Where to eat in San Remo...:Vino, Panino & Co

...Get there before lunchtime and amble around the shop lined streets...once lunchtime comes and those shops close...they aren't opening before 3.30pm!! So beware!!

We got there by 11.00am and were able to window shop. I haven't been in ages and the shopping has improved in leaps and bounds: check out the Max & Co for the ladies and Boggi for men. "Spinnaker" has opened a huge fashion emporium for all things designer,you need no longer search in Graziela. There are so many shoe shops that range from the cheap and cheerful to the ugly and expensive...one man's trash is another man's treasure!

Where to eat...that is always a dilemma when you haven't a clue and find yourself desperately walking around looking for something that doesn't look grotty,touristy or PIZZA!
We happened upon this great wine bar/bistro that is light and airy and super trendy....The food is fabulous and everything including dessert is made on the premises.

Vino, Panino & Co: is as lovely as it sounds and doesn't only serve panini and Pinot Grigio. The menu is quite varied and offers a large selection of pastas,salads as well as paninis...there is more but I just couldn't tell you in detail...it was all in Italian!

Now that you got a good feel of the interior...you must we wondering what we ate:pennette in a fresh tomato and fresh basil sauce with aubergines and freshly grated ricotta.
Good? It was bloody delicious!

 Now what did we drink with that? I highly recommend a glass of the Lacrima di Morro d'Alba(a red wine): amber bloomin' nectar...and you can taste peaches and pepper and it is velvety smooth. Need I go on?

We loved it so much...we bought a bottle!
And for dessert? I let myself get tempted....home made creme brulee (an old favourite).

Vino, Panino & Co:corso Mombello 56/58
18038 San Remo

 Buon Apetito.

Emeli Sande - My Kind of Love

Just heard Emeli Sande sing this live on The Voice UK..gorgeous voice,heartfelt words:

My Kind Of Love lyrics: ...

I can't buy your love, don't even wanna try.
Sometimes the truth won't make you happy, so I'm not gonna lie.
But don't ever question if my heart beats only for you, it beats only for you.

I know i'm far from perfect, nothin' like your entourage
I can't grant you any wishes, I won't promise you the stars.
But don't ever question if my heart beats only for you, it beats only for you.

Cause when you've given up.
When no matter what you do it's never good enough.
When you never thought that it could ever get this tough,
Thats when you feel my kind of love.

And when you're crying out.
When you fall and then can't pick, you're heavy on the ground
When the friends you thought you had haven't stuck around.
That's when you feel my kind of love.

You won't see me at the parties, I guess I'm just no fun.
I won't be turning up the radio singing "Baby You're The One".
But don't ever question if my heart beats only for you, it beats only for you.

I know sometimes I get angry, and I say what i don't mean.
I know I keep my heart protected, far away from my sleeve.
But don't ever question if my heart beats only for you, it beats only for you.

Cause when you've given up.
When no matter what you do it's never good enough.
When you never thought that it could ever get this tough,
Thats when you feel my kind of love.

And when you're crying out.
When you fall and then can't pick, you're heavy on the ground
When the friends you thought you had haven't stuck around.
That's when you feel my kind of love.

Cause when you've given up.
When no matter what you do it's never good enough.
When you never thought that it could ever get this tough,
Thats when you feel my kind of love.

I'm in the "Mood Board"

Yes! Recession be damned...me want lots of things...me maybe get a few!

"Chanel":the timeless classic vintage jacket is only something you can either inherit (I did!)or hunt down with manic precision on either Ebay (and that can be iffy...Believe me,I Know!)or at auction through Kerry Taylor(the godmother of style and auctionneer of the Audrey Hepburn estate).

"Yves Saint Laurent":oh! Yves...superb shoes that make sex on legs more than a cliche.

"Lacoste": the laid back cool of a white trouser with tuxedo appeal....Big boutique on Knighstbridge.
"TopShop": fun and young...mix it up!..on the web and on Oxford Street and Knightsbridge.
"Esprit": nostalgia...I have been there and worn that back in the 90s...my Et Vous pinstripe suit and white Converse...what goes around,sure does come around and on the likes of Gisele Bunchen of all people.
"SuperDry":opening a HUGE emporium on Regent Street..5 floors of fun and these fabulous glasses..

Shoes! Shoes! and Shoes...."Aldo" : have a great selection for this summer,so many styles to choose from. "Carvela": sexy! 

"Russell and Bromley".... And the new collection by Jefferson Hack for "Tods":buttery soft and toffee coloured.

"Asos": the Africa collection, with the exotic and magnificent prints...sold out most probably but try anyhow on :www.asos.com

"Sonia Rykiel":classy and streamlines;pants and top...

"Paul Smith": the king of British tailoring,sexy man-cut jacket that longs to be worn with jeans or chinos and beaten up trainers...

 
 

"These are a few of my favourite things!"

Words to the Wise:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
 Doct. Seuss

*...I absolutely go by this now and so should you.

La Maison Rouge in Mougins: The Complete Package.

I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel to Marrakech twice and both times I have enjoyed the hospitality, the divine food and the mystical splendours of Morocco.
Now I no longer have to dream the impossible dream, I can eat the most mouth watering Saffron Couscous, tajines and pastillas right here in Mougins.

Zohra and her ever smiling husband Hassan have finally made it happen, they have opened La Maison Rouge in Mougins, a casba of infinite pleasure when it comes to the stomach, the heart and the soul.
This lovely red house in a quiet part of Mougins is not only a restaurant and what a fine restaurant it is but also a lounge bar and a traditional Moroccan Hamman. Have I got your attention now?

*courtesy of their website*

Let’s talk food first: home cooked by Hassan himself using fresh produce and vegetables I did not know existed let alone tasted. There are no entrees...the entrees are brought to the table in little shot glasses: tuna in a harissa sauce with capers, baby artichokes marinated in olive oil and lemon,a mini cucumber and tomato salad with fresh coriander so delicious I had to mop up my plate with the sesame and olive bread.

The main meal you pick yourself: the men went for the" Saffron Couscous": a dish fit for our kings. Heaps of golden couscous, lamb, 2 lamb kefte, a brochette of beef and 9 different sorts of fresh vegetables...go ahead count them.

I went for the Lamb and Fig Tajine: need I say that the figs were fresh and the dish divine. Even when I was full and could eat no more..I kept at it.

Janet went for the Gambas Tajine in a fresh tomato sauce....erm,I'll just let the pictures do the talking:

It is hearty and tasty food...the kind your mom would make if she was Moroccan....
The plates are full of goodness that will fill your belly and make you purr with pleasure and once the fresh mint tea has been poured and Zohra has placed a selection of sticky pastries in the middle for all to share...does your purring reach an almighty crescendo and you need a lie down.


The ambience is low key yet enough to transport you.The music isn’t your typical Arabic selection that you now here everywhere including your local supermarket.They were playing a soft jazz combo,music that Woody Allen would use in his movies and it accompanied our meal in perfect harmony.

Now to the newly opened Hamman: you needn’t bring a thing; it is all there for your pleasure. A locker room is at your disposal, thick towels, bathrobes and disposable knickers and slippers. All you have to do is walk in to the thick welcoming heat of the hamman,choose and slab and lie down.A scrub with “savon noir” and massage is available as well as a walk in shower you could fit a football team in. Did I say that you will feel like you are in the heart of Morocco? Well you will feel like you are anywhere but here and that is part of the journey: to escape your day, your routine and surroundings.

Once you have been rubbed, scrubbed and massaged, you are invited to relax in their “Salon de relaxation” where you can drink your fresh mint tea to your heart’s content and close your eyes some more.


Are you there yet?

Open from Tuesday to Sunday
To book Hamman experience or restaurant call:04 93 75 67 28 or 06 45 36 89 11

There are several offers  including the "Formule Repas III" which consists of: use of the hammam,bath towels/bathrobes,disposable panties and slippers, "savon noir" scrub,access to relaxation room with mint tea and couscous or a tajine....80€
If you add a half hour massage to that: 120€

Oh and tell them Reem sent you....Enjoy.

The Dare Devil wears Zara....

Why does one have to be daring to wear Zara,you might ask?Well you don't as far as the clothes are concerned but the shoes?.....An old adage comes to mind about : "cheap shoes and ruined your feet" but when I saw these sling backs my mind went into overdrive and my wallet danced the macarena:gorgeous and a steal at 79.95€ !!
I have never bought shoes this cheap.... but any worries for my newly pedicured and paraffined feet went out the window...I simply had to have them.

Let me tell you that at that price,they are thankfully in leather and made in.... China. But what isn't these days.

So... the verdict on comfort and the state of my feet...(drum roll please....):
My toes suffered slightly on my right foot,as a toe or two was feeling the pinch and/or the need to escape. But in fairness I had been wearing them all day... my feet fared pretty well all things considered.I have had a worst time in a pair of Loubous,let me tell you and blisters the size of kumquats after an afternoon in a pair of Converse hightops.

So : "Que sera, Zara! "...no regrets.

Going For Brogue....

Prada did it  and so did Pollini ...The Brogue is back in force sista'!... And I can walk for miles in them.

Yes, they are mannish looking...They are brogues.

Yes, my BF hates them...They are brogues! (Although he has generously conceded that they aren't that bad).

And Yes, they are part and parcel of fashion footwear that is simply timeless.

There is nothing sexier than a woman in man's clothing and has long as you aren't literally wearing your man's clothes and looking like a bag lady...run with it. Fashion embraces all trends,it is all down to what you pair it with.

The blush colour is perfect for this summers colour palette of pastel hues and goes handsomely with my Zadig and Voltaire "Rorschach" skull T shirt....I see a skull...you may see a butterfly....that is the beauty of Rorschach.

  

Looking back ...I seem to have my finger firmly on the "Liberace"pulse...BUT! A trend is a trend is a trend.... my mom made sure of that.....

....Whether we liked it or not!

                                                                     Girl Power!