Coquine

                Coquine is a stylish bar, restaurant and lounge located in South Kensington, a District of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in London. The place is vintage decorated, with sophisticated chandeliers covered of woven Persian and well designed chairs. The dark blue tile walls and the low light make the ambient comfortably dark. Every detail from the ceiling to the mirrors has a vintage touch.  This restaurant-lounge has been chosen by me to host my guests in a very special day: my wedding!

                When I was looking for a restaurant I found out that there are very few venues offering a reception, dinner and dancing area combined, unless you book the whole place exclusively for the event. That was not the case as my wedding was shortly planned and for very close friends. As I am always keen for my restaurants experiences I searched deeply about every single detail to ensure the comfort of my guests.  All the preparation for my day made me think how connected special dates are to hospitality. Any kind of celebration tends to gather people in a determined place with food and drinks. In this specific occasion I had more expectations than ever, considering that was a very single date in my life.

                The food served in the restaurant is Lebanese. Halloumi cheese, garlic chicken and lamb steak are some of the menu delights. As we made it in a weekday we could not arrange a good time for a dinner, so the dinner and dinner time would be up to each one, just as they wish. The tables had on wedding favors, a candle, champagne glass and a selection of canapés. The canapés we have chosen was: Prawns cocktail, smoked salmon with cream cheese and hummus with a touch of caviar sauce. A Long table in a reserved room was only for us, what made our experience more exclusive. The wine list was very good with a selection of European, American and Australian wines. I tried the Coquine Cocktail made with champagne and passion fruit, and was delicious. After few drinks, snacks and a toast we all moved to the basement level, where we enjoyed the rest of the night dancing. The decoration down there was even more astonishing with velvety walls and big paintings on them.

                The Coquine is under new management and I think they are doing really great! The restaurant offers a particular service, food, environment and decoration in a lovely area in London. I would not describe my Coquine experience less than excellent, from the friendly service to the lovely food. Not even in my wedding day I gave up to be fussy. I wanted to ensure everything was going as it was supposed to be.  After one of the most special days in my life my view of the hospitality service has increased potentially as I could witness how this business can enhance someone´s experience and make it even more special than it could be.

Buenos Aires

               Travelling around the world is just one of the best things I can tell about my life. The fact we are able to see different people speaking in different languages, different accents, and different languages in different accents is amazing. It is also incredible how places really close to each other can be markedly differentiated by people, behavior and so on. In Argentina, the first country I have been to has two only mutual points to Brazil, my country: One is the passion for football and the second is the passion for meat! I will talk about the last one, as the first is just not my cup of tea, at all.

                My sudden trip to Buenos Aires was due to a stressed week at work and the fact my aunt was spending her holiday over there, with her son, who used to live there. I wish I could have stressed weeks along my career and suddenly go to an international trip having such a great experience like I had that time. I don´t even need to say that eating out was just the best part of my trip, as well as meeting my relatives who I had been a few years without seeing them.

                The place chosen by my cousin was Spettus Restaurant in Puerto Madero, such a great district in the Argentinean Capital. The restaurants in the area are many over viewing the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver), what makes the dining experience unique. The Spettus is a churrascaria (Steak House), which concept is a buffet which you can help yourself as much as you wish and the meat waiters, that come to your table with all sort of meat.  Besides the modern and stylish interior the restaurant has a lovely terrace where we could enjoy much closer the view of the River and the Puente de la Mujer (Women´s Bridge), such a great masterpiece. The service was just what we expected from the area the restaurant is located, excellent. I cannot remember of any specific food from the buffet, but I can tell they were more than forty cold / hot dishes and those which I tried were delicious. The meat from Argentina is just as good as the Brazilian meat, and Spettus did not let me down at all. From the simple chicken with bacon to the sirloin and house specialties it was really good.  Our puddings were also delicious; we had homemade ice cream with a gorgeous chocolate sauce, just what we need to finish a fatty night out.  We were all fine with soft drinks, but I particularly think we could have enhanced our experience with a local wine or beer, after all there was Argentina. But that will be for my next time in Buenos Aires. 

Buenos Aires

Travelling around the world is just one of the best things I can tell about my life. The fact we are able to see different people speaking in different languages, different accents, and different languages in different accents is amazing. It is also incredible how places really close to each other can be markedly differentiated by people, behavior and so on. In Argentina, the first country I have been to has two only mutual points to Brazil, my country: One is the passion for football and the second is the passion for meat! I will talk about the last one, as the first is just not my cup of tea, at all.

                My sudden trip to Buenos Aires was due to a stressed week at work and the fact my aunt was spending her holiday over there, with her son, who used to live there. I wish I could have stressed weeks along my career and suddenly go to an international trip having such a great experience like I had that time. I don´t even need to say that eating out was just the best part of my trip, as well as meeting my relatives who I had been a few years without seeing them.

                The place chosen by my cousin was Spettus Restaurant in Puerto Madero, such a great district in the Argentinean Capital. The restaurants in the area are many over viewing the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver), what makes the dining experience unique. The Spettus is a churrascaria (Steak House), which concept is a buffet which you can help yourself as much as you wish and the meat waiters, that come to your table with all sort of meat.  Besides the modern and stylish interior the restaurant has a lovely terrace where we could enjoy much closer the view of the River and the Puente de la Mujer (Women´s Bridge), such a great masterpiece. The service was just what we expected from the area the restaurant is located, excellent. I cannot remember of any specific food from the buffet, but I can tell they were more than forty cold / hot dishes and those which I tried were delicious. The meat from Argentina is just as good as the Brazilian meat, and Spettus did not let me down at all. From the simple chicken with bacon to the sirloin and house specialties it was really good.  Our puddings were also delicious; we had homemade ice cream with a gorgeous chocolate sauce, just what we need to finish a fatty night out.  We were all fine with soft drinks, but I particularly think we could have enhanced our experience with a local wine or beer, after all there was Argentina. But that will be for my next time in Buenos Aires. 

London

             Marrakesh was left with a great feeling that the whole gastronomic experience was definitely worthy and the Le Comptoir is representing the Moroccan specialties beautifully. Moving from capital to capital, there is a city where we can find cuisine from all over the world and where some of the best restaurants in the world are located, London, the capital of the United Kingdom.

            As mentioned before tourism public is wide diverse. They can vary from executive business people who dine in fine dinning restaurants, to students who just fancy a fast food while in a touristic walking tour. London, where we could talk about a stared Michelin Restaurant will be an example of how a fast food restaurant is supportive not only for  low budget tourist but to a resident as well.

            London is such a big city where you never get bored, unless you get bored by being very busy. This is one of the oldest tourism destinations in the world full of events, sightseeing, fashion, culture and good food. Take a walk around and the city will surprise you with all its amazing views and places you can see. From the marvelous House of Parliament to a small park or garden that takes you from a huge city to a quiet place like you were elsewhere. Across the Jubilee Bridge there is the Southbank Centre and loads of restaurants, from a quick bite to fine dining ones, all of them over viewing the Thames. On the other side the river you find China Town and Soho, two areas very close to each other. These two areas are full of alternative places and there you see a freedom and multicultural atmosphere. In China Town you may buy a take-a-way fried rice and in Soho you may take a seat and relax in one of the  pubs having a cheap British Meal.

            As my girlfriend and I lived in London for a while we know countless trendy spots across the city. This time we decided to grab a quick bite in a cool place where having a meal is just as cheap as Mc Donald´s. The Cool place chosen is Soho, where nightlife never dies and the restaurant is called Tuk Tuk.

            The restaurant is right in the centre, really common, casual decoration; wooden tables, simple chairs and mirrored walls. I had never noticed that place until my girlfriend took me there. The welcome was very friendly, as soon as we walked up the stairs the waiter came with a big smile to serve us. We had a table by the window where we would be able to watch people passing by in the busy Soho while we enjoyed our meal and each other’s company. The menu has a quite large variety of options, from noodles to rice and grilled. I went to my girlfriend´s suggestion and we both had the same, Pad Thai Prawns. The food was served quickly and was hot and fresh and incredibly tasty. That was my first time eating a Pad Thai and that one was very well seasoned. The rice noodle was beautifully cooked as well as the prawns; it is not every day we find prawns cooked properly. The bean sprouts were very good and the fish sauce went so well with the whole dish. Our dinner did not last more than one hour

            This London experience shows how important is a touristic destination such as London, where there is a large range of options to match with everybody´s needs, moods and budgets. It shows the good hospitality structure London has built along many years and how fundamental this large variety is for the tourism economy. 

In Marrakesh

Running a gastronomic spot nowadays can be really challenging. The tourism is growing every year and the public expects to find what is shown and written in the travels magazines. The food sector is fundamental in the tourism experience and has been in many destinations a star and the main reason to make tourists travel miles from home. The tourism public is wide diverse; business, leisure, health, adventure and long term are some of the many types of travelers and all of them have a common need, eat. Some places may be more prepared than others for the food experience, what may classify them as a gastronomic destination. In theses places the public tend to be more critical as well as the challenge of the local businesses tend to be higher.

Chefs are the focus in the media bringing quality food and local spices are everybody´s expectations. A Boutique Restaurant in Marrakesh called Le Comptoir delighted me and my friends with its service, perfect food, good wine, entertainment, good music and a lovely shop where we could find local souvenirs. The concept of a Boutique Restaurant adopted by Le Comptoir is the comfort of a Restaurant, a Night Club and a shop all together for you. The restaurant is located in a sophisticated area in the city, surrounded by mansions and characteristic buildings that allows you to feel the night experience even before stepping into the dinning place. The entrance decoration is marvelous; huge palace doors taking you through the corridor with hanged Arabic curtains all over the place. We were expected by lovely hostesses who guided us to the main bar where we had the best caipirinha ever.

After a few cocktails and great background music we finally go to The Terrace, where we booked our table to be. Torches are spread around the room, candles on the tables and Arabic Silk decorating the ceiling and walls. We chose a merlot as we were on low budget and went straight to the main course. I had a sea food Tajini with the traditional couscous, witch was delicious. My friends had a ricotta and spinach Ravioli, which they enjoyed very much. Our puddings were a triple flavored Crème Brulée which was vanilla, chocolate and coffee, just the best I have tried so far. When we were having our desserts we were surprised by belly dancers coming down the enormous stairs and performing around our tables. That was really fun and I could not resist having a picture with one of them.

To finish the experience with a flourish we went to the night club where our night was extended with belly dancers performing on the tables dancing a wide sort of music. That was much more than a gastronomic event, but showed us that a full hospitality experience can bring to an unforgettable life experience.