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LEMON and COURGETTE CAKE great way to disguise courgette

This lemon and courgette cake is so easy and quick to make AND a great way to disguise courgette!

It’s VERSATILE too as you can mix up the types of flour you have in your store cupboard or to suit your dietary preferences.

If you’re observing Ramadan then this is a super option to have for iftar or suhoor.

Just 3 EASY STEPS that require: weighing the ingredients, mixing the ingredients and then baking.

Made even easier using a THERMOMIX but you can use a food processor too. Don’t know what a thermomix is? Then listen to this podcast.

No one is going to guess you used courgette in this lemon and courgette cake.

EASY LEMON & COURGETTE CAKE

Ingredients

  • 200g courgette roughly chopped up
  • 90g of any sugar – I used coconut blossom sugar but you can use any sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
  • 110ml oil – I used olive oil
  • 1 medium egg brought to room temperature
  • 1 large lemon – zest and juice
  • 200g flour – used plain/all purpose or try your own combination of ground foods: see note below.
cut the courgette into rough chunks use zester for the lemon peel

The 200g flour mix I prefer to use

  • 100g ground almonds
  • 50g spelt flour
  • 50g plain flour – I try to minimise the use of ‘white refined flour’.
  • YOUR “FLOURS” NEED TO ADD UP TO 200 GRAMS.

How to Make

  • Weigh out all the ingredients so they are ready for you to simply add to your mixer bowl
  • Roughly chop the courgette
  • Put everything into your food processor bowl
  • Mix the ingredients until you have a cake mixture that resembles a thick but pourable batter
  • Pour the mixture into a buttered oven proof serving dish
  • Bake 180 deg C for 30 mins checking on it from time to time
Lemon and Courgette Cake DoinDubai Monica Kapila with a lemon
bake your cake in an oven proof dish so no faffing about with lining cake tins

 Eat as it is or try it with some lemon zest and a little sugar mixed into some creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt if you’re serving as a dessert.

I have also served it with a spoon of natural keffir, also delicious.

This recipe was adapted from one I saw first on Mix Fix Cook.

This is how you can HALF the sugar used in the recipe

I have also tried replacing 100 of courgette with 1 banana, so still total of 200g combined, but then I am able to REDUCE THE SUGAR by almost half as banana is quite sweet.

Try replacing almost HALF THE OIL WITH NATURAL KEFFIR yoghurt.

I like the one from The Collective UK I can buy it at my local Waitrose in Dubai too.

See our instagram reel connected to this cake.

Lemon and courgette cake serving idea monica kapila doindubai

MORE GOOD RECIPES HERE

This one is also great for Ramadan or a quick dessert for anytime that can be made in advance.

Chocolate mousse with coffee Click for the recipe.

easy chocolate mousse doindubai pink plate
EASY CHOCOLATE COFFEE MOUSSE

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Cooking Lessons in London Sauce by the Langham Monica Kapila
MONICA KAPILA YOUR CHEF COOKING AT THE LANGHAM COOKERY SCHOOL LONDON

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MILAN TO COMO – How best to do the trip

Most people are keen to experience Milan to Como – how best to do the trip? Read on to find out what the most practical ways are to do this and what to do when you’re in Como itself.

Doesn’t matter if you’re skinted or minted, there’s an option for everyone!

Milan to Como DoinDubai Monica Kapila Moltrasio bay
MOLTRASIO BAY A VILLAGE BY LAKE COMO

How to get to Como from Milan – options

Generally you can get to Como from Milan in 3 ways:

Hire a car and drive there yourself, but the roads are windy, parking isn’t easy in Como and you can’t have a drink or two and drive back on the same day easily!

You could hire a driver and car to get dropped off and then get picked up, this is expensive though, very expensive when you compare the cost of doing this by train. It’s about 200 euros or so one way in a regular car.

You could take a train from a station that’s close to you in Milan and get off at Como station, there’s only one main station in Como.

Milano Centrale is popular BUT it’s a big, busy station, we took the train to Como from Garibaldi station, not too far by taxi from our hotel Aethos The Yard Milan.

It takes roughly an hour to get to Como from Milan by train. Seemed to be only one class of travel.

Choose a train where you don’t have to change. They run quite regularly during the day.

COST by train from Milan to Como – RETURN is; wait for it.. just 10 euros per person!

So this is by far the most reasonable and quite comfortable way of getting to Como from Milan.

When in Como what should we do

That depends on your interests but most people want to see some of the villages around the lake.

The town itself though is a nice place to walk around and explore if you have time, there are plenty of little restaurants and shops.

There are picturesque squares and cobbled streets just about 10 minutes walk away from the station. Just follow everyone!

But the real draw is to see the lakeside and ideally stop off at some of the villages round the lake.

If you only had a day how best to see the villages around Lake Como

If you had a car then it’s easy to drive from one village to another or you could spend some time in just one or two villages.

We think a great way to experience Como is to take a boat and do the hop on hop off option as you feel like. That’s all within the same fixed price of just 8 euros so about AED 35 !

1 HOUR FOR THIS SECTION OF THE LAKE
BELLAGIO IS 3 HOURS AWAY BY BOAT FROM COMO

There are 2 types of boat trip you can take, the water taxi type boat open to the general public or you could hire a boat and skipper via a private boat taxi arrangement and customise your experience.

The second option is much more expensive though, we were told nearer 900 euros for a private boat taxi. Of course if you’ve booked a hotel to stay at then you could ask to be collected by the hotel’s own boat service.

Do book your boat tickets IN ADVANCE if you can, the queues are very long so you waste time hanging around.

Milan to Como DoinDubai Monica Kapila Side garden Passalaqua Moltrasio Como
PASSALCAQUA HOTEL SIDE GARDEN

The public boat taxi is just 8 euros per person for hop on hop off arrangement that takes you around the lower part of the lake.

There are 5 villages you could see via this route, so it’s amazing value for money!

You do need time though so maybe it’s best to decide which villages you want to see. If you stay on the boat, it takes an hour to do the round trip. It may be standing room only for some parts and you may get a bit wet, so dress accordingly.

If you want to get to Bellagio though, that’s a 3 hour journey away by boat from Como jetty and a different boat.

For a special occasion.. go here at least once in your life if you can

You can only visit Passalacqua in Como if you’re staying there, and I can’t recommend it highly enough for a special occasion.

Milan to Como DoinDubai Monica Kapila Poolside Passalaqua
POOLSIDE PASSALACQUA HOTEL MOTRASIO – COMO

An historic mansion with beautifully kept grounds and gardens that include a pool, tennis court and an organic garden.

This property would be ideal if you were looking for a venue for a medium sized private function too.

It’s hard to describe the effect of the music, the smell, the views, the decor and the sense of place that Passalacqua has on you unless you’re there. Experience it yourself at least once if you can.

We loved it and would go back.

Milan to Como DoinDubai Monica Kapila afternoon tea at Passalaqua
TEATIME AT PASSALACQUA

Passalacqua is located in Moltrasio, the third stop of the public boat taxi tour.

Please note, apart from the place we suggest for lunch below and of course Passalacqua itself, there isn’t too much else to stop for in Moltrasio!

It’s not that easy to walk around either, unless you arrive by car.

Save this place for a marvellous lunch idea

We all loved our lunch at Baia di Molstrasio lakeside restaurant a few minutes walk from the jetty. Please do book ahead as this place is always very popular.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Moltrasio lunch
LUNCH AT BAIA DI MOLTRASIO – COMO

Note a table inside by the window I feel is better than outside when the sun is out, even in early March, as it gets too hot!

If you’re staying in Milan then we recommend our hotel The Aethos Milan – The Yard.

Have a look at our post on that. If you need ideas for things to do and restaurants in Milan see our recommendations for Milan.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Cathedral
DUOMO IN MILAN

If you want to see more of our FOOD in Milan see this Tik Tok account for My_Food_Moods here. It’ll make you so hungry!

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Rinascente lunch
FOOD INSPIRATION AT MY_FOOD_MOODS

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Do also check our Monica’s Travel Tips page for new destinations and routes from Dubai. New routes being added all the time! You may also like the prints for sale at KAPILA GALLERY here.

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MILAN cool places to eat, sleep and sight see

A fun, exciting short break, Milan has cool places to eat, sleep and sight see.

Read on for our carefully researched and tried recommendations for restaurants, hotels and things to see in Milan.

A perfect short break holiday from Dubai or anywhere in Europe.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Cathedral
DUOMO MILAN CITY CENTRE

Milan which airport should you head for

There are 2 main airports in Milan, Malpensa and Linate. Linate is much more convenient for the city centre BUT it’s not served well with many international airlines.

If you’re flying Emirates you’ll need to fly to Malpensa. That’s an hour or so away by taxi to the centre. Linate is just about 25 minutes or so. British passport holders do not need a visa at the moment!

Just in March 2023

FlyDubai has started flying to Milan Bergamo airport, currently 5 times a week, to increase to a daily flight from April 18th.

Air Arabia also flies to Milan Bergamo – BGY four times a week from Sharjah.

It’s about an hour or so away from Milan BUT while Malpensa is in the middle of nowhere, Bergamo is definitely a place to stay a while. Go for the Cita Alta area of the city. Check our Travel Tips page for more new destinations and ideas.

Getting from the airport to the city centre of Milan

We took a taxi as there was no metro near our hotel. It costs about 120 euros for a direct taxi. You can get them right outside the airport.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila transport in milan
TAKE A TAXI FROM MALPENSA TO MILAN CENTRE

Which area to stay in Milan

That depends on what you’d like to do while you’re there and your budget! But note that Milan is a very walkable city. So getting around from wherever you’re staying will be easy.

Some people like staying in the Duomo area of Milan so that’s about a 7 to 10 minute radius walk from the main cathedral.

While it’s super easy to walk to the cathedral, restaurants are very touristy in that area. Hotels are also expensive and rooms tend to be on the smaller side.

The Mandarin Oriental Milan is located in this area. Their best room is the Fornasetti suite, often reserved for high profile guests. See our Milan Stories on instagram to have a look!

If you’re a Mandarin Oriental “fan” then we suggest you also check out our post on the Mandarin Oriental in Prague, highly recommended if you like characterful, historic hotels.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Carnatic cocktail Mandarin Oriental Milan
CARNATIC COCKTAIL MANDARIN ORIENTAL MILAN

We chose to stay in Navigli area which is about a 20 to 25 minute walk away or a 10 minute tram ride away from the Duomo area.

We chose the Aethos Milan the Yard hotel to stay at. See details of our experience at the Aethos hotel on our site here in this post

Subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already for similar useful posts on cool hotels.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Aethos hotel bar
COOL INTERIORS THE AETHOS THE YARD MILAN

Navigli is a very characterful area with great shops and restaurants as well as 2 canals you can walk along for quite a way. We suggest you avoid any of the restaurants by the waterside as they are super touristy and the food is average at best.

Brera is another super area to stay in, it’s more upmarket and has a lovely vibe with it’s shops and restaurants. It’s quieter than Navigli but it is expensive.

A bit like a Marylebone High street but bigger. We recommend the Palazzo Parigi hotel there.

What should I see in Milan on a short break

That depends on your interests, there are shops galore so this blog won’t talk about those other than to wander through the pretty streets of Brera and stop where you feel like!

Of course the outlet mall Serravalle is tempting, 1.5 hours away by car or bus, the Fidenza outlet is a little closer. That one is similar to the one in Bicester Village in the UK.

We suggest you select from the following range of things to see depending on your interests.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting – book at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance!

Leonardo Da Vinci’s house, garden and vineyard – the inspiration for many classic books, again book early. All part of the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Leonardo's garden
LEONARDO’s GARDEN AND VINEYARD

The Prada foundation building if you’re into contemporary art. The Fondazione Prada also has a cool, small cafetria/bar with a little terrace. Good value for apperitivo at Bar Luce.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila appertivio at Prada Foundation
DRINKS AT BAR LUCE FONDAZIONE PRADA

The Pinotecca at Brera and of course the world famous Duomo cathedral and it’s museum. See the picture above. It also has a museum.

We also recommend seeing the Necchi villa in Brera, good idea to to this before or after a meal at Lu Bar See the picture further down.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Fondazione prada
9TH FLOOR OF FONDAZIONE PRADA

Our Milan restaurant recommendations

While Milan has all sorts of cuisines we stuck to Italian food for almost all of our meals!

With the exception of 1 evening on our return late from Como we ate just Italian or Mediterranean type food. Our train stopped at Garibaldi train station which was a short walk from Chinatown! So yes we had one pretty good Chinese meal in Milan!

We loved Lu Bar in Brera, book a table in the 18th century greenhouse for lunch. Great seafood, super service and a lovely vibe! It reminded us of Petersham nursery cafe in London if you know that place! Great for special occasion, totally affordable.

Note there is no chicken on the menu, maybe an issue for some people!

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Lu Bar starters
STARTERS AT LU BAR IN BRERA

For a very good casual meal, this time in Navigli area, we recommend NicoNoce, a home style Italian restaurant serving great food in a relaxed setting. Plenty of local, Italian people regularly eat here.

We also really liked our lunch on the rooftop of the Rinascente Centre. That’s a bit like the Selfridges of Milan!

It gets busy so you may have to wait for a table. Super views of the cathedral from here and the place has a lovely vibe too.

Go early for lunch as some dishes run out fast! Note that Il Bar and Obica menus served in both venues.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Rinascente lunch
BRUSCHETTA AT IL BAR AT THE RINASCENTE CENTRE

We also tried a 5 course tasting menu at Bistro 28 Posti. While our meal was good, this is a long session as each course comes with new cutlery and plates too!

DESSERT AT 28 POSTI GOOD 5 COURSE TASTING MENU AROUND 70 EUROS

It’s a simple restaurant in the quieter section of Navigli, but it has a solid reputation. But note the setting is basic despite the food being quite sophisticated, don’t be in a hurry or expect any posh ambience.

Also note we didn’t hear diners speaking Italian here..

We also loved our lunch in Como at the Baia di Moltrasio just near the jetty. A gorgeous, tasty, Italian lunch in a perfect waterside setting. Fantastic food and drink, great service.

If you want to see more about our food experience in Milan check out this Tik Tok post by My_Food_Moods.

Essential to book! See our instagram post on that experience.

A great page to check out for the latest on Milan food and drink is MILANO SECRETS here. We trust the people who run this page to give us honest recommendations.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Moltrasio lunch
LUNCH AT BAIA DI MOLTRASIO – LAKE COM0

How about getting to Como from Milan

A new blog post on that coming soon! But it’s very easy, just an hour by train to Como station at a cost of just 10 euros round trip per adult!

Don’t forget to subscribe to get this post when it’s published. All the details you need will be in it!

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If you want some other ideas for a short break from Dubai, try KENYA, just 4.5 hours away!

Ciao bellas and grazie!

YOUR REPORTER MONICA KAPILA AT BAIA DI MOLTRASIO – COMO

You may want to look at some prints at KAPILA GALLERY available to buy here.

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AETHOS HOTEL Milan – a really chic and trendy place

Welcome to the Aethos Hotel Milan – a really chic and trendy place to stay. A great location for some cool restaurants, bars and shops.

The Duomo area is walking distance away but the accommodation itself is the real draw here. Read on to find out if the Aethos Hotel Milan is for you.

Aethos hotel Milan DoinDubai Monica Kapila quirky interiors
ONE OF THE BAR AREAS AT THE AETHOS HOTEL THE YARD MILAN

Location of the Aethos hotel Milan – The Yard

The hotel is located in the Navigli area of Milan close to 2 main canals that are lined with restaurants and bars. It takes about 50 minutes or so to get here by taxi from Milan’s Malpensa airport. The cost is about 120 euros. Linate airport is much nearer.

Accommodation

The hotel is a also a members club and is known for it’s restaurant Zaia and it’s very cool bar The Doping Bar.

All the rooms are suites but the accommodation here feels like you’re in a up market well lived in house with quirky antiques and furniture.

Aethos hotel Milan DoinDubai Monica Kapila interior details room fragrance
ROOM FRAGRANCE IN THE LOFT PENTHOUSE AETHOS THE YARD MILAN

We were a family of 4 adults and stayed in the area called The Loft. I can’t recommend it highly enough! It has 2 good bedrooms and bathrooms a gorgeous kitchen, 2 sitting rooms and 2 terraces!

It feels a bit like having your own huge fabulously furnished flat in Milan. You don’t ever hear any noise from the bar in this part of the hotel.

The common areas

The common areas include the large bar area, the private members bit of the bar, the restaurant and a small pizzeria area just behind reception.

The bar areas are warm and cosy, very buzzy during the evenings and weekends and a great place to hang out if you’ve had a long, tiring day walking around Milan.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Aethos hotel bar
ONE OF THE BAR AREAS AT THE AETHOS THE YARD

What’s nearby

The hotel is located in an area called Navigli that’s home to 2 canals you can walk along for quite a long way.

We don’t really recommend the restaurants along the canals as most of them are quite touristy and super busy especially on a Sunday.

That being said there are some really good local restaurants nearby. See our City Guide post on Milan – a cool city for our restaurant recommendations.

MILAN Cool places to eat sleep and sight see DoinDubai Monica Kapila Cathedral
THE DUOMO 10 MINUTES BY TRAM

Just round the corner from the hotel about 5 minutes walk away is an area called Porta Ticinese. The shops and boutiques and cafes along here are a great place to spend some time.

We really liked a shoe shop called Stiu. You can also walk to the Duomo area of the city in about 20 minutes or so or just hop on a tram a few minutes away. You need to buy tram tickets 1.5 euros at any tabbachi shop before you get on.

The Maria della Grazie church where the famous Last Supper painting is located is also an easy walk away. See our post on what to do on Milan here for details.

If you like fabric shopping then come out of the hotel and turn right for 5 minutes and have a browse at all the amazing fabrics and haberdahsery of the Tessuti Raponi shop.

A great idea if you live in Dubai as it’s easy to have things tailored here. Beautiful boucle fabric for jackets, buttons and lot’s of home stuff downstairs.

Food at the Aethos Milan

We loved every single one of our breakfasts at the hotel. Breakfast was included in our room rate.

Aethos hotel Milan DoinDubai Monica Kapila fresh crosissant
GREAT BREAKFASTS AT THE AETHOS THE YARD MILAN

The pizza was also really good, they serve this in the evening from 7pm. Makes a great late night snack.

They also have a contemporary restaurant Zaia serving Mediterranean/Mianese food with a Middle Eastern twist.

Aethos-hotel-Milan-DoinDubai-Monica-Kapila-charcuterie-and-eggs-too-1
VERY GOOD CHARCUTERIE AT THE HOTEL

Need more ideas on Milan

Check out our post on Cool ideas of what to do in Milan and our Milano stories on the DoinDubai instagram.

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Then PLEASE share using any of the buttons below especially what’s ap, that really HELPS THE BLOG!

Have a look at our Top Travel Tips page for new destinations to go to from Dubai before you plan your next trip away!

Aethos hotel Milan DoinDubai Monica Kapila Monica Kapila and Anji Kapila breakfast
MONICA KAPILA & ANJI KAPILA AETHOS MILAN

Ciao bellas and grazie!

You may want to look at the KAPILA GALLERY INSTAGRAM for cool prints you can buy.

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