Dining at Armani Nobu Milano

Those who know me well know that I am not much a foodie in the sense that food is not usually the highlight of my day or a night out. However, when me and my better half plan on going out to eat, we always make sure to eat at some of the best places, and our weekend getaway in Milan was not to be an exception. I was more than excited to source out three of Milan's best eateries (one for each night we were staying there) for the perfect culinary experience.

In fact, while planning our trip, my boyfriend quickly pointed out that it's not everyday that I get too excited about food but I guess I did a good job with all three places we ate at. The place I was excited most about is without a doubt Armani Nobu Milano. Asian cuisine is easily a favourite with us so this experience was definitely a must.

We saved it for our last night which was a Sunday night. The restaurant is very easy to get to as from where we were staying (Best Western Hotel Mozart in Piazza Gerusalemme), we just had to cross the road to reach underground line 5 (lilac) from Gerusalemme station, make an interchange to the yellow line 3 from Zara station and stop at Montenapoleone station. The restaurant is located literally around the corner from the station within the Emporio Armani Store, overlooking the sophisticated neighbourhood of Via Pisoni 1.

We took a risk and went there without making a reservation and I have to admit that we were extremely lucky for them to have a place for us at the sushi bar upstairs. The moral of the story is to pre-book your table if you plan to dine here.

The receptionist greeted us upon our arrival and arranged for us to have a place at the sushi bar. The restaurant is tastefully decorated in warm hues of brown, orange and beige which provides a the feel of a Japanese house with a touch of Armani sophistication. The sleek, minimal design is one of the things which won me over as soon as I came across the restaurant website while carrying out my research and I have to admit, it didn't let me down. The dim lighting provides a very intimate atmosphere even if you're a big group. As soon as we made our way upstairs, the sushi bar chefs greeted us in Japanese and the maître d'hôtel invited us to our bar stools.

We were spoilt for choice with all the Asian food available on the menu. We ordered some water which was served in an Armani branded bottle while we settled on our first choice - my boyfriend had New Style Tuna (top) while I opted for a delicious Avocado Tartare (bottom). The tuna tasted very much like a tuna carpaccio but with a vinegary sort of taste. On the other hand, the avocado tartare was a fusion of fresh and spicy.

Next we settled for the Sushi Selection (left) which consisted of a delectable mix of nigiri, maki and salmon roe (caviar) prepared with the freshest of ingredients right in front of our eyes in the live-cooking sushi bar. Here I would like to point out the impeccable way each dish is presented. Following this we went for more salmon sushi rolls (right).

Lastly, dessert. Even though it may sound exaggerated, (I really am not) - this has got to be the best tasting dessert I have ever had! I opted for a Japanese Bento Box which comes with a deliciously soft-on-the-outside-gooey-on-the-inside chocolate fondant, accompanied by a serving of the freshest green tea ice-cream and some forest fruits served in an actual Japanese bento box (or lunch box for us Westerners). The explosion of flavours was out of this world and the hot and cold temperatures are strangely very complementing! A decadent and delicious combination I cannot recommend enough! On the other hand, my boyfriend opted for a ginger pannacotta topped with coffee ice-cream and sesame seeds which was equally delicious...and coming from a non-coffee lover that says a lot!

Of course, this is a fine-dining restaurant so the experience comes with a price tag to match. Having said that, all prices are available on the online menu and we knew what were going for. I highly recommend visiting Armani Nobu if you happen to be in Milan for it offers an unparallelled dining experience as soon as you put your first step through the door.

Check out what I wore for this special night out in this post.

Milan Outfit Diaries

One of the things I always freak out about when travelling is which clothing items I am going to pack with me, and most of the time, the choice revolves around any new items I have acquired in the days leading up to the trip. Yes, you guessed it; more often than not, I end up buying new clothes just to take with me here or there and of course, Milan was no exception.

Being a fashion capital, I really didn't want to get it wrong and we all know how stylish northern Italians tend to be. I this post, I am going to share with you three outfits I wore during the day. One special dress is missing from this post but I will show you the outfit in better detail in an upcoming post.

Outfit #1 - Of Ruffles & Western Details

For our first day I opted for a comfy ensemble as we had to catch a flight of course. I took this River Island coat with me which proved to be a life saver against the cold temperatures and since it keeps me so warm, I could get away with something light underneath. Of course I had to wear my new Italian leather Zara Chelsea boots to lend an otherwise girly outfit an androgynous edge. The western buckle belt further gives the outfit an edge as does the demi-tucked shirt. To top it off, I chose wear a cloche hat and this tassel detail cross-body bag. Pictures were captured at Parco Sempione.

Printed Ruffle Blouse, H&M | Coated denims, Promod
Coat, River Island | Real leather chelsea boots, Zara
Western buckle belt and tassel flip-over cross-body bag, both River Island
Felt cloche hat, H&M

Outfit #2 - A Colourful Melange

Me and my boyfriend both enjoy going to museums and sightseeing and whenever we are abroad, we try to take in as much as possible from the place we're visiting. In fact, we dedicated our second day entirely to sightseeing and some shopping of course. I wanted something colourful and vibrant for a day in the city and have to say I am really pleased with how this outfit turned out. I think the scarf really brought it all together. The heeled boots are one of the comfiest pairs I own so I had no issues after a full day of walking around the city. My favourite pieces from the outfit are without a doubt the colourful scarf which I bought in Munich last month and the Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid bag which my boyfriend gifted me for Christmas. Pictures taken at Colonne di San Lorenzo and Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II.

Down feather jacket and emerald green roll neck sweater, both Zara
Denims, Charles & Ron | Boots, Nine West
Scarf and gloves, both H&M | Felt cross-body bag, Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid
Necklace, Fossil at Sunlab

Outfit #3 - Modern Day 90's

We spent the first half of our last day in the picturesque city of Como where the temperatures were a little colder than in Milan so layering was of course a must. I opted for the same Charles & Ron denims and Zara real leather boots from the days before just because they are so comfortable and I took the opportunity to wear this new merino mix top (also bought in Munich last month) and my new River Island bomber jacket. I also had the same coat from day 1 but I took it off just to 'show-off' the beautiful embroidery on the jacket. I finally found a bomber jacket that I like and with the choker and dark red lips, I felt I was reviving my 90's self. Pictures were taken at Como.

Bomber jacket and choker, both River Island
Merino wool mix cable knit sweater, H&M (L.O.G.G.) | Denims, Charles & Ron
Chelsea boots, Zara | Earrings, I AM
Glasses, Dolce & Gabbana at Optika

The rest of our last day was spent in Milan, where we attended the Manolo Blahník exhibition, visited the Duomo and dined at Nobu in the evening. I will show you what I wore to Nobu in another post and I was also requested to write about my dining experience there so I'll be sure to write about that too :)

Which was your favourite outfit? Should I do travel outfit diaries more often or do you prefer a separate post for each outfit? Leave your comments below :)

Milan Haul

As you can tell from the title of this post, I thought of sharing with you what I got from my weekend trip to Milan last week. I didn't buy that much stuff because quite frankly I was a little under the weather when the pair of Gianvito Rossi's I am after were not in stock at either of their boutiques so *shocker* I didn't really feel like shopping.

However, I still managed to score some gorgeous finds. First off, & Other Stories. I'm in love with this brand and whenever I visit a country where they have a store, I just have to visit their exquisitely decorated shops and possibly get a couple of items too. I had already seen their current collection in Munich where on my way out I spotted a gorgeous top which was only available in the larger sizes. I couldn't get this top out of my mind so I made it a point to try and find it in Milan, which I did :D It's a very minimal grey, boxy top with a round collar and it feels so warm! It cost €55. I also got a pair of gunmetal mirrored sunglasses for €25 and a pair of triangle rose gold and marble earrings for €15, both of which I had been wanting for ages.

After visiting the Manolo Blahnik exhibition, I purchased the book which contains pictures and illustrations of all the shoes on display. It only set me back €38 and my coffee table looks much more stylish now ;)

As for beauty, I bought a Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo in the shade 216 Lettre for €34 from Coin in Como where I also purchased two Essence nail polishes (44 On Air! and 68 Free Hugs) and a precise eyeliner brush which were €1.99 each.

Sephora were having some crazy sales where it took every ounce of energy for me to go all out and buy everything in sight. Somehow I managed to resist and only bought this Giorgio Armani lipstick in the shade 102 Essenza which was down to €26.90.

Lastly, from Victoria's Secret, another store that I like to visit when I'm abroad, I got 3 pairs of knickers of course (not shown) and I also managed to find a set of the Scandalous perfume, body wash and body lotion on sale for €24.50. I love the Scandalous perfume of which I had a small bottle but I just can't get myself to fork out €75 for the large bottle (though it's cute so I might give in one day) so this pack was perfect.

Stay tuned for outfit posts and a bonus restaurant experience post from my trip to Milan! Make sure to like my Facebook page to never miss a post and other updates.

MANOLO BLAHNÍK THE ART OF SHOES | An Exhibition at Palazzo Morando, Milan

Hello my lovelies, last Monday I landed back in Malta after an amazing weekend getaway in the charming city of Milan, Italy. I must admit I fell in love with the Italian fashion capital - from the food to people watching and sight seeing and the designer shop windows, this city has it all! 

On our second day which we dedicated to sightseeing, upon leaving the beautiful church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (which also houses Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper), I spotted a poster advertising an exhibition by Manolo Blahnik. Being the shoe fanatic that I am, I checked the dates and place where the exhibition was being held and...bam! It had only opened two days before! I immediately turned a pair of puppy eyes toward my boyfriend who, with a hint of irritation in his voice, said yes to visiting it (I said many times that I have the best one and I still stand by it)! 

In this post I wanted to share with you snippets from the exhibition displaying 212 shoes and 80 drawings covering 45 years of Mr. Blahník's work. The exhibition is housed at Palazzo Morando, a very antique, artistic palace located right in the heart of the Quadrilatero della Moda (fashion district in Milan). Of course, many would agree with me that there couldn't be a more appropriate place to house such a prestigious exhibition from one of fashion's iconic coutouriers! 

The entrance to Palazzo Morando

Mr. Manolo Blahník

Manolo Blahník's works vary shoes that were inspired from his travels and nature to other more opulent collections and the more wearable styles. Unarguably, they are all the embodiment of artistic style, exploring different colours, fabrics and textures which have now become cult objects. Here are a few of my favourites:

As I stated before, 80 shoe drawings are also being exhibited. Mr. Blahník inherited his talent for drawing from his mother. One thing to note is that he never uses a computer to draw but he trusts his own hands and eyes to execute the masterpieces. Here is a selection of such drawings.

Of course, I am not including all of the exhibits in this post, otherwise it would take forever to read. Just in case you're in Milan anytime soon, the exhibition is open till the 9th of April 2017 and it is advisable to book in advance as queues are very long. Here is all the information regarding opening times and ticket prices.

I highly recommend this exhibition to lovers of fashion, beauty and art (my boyfriend spent the most part of the time at the exhibition gazing at the richly painted ceilings and lush crystal chandeliers dangling from them).  Finally, I would of course recommend you get the accompanying book which costs €38 from the palace bookshop as a memento of your visit :)