Easily Stockholm's finest lunch, in the most beautiful setting. Take the ferry from Slussen (return ticket costs about a tenner, leaves on the hour, trip takes 25 minutes) to Fjäderholmarna Island and go to the first restaurant on the left. It will appear incredibly busy but ask for a quiet table round the back, and if you're lucky you will have a whole sun terrace to yourself. Order smoked prawns to start and herring with mash and lingonberries for your main. Thank me later.

Rökeriet på Fjäderholmarna, 100 05 Stockholm
+46 8 716 50 88
Google map: bit.ly/MVtI3X

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Greek Restaurant.
Quality, well thought out menu and wine list plus attentive service.

www.parthenonas.co.uk
290/292 London Road, Sheffield S2 4NJ
Google map: bit.ly/PlrcAf

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A real pub and real pub grub as in enormous portions.

www.georgehotelcastleton.co.uk/
Castle Street, Castleton, Hope Valley, Derbyshire S33 8WG
+33(0)1433 620238
Google map: bit.ly/PlrneK

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L'Art Glacier is an open air ice cream parlour hidden at the foot of the Luberon Hills, Provence. It has fantastic views and an incredible and unusual selection of ice creams and sorbets. These are visually amazing with a taste to match. The ambiance is warm, friendly and welcoming. You can also enjoy your ice cream in the beautifully and appropriately decorated dining room.

www.artglacier.com
Les Hautes Terres, 84240, Ansouis
+33(0)4 90 77 75 70
Google map: bit.ly/NeeG56

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Every Monday from around 9am to 2pm there is an amazing regional market in the adorable little village of Forcalquier. It's year round but in the summer it's absolutely heaving to capacity - in the best way. Mouthwatering produce of course but also a fantastic variety of other things like beautiful Provencale tablecloths, homemade soaps, artisan crafts. It seems to take over the entire town and extends onto the "ramparts" and upper square. There are often second-hand clothes bargains to be found (tables of lovely stuff to dig through for 1 euro!) and usually there is some extremely funny demonstration going on of the latest cooking implement like a frites-cutter. It's definitely the type of place you can pass the whole morning (and fill your shopping baskets).
I also love dining at any "Bistrot du Pays" whenever I'm in Provence (they have them in other regions as well). This is a regional network of bistrots in very tiny villages that are the lifeblood of the villages. They all serve tasty, inexpensive three course lunches and most serve dinner too. The focus is on regional traditions and local food. My two favourite near Forcalquier are Pierrerue and Cafe de la Tonelle (reservations recommended at both).

www.forcalquier.com/
Google map: bit.ly/MVFCsz
A list of Bistrot du Pays is at:
www.bistrotdepays.com/
Cafe de la Tonnelle:
04230 Ongles
+33(0)4 92 73 19 89

Pierrerue:
Rue de la ferraille
04300 Pierrerue
+33(0)4 92 75 33 00

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Kensington Market in downtown Toronto represents true multiculturalism, with people of many backgrounds owning shops side by side, including Portuguese, East Indian, African, Asian, South American and Caribbean.
This bohemian neighbourhood offers everything you could ask for, with over 245 local, independent businesses, including some of the best vintage clothing shops in the city, eclectic cafes, funky art galleries showcasing local talent, ethnic butchers, grocers, fishmongers and cheese merchants, several bakeries, spice and dry goods stores, as well as a wide variety of dining options, ranging from classic French to Jamaican patties, and Central American treats such as empanadas and arepas.
I’ve been visiting this area since the early-80s and it hasn’t changed much: brightly painted Victorian homes, some of which have been turned into shops lining the narrow streets, alleyways covered in graffiti, modest family-run stores, grocers displaying a colorful outdoor array of exotic fruits and vegetables, and in summer, many cafes and restaurants offer live music on their patios. While real estate prices in the area have increased sharply since then, Kensington still remains a predominantly working class, immigrant community.
This tight-knit neighbourhood has worked hard to preserve its heritage: there are no chain
stores of any kind here. In fact, when Nike opened a shop here about 10 years ago, the locals forced them to shut down and move away. This is a very friendly enclave where organic bakeries take the place of fast-food restaurants, and vegan and vegetarian restaurants are the norm. Remember to bring cash, as many of the smaller shops do not take credit or debit cards.
Because the narrow streets make it challenging for both pedestrians and drivers, the local
businesses have organized a series of Pedestrian Sunday events in August and September from 12pm to 6pm where some streets are closed to motorized traffic.

www.kensington-market.ca
Google map: bit.ly/MwAbAj

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Sit at a cafe table in this small quiet square by the church and watch the storks fly to and from their nests on the church steeples.

Travessa do Ferrador, Alcácer do Sal, Setúbal 7580, Portugal
Google map: bit.ly/Rn4nOz

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This is a small, but perfectly formed little diner in the heart of student central. The decor is "interesting" and the welcome is friendly. While not top end food the menu includes some of the most authentic Korean food I've had outside of Seoul. Try the brown rice tea. A cracker !

kimsminimeals.com/
5 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9JN
+44(0)131 629 7951
Google map: bit.ly/NhBSoB

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Step off the tourist treadmill and into sleepy Alaro, a small town of narrow streets from where you can follow graded paths and running trails through pine woods and stunning valleys.Try lunch at the best lamb eating place in the Balearics in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana after a lovely walk or drive. The small family -run Petit Hotel is beautifully furnished and reasonably priced, offering authentic Mallorquin cuisine. It is located close to the shady plaza where you can enjoy delicious local ice cream or pastries from the bakery and where markets and fiestas will be held during August.

www.petithotelalaro.es
Camp Roig 43, 07340 Alaró Mallorca
+34 971 518 751
Google map: bit.ly/OWmjhE

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Nicely decorated cafe restaurant on a quiet street in the Chueca district in Madrid is a great spot to stop off for a bite to eat. Go for the homemade cocido madrileño(type of stew) or the brunch banquet with its four+ courses made with artisan and fresh premium ingredients. If you like you can continue and have a cocktail and let your thoughts wonder listening to the great tunes.

Calle Pelayo, 60, Chueca
+34 911694179
Google map: bit.ly/M65wc5

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If you go to Cadaques, probably the most unspoilt coastal village in Spain, there are two main pleasures: food and sea. Food: skip the tourist restaurants, and walk round the Punta de Sa Costa on the eastern side of the town centre – you’ll find much more authentic beach restaurants frequented mostly by local people and pungent with the smell of delicious frying fish. Sea: kill three birds with one stone by taking your swimming gear and a picnic and setting off in the morning for the thirty minute walk towards the Cala Nans lighthouse. You get vigorous exercise, beautiful national park scenery, and a magic little cove (Sa Sabolla) where you can spend the day, snorkelling in limpid waters with almost no one else around.

www.visitcadaques.org/?lang=uk&sec=
Google map: bit.ly/NCT5D8

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A warm welcome after a marvelous walk in Lisbon! Cafe Pois is a very relaxing and friendly place, just what you want after a hot morning of walking around the historic Alfama district of Lisbon. The food is not the traditional Portuguese, it is salads with couscous, smoked salmon and hummus, these are just a few of the delights on offer. I will definitely return to this restaurant on my next visit to this charming area of Lisbon.

www.poiscafe.com/
Rua São João da Praça 93-95, 1100-521 Lisboa
+351 218862497
Google map: bit.ly/NlQ4eE

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A fantastic little café in the lesser known neighbourhood "Der Wedding". Amazing coffee, four different kids of hot chocolate, homemade cakes, müseli for breakfast and potato wedges with Quark for lunch.

www.gilmores-berlin.de/
U-Bahnhof Rehberge, Müllerstraße 70b, 13349 Berlin
+49(0)30 4512090

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Hot, spicy, sweet and sour food – try it all at this year’s 15th annual Hot & Spicy Festival, taking place from July 20 – 22, 2012. Serving up diverse flavours from around the world, entertain your tastebuds with food paired with samplings of the hot sounds of the region.
Highlights include an International Chef Competition, featuring a Taco Takedown where
each chef serves their own individual dish - purchase a sample platter of these creations and determine yourself who the winner should be; the Red Hot Market offers some of the spiciest hot sauces available; learn about the slow food movement and how to smoke fish at the “Hot & Spicy” smokehouse; or attend one of the canning workshops and the farmer’s market.

www.harbourfrontcentre.com/summer/hotandspicy/
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay West
Toronto, Canada
Google map: bit.ly/L60lak

How to get there: Take either the 509 Exhibition or 510 Spadina streetcar west from inside
Union Station (to exit from the subway platform by the correct stairs, look for the Harbourfront
signs). Both streetcars stop directly in front of Harbourfront Centre.

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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It would be a crime against gastronomy to visit Normandy without sampling the local delicacies: the famous cider and galletes (savory crepes). Nestled between the scenic 'Vieux Bassin' harbour and wooden Sainte Catherine cathedral, La Cidrerie bar and creperie offers the perfect environment to try both. The service is friendly, the prices affordable and the crepes are fantastic. This is the perfect place for a light lunch or a sight-seeing break. If you have a sweet tooth the 'crepe caramel au beurre salé', salty caramel, is surprisingly tasty and is also considered a regional delicacy.

creperie-lacidrerie-honfleur.com
26, place Hamelin - 14600 Honfleur
+33(0)2 31 89 59 85
Google map: bit.ly/NmKXu2

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Taking inspiration from the picturesque beauty of it its location on the banks of the River Serthe, artists flock to Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei all year round. When you have scoured the galleries, walked through the medieval lanes, stared at the frescoes in the ancient church and prayed for a miracle in the saint's chapel, take a break for lunch at L'Auberge des Peintres. More bistro than fine dining room, it's a friendly place to while away a couple of hours over a bottle of wine. As you happily chat to competent waiters in the relaxed atmosphere, it's not a bad idea to try the local Calvados either.
This is a popular place, so book before you go.

Le bourg, 61250 Saint-Ceneri-le-Gerei, France
+33 (0)233264918
Google map: bit.ly/MidK1w

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Throughout Tokyo (and Japan) there are many, many small, independent coffee shops, normally run by one guy who's the owner and has been running the shop for decades. They often, but not always, have great coffee, often prepared in strange ways (siphon coffee for example) but are usually quite quirky. I've seen everything from old video arcade tables games used as tables to one dedicated entirely to James Brown. As the owners are one man shows, and often quite old, they do what they want and the decor, etc. reflects that. As many of them are quite old, they're slowly disappearing as their owners retire or die, and are generally not replaced so enjoy them while you can.
Smoking is mostly allowed (plus for me as a smoker) but don't let that put you off if you're not. Most have food of the coffee shop variety ( cheese toast, sandwiches, cakes, etc, some have lunch specials). Note: "oyagi" means something like "old, no-longer attractive, man". These are the kind of people who often go to these places, but it's not as bad as that sounds and these guys wouldn't go somewhere for years or decades if they weren't good.

Everywhere, just look for small signs advertising coffee (usually in English) on the street or shop windows. They're mostly on the ground floor.

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While I tried a number of good restaurants in Barcelona during our recent holiday, I also had another great experience at a cooking class I took called ‘Papa Serra – Culinary Adventures in Barcelona’. I learned how to make what was quite possibly the best tapa I tried in Barcelona. It was chicken poached in wine and lemon then mixed with saffron yogurt, black grapes and toasted almonds. Then it was wrapped in a radicchio and lightly braised in the poaching liquid. Then we dipped it in a spice mix of fennel seeds, bee pollen and lemon zest. It was so delicious and a highlight of our holiday! I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves Barcelona and wants to learn more about Spanish and Catalan food and culture.

www.papaserra.com

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Bardolino celebrates the grape harvest each year with this five day food and wine festival. Stalls are set up along the side of the lake, each one selling their own wine and a regional speciality, for example risotto with radicchio or salt cod with polenta. You buy a tasting glass for a few euros at the start and keep it round your neck in a special box. You then visit the many stalls, sampling their wines and trying some of the dishes. Local bands and dancers provide entertainment and there are fireworks over the lake every night. It's a fantastic experience and all quite cheap too. Just make sure you don't have to drive anywhere afterwards!

www.bardolinotop.it/
83rd Festa dell'uva e del vino, Bardolino, 4th-8th October 2012
Google map: bit.ly/LTuARD

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By night Dragon-i is home to the rich and the beautiful. Models prowl in packs, the finance boys compete to buy ever bigger bottles of ever more expensive champagne, the It Girls lounge at tables resting their Louboutin clad feet while they sip grey goose poured from a bottle so big that it makes them look the size of Borrowers... By day though, Dragon-i is a whole different story. Book for lunch for a table full of not Dom, but dim sum. If it's cool enough to sit outside, bag a table on the large terrace perched just above Wyndham Street which you share with a flock of twittering birds housed in a giant black birdcage. If the mercury's rising, seek sanctuary inside the sleek, glossy restaurant decked out with sunken leather sofas and red Phoenix print lanterns - the perfect fusion of East and West.

Then for the main event, time to get stuck into the dim sum... For the bargain price of HK$188 you get as much dim sum as you can manage and unlimited tea. And we're not talking low grade, buffet eat-all-you-can, this is little parcels of deliciousness ordered straight from the a la carte menu. Don't miss the Shanghai Dumplings with Ginger Vinegar, the Baked Barbecued Pork with Sesame Puff or the Steamed Rice Paper Rolls with Fresh Prawns. Dragon-i is the ideal stop off to refuel after a hard morning's antiques shopping on Hollywood Road giving you the sustenance to tackle an afternoon's sightseeing or an excuse to do nothing but lie by your hotel pool like an overstuffed dumpling.

Be sure to return after dusk to see all evidence of dim sum swept away, and the Jeroboams of Champagne being wheeled out complete with sparklers to a soundtrack of cooing models and thumping music spun by the best DJs in town.

www.dragon-i.com.hk/
UG/F The Centrium,, 60 Wyndham Street,
Central, Hong Kong.
+(852) 3110 1222
Google map: bit.ly/MLFcHM

* Natalie is our local for Hong Kong. You can read all about her here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/hong-kong-local-natalie-robinson.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/natalierobinson
She also has her own blog at: www.3badmice.com/

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