICE

All the waiters were lovely and had a sense of humour which made ordering our drinks and different courses a pleasure as well as leaving us laughing. All the gents that served us were also Italian which was quite cute and along with the heat and sunshine it actually felt like we were in Italy!

Having dined in various high priced (equally pompous) restaurants in London we've often found the hostess at the entrance to be quite rude or short however the lady that greeted us here and took us to our table was nothing but welcoming and lovely. Refreshing change.

Our waiter also kindly gave each of us ladies loyalty cards, upon paying for the bill. Each £1 spent equates to 1 point and purely registering the card allows £20 of your next meal - bonus that if we use all 3 of our cards during our next meal that'll be £60 off the bill hollaaaaa

Our only criticism would be the waiting staff were quite slow at clearing our plates.

FOOD

The menu consisted of classic italian dishes ranging from delicious typical antipastis such as carpaccio all the way to luxurious lobster.

Portion sizes were perfect for lunch:

ARAGOSTA £24.00/37.00 Half or whole lobster, garlic & parsley butter, house cut chips

INSALATA DI GRANCHIO £14.75 Hand-picked crab, avocado, gem lettuce & brown crab mayonnaise

ANATRA ALL’ARANCIO £17.00 Crispy duck, spinach, Grand Marnier & orange

CALAMARI FRITTI £8.00 Fried calamari, roast garlic mayonnaise & lemon

We apologize but we didn't manage to take any photos of our main meals as we got a little over excited and began to tuck in.

Now to the best part... dessert:

TORTA DI PASSIONE | Passion fruit cheesecake (v) £6.75

TORTA CAPRESE | Dark chocolate & almond tart, vanilla ice cream (v) (n) £6.75

TORTINO AL CIOCCOLATO | Warm chocolate fondant & caramel ice cream (v) £6.75