Marrakesh: and a tale of New Year's at Peacock Pavilions boutique hotel

Ah, it was New Year's eve at Peacock Pavilions and so we got to cooking.

There was Danish cheese with dried apricot in a bed of organic honey.

And a whole salmon that barely fit into the oven. {And foie gras with onion confit, risotto with shitake mushrooms, roasted leeks, fennel salad, and chocolate fondant.}

I set the table in the Peacock Pavilions dining tent. { Don't the Moroccan tea glasses on hammered silver trays look so pretty?}

A can of golden spray paint came in handy when stenciling the table with Moroccan-inspired stencils from Royal Design Studio. There were golden votives and golden placemats.  White roses went into black and gold Moroccan tea tins.

Girls in sparkly outfits were there.

As were handsome boys who spoke and laughed in several languages.......

And even best friends who had come from across the ocean.....

We ate....

 and ate......

and listened to and told stories....

until it was midnight. 

Happy 2012, Lovelies........... 

Marrakesh: and a tale of a new year of new adventures

Dear friends,

Here's wishing you a new year filled with adventures in far off lands (or even adventures close to home).

Here's wishing you color......

intrigue.....

mystery....

and fascinating conversations with people different from you....

And here's wishing you thinking outside the box because, really, we're too old to keep doing the same old things, the same old ways.  

This is the year.  Yes, this is the year............

And lastly, here's wishing you a Moroccan holiday..........

                            at the very least inside your head.  

Happy New Year from Marrakesh:-)

    Love,

    Maryam

Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia.

Cairo's La Bodega: a tale of glamorous Egyptian dining and decor

I should have known as soon I saw them,  that La Bodega was unlike any other restaurant in Cairo.

She might have said, Expect glamour, as I brushed by her.  

And, of course, she was right.....  

Located in an old Cairo mansion, with all its fine fittings and fireplaces, La Bodego showed off remnants of a more romantic era.

Through golden doorways there was seating under crystal moons.......  

and a bar under a crystal waterfall.

All the beautiful people were there.  With a kiss kiss, they said hello.

And hung up their purses.

And (gasp) had an illicit smoke.

And then they gossiped Cairo gossip. 

The waiters could hardly keep up with the orders for chestnut risotto, crusted salmon, and homemade papardelle.

Or perhaps they were taking intrigue-filled notes culled from the whispered tales around them.

No mater, it was a shimmering night....

But don't take my word for it.  Next time you're in Cairo, come for a glamorous evening of your very own....

La Bodego, Apperitivo & Bistro

157, 26th of July Streat
Baehler's Mansions Building
Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
info@labodegaegypt.com
www.labodegaegypt.com
+20 2735 0543/6761 or +20 10 523 2923
Reservations by phone only.

Marrakesh: and where to shop...Meriem Rawling's Hanout

Meriem Rawlings.  A girl who comes from fashion, loves fashion, makes fashion.  And if she can't make it, she finds it.

mesmerized by color.....

 by pattern....

by drape

and beading......

Oh, the craftsmanship.......

and the handmade finishing....

That's so pretty.....

Can I try that on?

Maybe with that ring?

{No wonder I bought a silk beaded dress and a silk tunic in a blink of an eye. } 

So, if you are in Marrakesh.....Don't miss...

Meriem Rawlings new boutique, Hanout.  

N 8 gallerie cherifia, Sidi Abdelaziz,  underneath the restaurant La Terrasse des épices

Marrakesh {of course}

*

PS Sublime new stock of Moroccan wedding blankets in my shop, Red Thread Souk.  Take a peek here.