Marrakesh, Nottingham

Our flatmate had gone to Marrakesh and had told us of the great feast he'd had there, so Mario and I naturally had to try it out! We decided to go at lunchtime, as we were ravenous! We weren't quite prepared for how much food there was going to be!

Marrakesh is a restaurant located just off of Market Square on Chapel Bar, opposite Las Iguanas. It is easy to get to by foot, tram and bus and is a great location. The restaurant, as you may have guessed, specialises in Lebanese Moroccan food. The restaurant is decorated to suit the style of the food that is served. It is dark and has an exotic feel to it. Moroccan-style music plays in the background as you enjoy the food.

There is both a main menu and a lunchtime menu. The "platter" we'd been told about was on the evening menu and was £15.50 per person. The price really isn't bad for the amount of food you have!!

Mario opted to have a green tea. We were both disappointed when we received the tea. £3.50 for a teabag in a cup of water. If you're paying that price, you should at least have loose leaf and a teapot. I had a mint tea, which did come in a small teapot and had fresh mint leaves in. The tea was lovely and refresh and cost £2.50.

I'll do my best not to waffle on too much about the individual dishes that we had because there were so many! I'll try to give an overall summary of each photo. When we looked at the menu, we thought we'd get maybe a platter with a small selection of each of the mentioned dishes on, we were very wrong!! The dishes we received with the mezze were slightly different to what the menu states, but it was still delicious!

The first things we were brought out were the cold mezze. On the left are vine leaves stuffed with rice, lemon juice and olive oil. In the centre, at the bottom, is hummus, which is chick peas blended with tahina, lemon juice and an olive oil dressing. The dish to the right is Tabbouleh which is freshly chopped parsley, cracked wheat, fresh mint, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, red sweet peppers with a lemon and olive oil dressing  The dish at the back is Baba Gannough, which is roughly chopped, grilled aubergine, mixed with tahina, garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil and topped with pomegranate seeds. These dishes were served with a basket of pitta breads.

  

These dishes were all amazing. The vine leaves were delicious and the hummus was very rich. The tabbouleh was very flavourful and the herb taste was very refreshing. My favourite out of the four was the Baba Gannough. I could have eaten that all day! The pomegranate added such a sweet and light taste to the aubergine and it complimented it perfectly. The pitta breads were also delicious and warm.

We next received two plates with a selection of warm mezze. These pieces were not explained to us, as the dishes above were, so one of them I can't name, sorry!! These plates had falafel, which is fried broad beans and chickpeas with a selection of herbs, cheese samboussek which is feta cheese and spinach in a fried pastry. There was also lamb samboussek, which was the same pastry as the cheese one, but with lamb and herbs instead. The other, which is on the bottom left of the plate, is the one I can't name! It was minced lamb with herbs and had a strong nutmeg flavour to it.  

This plate was very tasty. The falafel was nice, but it's not the best falafel that Mario and I have had. I loved the cheese samboussek! It tasted divine and reminded me of a cheese and spinach pie that I'd had in Corfu a few years ago. The lamb samboussek was also very tasty. The lamb was nicely seasoned and the herbs didn't overpower the intense flavour of the lamb, and the pastry was lovely and crisp. The "unknown" lamb was also tasty but I feel that the nutmeg flavour overpowered the taste of the lamb a little bit.

Next came out three plates of more warm mezze! I was so surprised that we were getting so much food - the table definitely wasn't big enough and we were sat on a table for four! At the top of the picture are chicken wings that were marinated in fresh ginger, herbs and lemon. The middle plate is Arayes, which is minced lamb with parsley on Lebanese bread. The bottom plate is Batata Harrah, which are sautéed cubes of potato with red and green peppers, coriander, garlic, chilli and olive oil.

The chicken wings were really tasty and well marinated. The lemon really complimented the ginger, which added a slight kick to the chicken wings. The arayes, we thought, weren't anything special. I would explain them to be like a Moroccan quesadilla but it was a little... plain tasting! The top Arayes was crisp, but the others were a little soggy as they cooled. The potatoes were delicious! They were slightly spicy but not too overpowering. They were a lovely texture to the potatoes and they were wonderfully seasoned.

Just when we thought the meal was over, the plates were cleared and we were discussing payment, yet another plate was brought out!! Pudding! YAY! Pudding consisted on 5 pieces of baklava, or 5 different variations of it. Once again, it isn't on the menu so I can't tell you exactly what's what!

One of the bite-sized mouthfuls was chocolate, but the others tasted of really delicious baklava. The giant mound of cream in the middle was a little overwhelming but I think it was more for decoration.

We would definitely recommend this restaurant if you fancy something a little different. The food was really delicious and the mezze was a good idea if you're not sure what food to choose! I also liked it because I've not eaten a lot of Moroccan or Lebanese food before so I got to have a taster of a lot of different dishes.  

Joe Delucci's, Nottingham

After we went to Turtle Bay for lunch, we decided to go for some ice cream, and I do love my ice cream! Joe Delucci's sells traditional gelato, or Italian ice cream. Gelato is creamier and has less air in than regular ice cream. You can buy this ice cream in Victoria Centre in Nottingham, on the ground floor. There is a vast array of flavours, from fruity to chocolatey. There are also fat-free, dairy-free and gluten-free options available, so you don't really have an excuse not to eat it!!

We couldn't decide on one flavour so we decided to treat ourselves to two scoops, which is a pricey £3. I think that is a lot of money for some ice cream, even if it is "remarkable Italian ice cream" (as their tag line states) and think 50p per extra scoop would be a lot better. 

I went for a scoop of the cookies and cream and a scoop of dulce de leche. Yuuum!

I decided to get it in a pot as I'd just eaten a monstrously-sized burger, but it is also possible to get a cone. I loved this flavour combination. The cookies and cream ice cream was delicious. The chunks of chocolate cookie weren't too big and the vanilla ice cream wasn't too sweet. I was a little surprised to not see vanilla seeds in the vanilla ice cream, but it was still a gorgeously creamy flavour and consistency. I was a little surprised at the dulce de leche. I was definitely expecting the ice cream to be sweeter than it was, as I expect it to be a more-toffee flavour. It was delicious but not as sweet as I thought.

The flavours Mario opted for were Nocciolata (or chocolate-hazelnut to you and me) and Crème Brûlée. The Nocciolata tasted like a slightly bitter Nutella, which was very tasty! The ice cream was very creamy and not too sweet at all, like other Nutella ice cream I've tasted. The hazelnut flavour was also quite strong and wasn't overpowered by the chocolate. The Crème Brûlée ice cream was also delicious. Once again, not too sweet, the caramel-flavour was perfect.

We would definitely advise you to pop into Victoria Centre and treat yourself to some delicious gelato!

Turtle Bay, Nottingham

Turtle Bay is a Caribbean restaurant which is located in Corner House, close to Victoria Centre and Nottingham city centre.

Their website describes themselves as being "perfect for a big night-out, a quiet dinner for two, lunch with work-mates, somewhere to dump all those shopping bags or just somewhere to break the journey home" and I would agree with them! Turtle Bay offers "Happy Hour" everyday from 127pm and then another one from 10pm-close, so it's a great place to go if you fancy a night out.

Mario and I went to Turtle Bay for lunch a couple of weeks ago (I know, I'm so behind on writing on here!) We'd been before and loved it so had to go back.

We love the drinks here! They're a little pricey at £3.45 a go, but the "Caribbean softs" are all made on site, so it's kind of a novelty! Mario opted to have a ginger beer.

 The menu says that this ginger beer is homemade, like I've already stated, and it's made with spiced pepper, cloves and fresh lime. You get a huge bottle of the drink! The problem is that it's difficult to mix the drink in the bottle, as it's fizzy, so it gets more concentrated as you get through the bottle. Towards the end, Mario said that it was a little too hot (spice-wise) for him and had to dilute it with some tap water, that we'd also ordered.

I decided to have the Passion Fruit Cooler (also £3.45) which contains fresh passion fruit and orange.

This drink was delicious and I love that the passion fruit seeds were still in the drink as it added a nice crunch as you drank it. I think the drinks are a little over priced for what they are, but it's nice to treat yourself to one with your meal and we always ask for a jug of tap-water too so our expensive drinks last longer!

Onto the food! Our food arrived so quickly after we ordered it! The menu does offer a lunchtime offer which are "perfect for lunch or early supper" and these are priced at £6.45 per plate. Mario and I were hungry so decided to go the whole shebang! Mario had the jerk ribs (£9.85).

These ribs are grilled pork ribs, marinated in a honey BBQ glaze with a sour orange chutney. These are served with Turtle Bay's Caribbean 'slaw and either sweet potato fries or rice 'n' peas. As you can see, Mario opted for the rice instead of the fries. When the waiter brought the plate over, the said that this was the biggest plate of ribs he'd seen all day! It was large! The ribs were delicious but we did feel that they were a little drier than we're used to. We think a dry spice mix was used to flavour the ribs instead of a sauce. I think that some sauce  would have been nice, especially with the rice 'n' peas, which were delicious! The spice mix wasn't too spicy at all and on the table there is a selection of sauces for you to use. The coleslaw was also very tasty and had a strong taste of parsley, which was very refreshing.

I went for the Sunny Burger (£9.60), as I do love a good burger!

The sunny burger is a seasoned beef burger with cheese, jerk glaze, salad and pineapple in a toasted bun. This burger is served with their Caribbean 'slaw and sweet potato fries. The burger was very well seasoned and had a great taste to it. The pineapple added a pleasant sweetness to the burger and I was surprised to discover that it wasn't too spicy at all. The burger was enhanced with the addition of some jerk BBQ sauce but was also very tasty by itself. The chips are literally the best thing ever. They are so delicious and because they're sweet potato, it means they're healthy ;) (just kidding!) They are light and crisp and perfectly seasoned. I could eat them all day!! I've already described the slaw above :)

Overall, Mario and I would definitely recommend this place! The staff are friendly and there is a definite relaxed atmosphere to the restaurant. The food is delicious, as are the drinks. We've never tried the alcoholic cocktails, but they look very impressive! During Happy Hour, they're 2-4-1 as well (if they're the same type of cocktail, served together) and there's a selection of 20 cocktails to choose from!

If you wish to book a table, which is recommended if you're going in the evening, call 0115 9475600 or visit http://www.turtlebay.co.uk/booking :)

Las Iguanas, Nottingham

Las Iguanas is a lovely restaurant which can be found close to Fat Cats, near Market Square but also easily reached from Upper Parliament Street. This restaurant serves a wonderful mix of Latin American cuisine and has a great atmosphere! Lively Latino music plays in the background and gets you in a festival mood while the friendly serving staff make you feel comfortable and at ease. It's the perfect place to go after a busy week at work.

Mario ordered a mojito (£6.70) which is white rum over crushed ice, mint, sugar, fresh lime juice and soda. This was a lovely, refreshing-tasting drink which didn't have an overpowering rum-taste although Mario felt as though there wasn't enough mint in the drink.

I chose to drink a glass of the white wine punch (£3.90) which was a little like a sangria. White wine and gin with passion fruit syrup, peach, and apple juice. I loved this drink and thought it tasted quite like grapefruit. I was worried that it would be too sweet so I was pleasantly surprised.

For the starter, I opted to have calamares (£5.40) which, for those of you who don't know, are whole baby squids. 

These were served with a deliciously creamy aioli. These squid were amazing. Beautifully seasoned, these squid were crisp and not rubbery at all. These are not for the squeamish as there were quite a few sets of tentacles! I thought they were a little greasy but the aioli was a lovely accompaniment. 

Mario had the "spectacular" fish taco (5.60). 

The battered fish pieces were placed on soft tortillas and were topped with corn and sweet chilli salsa. These too were delicious. The fish wasn't too greasy, was well seasoned and didn't have too much batter on. The fish itself was flavourful and cooked to flaky perfection. The salsa added just enough spice to the taco but it wasn't too overpowering. Mario wishes that he had had this as a main as he thought it was amazing!

For my main course choice, I decided to be brave and choose the apparent "proud national dish of Brazil", named Feijoada de Puerco (£12.50).

This dish is a stew of braised beef, smoked pork chorizo, pork shoulder, red pepper and black beans in red wine. This delicious stew is served with spring onion, garlic and coriander rice, seasonal greens, orange wedges and a sprinkle of coconut. Oh my goodness, I want to marry this meal. The stew is so full of flavour and is complimented by the lightly flavoured rice. The sauce is quite rich and it became a little too much towards the end of the meal. The coconut on the stew went surprisingly well with the stew. The greens were cooked so there was still a little bite to them.

Mario chose to have the Churrasco Fiasco from the "barbacoa", which are essentially kebabs. He decided to have the steak, red onion and peppers churrasco, in a paprika and cumin marinade (£13.90) although there is an option to have chicken instead.

These kebabs are flame-grilled and served with a honey peri-peri sauce, salad and cassava fries. These kebabs are made up of rump steak which has been glazed in honey. The kebabs themselves were very tasty although Mario felt as though they were a little over-cooked. The meat was a bit dry and chewy, which took away from the tasty glaze. The salad was lightly dressed and was a very tasty side. The chips, however, were absolutely amazing and it's a shame this dish only came with a couple of them, although any more would have been too much to eat! 

This meal was lovely and enjoyable. Our experienced was enhanced by the friendly and attentive staff and also by the lively, carnival-feel that the background music gave. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys food from Latin America! To book a table, call 0115 9596390 or online at http://www.iguanas.co.uk/book-now/nottingham 

Spanky Van Dykes, Nottingham

Spanky Van Dykes, situated by the Royal Concert Hall on Goldsmith Street, describes itself as an "eatery" and a "funhouse". The décor inside is very intriguing and random and it is clear that it was designed with students in mind. The quirky pub hosts several events throughout the year and is a hotspot for students to hang out as it is complete with comfortable sofas and even offers student discount.

Mario and I decided to make the most of its Tuesday offer: 2-for-1 on burgers. We'd visited before for drinks but had never been when food was still being served (food is served until 9pm) so we decided to go for a late lunch.

The pub wasn't too busy and it was dimly lit. In fact, it was a shock that it was still daylight when we left after we'd finished! The staff were informal and friendly, which went with the relaxed atmosphere of the place perfectly.

The menu boasts that all of the burgers are handmade with British beef and are served in a "glazed bun with tomato, lettuce, red onion and homemade fries".

Mario opted to try the Ruby Jean's fried chicken with corn salsa "burger".

I say "burger", because it was more like a fried chicken sandwich. Mario was in heaven. The chicken was succulent and wonderfully crispy. It was perfectly seasoned too. The corn salsa was a lovely accompaniment and Mario was grateful that it wasn't put in side the burger, but came on the side, as he could choose when and how much he wanted to use. The salsa was a little too spicy for me, but Mario loves his spice, so he thoroughly enjoyed it.

The chips are amazing! The skins of the potatoes is left on, which adds to the crunch and we all love a nice crisp chip! Although they were delicious unseasoned, Mario and I added salt and pepper, which then boosted them to the next level.

I chose to have a beef burger topped with halloumi cheese and chorizo sausage.

I was a little hesitant to order this burger as I wasn't sure how well the cheese and the chorizo would go together, but I was glad I chose this. The cheese was lightly grilled and was deliciously creamy-tasting, which was great with the slightly-spicy chorizo. The chorizo sausage was fresh, cut along the middle and grilled to perfection. The burger was lovely and moist and not over-seasoned at all. The beef itself was delicious and cooked to excellence.

We will definitely be going back to Spanky's at some point in the future to sample some of their other dishes as the menu looks amazing! We would definitely recommend this pub for you if you are looking for a chilled-out and relaxed meal with some good (although sometimes strange) background music and interesting decorations!

Lee Rosy's Tea, Nottingham

Lee Rosy's Tea is a lovely tea room with a very relaxing atmosphere located on Broad Street, opposite Broadway cinema, in the Hockley area.

NTU

I decided to go with one of my friends, Tasha, on a Friday afternoon as I am a big fan of tea rooms and tea. Tasha had been doing a college course, which was located near to this tea room, and she raved about the sandwiches to me, so I was obliged to try one! The sandwiches are located in the fridge and are packaged ready to takeaway in plastic containers.

As you can see, I chose to have the chicken breast, green pesto and tomato salad sandwich which was £3.20. These sandwiches are made on site and the ingredients are very fresh. I personally think that the sandwich could be taken out of the packet when it is served to someone eating in the café, instead of just being placed on a plate in its plastic container.

The bread was sliced thickly and was wonderfully soft. There was only a thin layer of pesto in the sandwich which was nice as the flavour wasn't too overpowering and enhanced the other ingredients. The sandwich truly tasted fresh and there's always the worry that a sandwich with tomato in that the bread will be soggy. This hadn't happened with this sandwich!

Tasha had eaten lunch already so she chose to have one of the delicious cakes that Lee Rosy's Tea offers. She chose to have a slice of the lemon meringue pie (£2.40).

The selection of cakes was amazing and part of me wishes I'd had a cake instead of a sandwich! The lemon meringue pie was delicious. Tasha said that the meringue part of the pie was amazing; fluffy and light but also crunchy on the top. She did say that the lemon curd was a little too hard and the pastry base was a little too soft, although this could be due to the fact it was stored in a refrigerated space and may not have been fresh that day.

The tea took a little while to get to us and this is due to the fact they steep the tea for you so you don't have to mess around with the loose leaves from the tea. I chose to have a peppermint tea (£1.40), which is always a refreshing tea.

I was a little disappointed that my tea didn't come in a teapot as I think that's one of the lovely aspects about a tea room. I also didn't like that I was unable to choose the strength of my tea and wish I'd asked for it to be quite strong as the flavour wasn't strong enough for me. Although the tea was very tasty and was exactly what it said it was, I was hoping that the peppermint tea would have been fresh mint.

Tasha had an iced tea (£1.80), which is also available for takeaway. The tea room had run out of black tea so Tasha had a lemon and ginger iced tea.

Tasha said that the tea tasted a lot more of ginger than it did of lemon, but the tea was still very nice and not too sweet, which can be a problem with a lot of iced teas. She did also say that the tea wasn't that refreshing, which could have been amended by a stronger lemon flavour.

Lee Rosy's is a lovely, laid-back tea room perfect for students (due to the free wifi) but also those who want something a little more traditional for lunch. The tea room also sells loose leaf tea in the shop and on their website. In the evenings in the café, there are also events. Most Thursdays sees a film night, Tuesday night is the night for knitters and on the first Thursday of every month, there is a games' night.

Fat Cat Café Bar, Nottingham

On Thursday, which has become "date night" for Mario and myself, we decided to go to Fat Cat Café Bar, which is also a chain found in many cities in the UK. Located in the Chapel quarter of Nottingham, Fat Cat's is easily accessed by both bus, as it is close to Upper Parliament Street, and foot as is very close to Market Square.

Thursday is Ladies' Night in Fat Cat's whereby you can have two courses and a cocktail all for £11.95, not too shabby at all! Sunday to Thursday every week brings an offer os two courses for £12.45 from the standard menu. Outside was full once again due to the hot weather, so Mario and myself decided to sit inside, which was dimly lit for "ambience", one may assume.

We ordered a bottle of the house white, well one of the bottles as there was a selection of four. We opted for the Santo Isidro (£15.95) was was quite pleasant tasting and not too dry. Mario chose from the "Ladies' Night" menu therefore got a cocktail of his choice, which was an Amaretto Sours.

Mario is a big fan of Amaretto Sours ever since trying them in Coco Lounge a couple of years ago. He says that the Fat Cat's version wasn't the best he's ever had, but still a lot better than some of the attempts. He felt that this cocktail wasn't sour enough and didn't taste fresh enough for him.

The Ladies' Night menu has a different selection of meals from the normal menu, and he chose to have a Greek salad (£4.50) for his starter.

The salad was delicious and was exactly what it said on the tin. The addition of spinach to the salad was pleasant and the whole salad had a lovely fresh taste thanks to the mint that was in the salad dressing. The olives were delectable (although not as good as Jamie's Italians!) and the feta was wonderfully light and crumbly.

From the standard menu, I chose to do the two courses for £12.45. This meant that all items that have a star next to them on the menu are included in this offer. For my starter, I chose to have whitebait (£4.50).

I love that the fish was served in "newspaper" and I think that it added a nice touch to the presentation. I was surprised by the amount of fish you receive with this starter; I didn't think it was ever going to end! The whitebait was served with a garlic and lime mayonnaise, which was a lovely accompaniment to the crisp fish and fresh-tasting salad.

For his main course, Mario chose to have the steak burger (£7.45), which came with Cajun fries.

This course was very disappointing for a number of reasons. Firstly, the chips were a little too much like McDonald's chips, although the seasoning was very tasty. Secondly, the burger had been over-seasoned. Rosemary had been used in the burger, which is usually a delicious herb to use, but it was overpowering in this burger and we couldn't taste the actual meat at all. The actual burger was horribly dry and the bun was also chewy and tasted defrosted. One redeeming factor was the coleslaw, which was very tasty and full of flavour.

I decided to have fish and chips (£7.95) for my main course, which is served with chunky chips, mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce.

Once again, my fish was served in "newspaper", which was a lovely way to present the food. Contrary to the disappointing burger, my fish and chips were wonderful! The chips were perfectly cooked: crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. The mushy peas were a little dry for me, although Mario claims they were fine (I'm from the south therefore mushy peas are still a new "thing" to me!) but there was a minty taste to the peas which was lovely. The fish was lovely and flaky and the batter was so crisp. One thing I did like about it is that there wasn't too much batter on the fish and it wasn't too greasy. 

The meal came to £40.35 which was reasonable for the amount of food we received and we left feeling very full! Although there were some negative aspects to the meal, the staff were very engaging and friendly and the atmosphere was good.

To book a table, call 0115 947 5044 or book online