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San Marco's in Chorley has more cheese in the decor than it does on its pizzas and so it is quickly established that yes, this is an Italian restaurant - sorry 'ristorante'.
Somehow though, it's easy to forgive because here they serve food that gives pleasure. Sure, it's all a little messy and I wish the chef would make desserts on the premises and/or make use of the local ice cream superheroes - Fredericks (www.fredericksicecream.co.uk) but still, the simplicity of the dishes are pleasantly satisfying and the staff are always friendly.
The pizza bases alone are worth scoffing down. It may never win awards but mixed in with the charm and honesty is the feeling that there is certainly potential.
12 Cheapside, Chorley, PR7 2EX - 012572 61917.
Top quality NZ restaurant and tapas bar (no, me neither) on Marylebone High Street. The accents can be a bit grating, and the clientele includes some of the big sunglassed emigré types the area specialises in, but the food and wine is simply fabulous.
Marylebone Hight Street
A fantastic place for everyone who wants to spend a whole afternoon with relaxation and romantics.
Located in the central of Shanghai (very close to the Oriental Pearl Tower), the tea house is fully British style and you can find every genuine tea that you've missed from the west for a long time.
Surrounded by the lovely music and rose aroma, enjoy reading a book from the shelf, you will be kept away from city's noise and fully relax yourself in an elegant way.
Address: Gound floor ZhengDa Square, LuJiaZui Road, PuDong, Shanghai.
Nearest tube station: LuJiaZui Station.
tw.teaorcoffee.com/index/
A fantastic tapas bar on (surprise-surprise) Alfalfa. Great Italian-style tapas, great wine, great service, laid-back and good music. Amazingly good value for money.
Also appears to have a slightly unusual resident transvestite.
Don't go for pudding at Tuereg over the road - it's dreadful!
Calle Alfalfa, 6
Beautiful restaurant with very nice service and a reasonable price tag. We had oysters which were out of this world.
Oysters were not previously palatable for both my wife and I, but this experience was to die for.
We have not stopped eating them since! So now we are all zinced up and with a few of the shampoo bubbles we have been lifted to a new way of life.
As an Ex-pat Northener who's eaten a few portions of fish and chips over the years, I've had nowt in Manchester or Leeds to match the amazing quality of the meals served in this award winning, family run, 100 seater. Looking at the guest book, people from all over the world would seem to agree.
Near the Welsh end of the A40 about 4 miles from the Irish ferry port of Fishguard, in the small village of Letterston.
In one of the most interesting streets in Liverpool, Bold Street, Microzine offers men's attire you won't find in many other shops and art by people such as Jamie Reid (best known for his work with the Pistols).
Plus the fact it has THE best cafe bar - Micro Pushka, with great priced food from the Pushka restaurant. FAB!
Bold Street
A skip away from the best Victorian pub in Liverpool - The Philharmonic - the Side Door is a foodie's paradise.
Laid back surroundings, great food, great prices - well recommended!
Hope St, Liverpool
We had lunch at Plush last Thursday, our first visit. Friendly and welcoming staff, lovely food - fresh, well presented and full of flavour across all three courses - with a good bottle of Sauv Blanc.
All with prompt but unobtrusive service.
Seated by a tropical fish tank, which was entertaining. All for £50 - great value and well recommended.
10 York Place. Near Wellington Street and railway station.
LS1 2DS
0113 234 3344
Should you visit Bursa for its architectural marvels, spa hotels, and the Turkish Mt Olympus, do not omit to visit either of these restaurants. Bursa or Iskender kebab is served throughout Turkey, and while döner kebab served atop pide with yoghurt, tomato sauce and browned butter should not insuperably challenge a chef anywhere, the dish is only good, in fact excellent, at these two restaurants in Bursa. They serve almost nothing else, and one orders by size—bir, bir buçuk, dublé—and one-and-a-half is plenty.
Kukla Kebab, a diplomat's favorite outside the Foreign Ministry in Ankara, does a credible version, but really, one should only eat it here.
They're in all the guidebooks. The dish was originated at Iskenderoğlu; Hacı Baba provides competitive edge.
This restaurant, open only for lunch, is one of the loveliest in Istanbul.
It is situated inside the northern wall of the Spice Bazaar, and is entered via a stone stairway just inside the gate.
Remarkably quiet, decorated with lovely Iznik tiles, Pandeli is famous for its vegetables, and though it is always said that the food is not as good as it was in its fabulous heyday, one can still find subtle evocations of Ottoman cuisine.
Sample the meze, try the hünkar beğendi. A wonderfully civilised place in which to pass part of an afternoon.
Spice bazaar, inside the gate facing the water.
Paulista Grill is heaven for those who like BBQ and hell for those with high cholesterol.
It is part of a Brazilian chain. They offer ample premises and private rooms and, of course, buffet style BBQ.
The buffet has different kinds of salads, rice, pasta and cuts of meats. Also includes dessert!
Less than £5 or USD$10 per person.
San Martin and Mariscal Lopez
www.paulistagrill.com/home.php
For a good lunch downtown try the traditional Lido Bar, traditional fish soup, villarroy de pollo (breaded chicken and mash potatoes), croqueta (breaded mince beef) and empanadas.
Opposite the Panteon Nacional in Palma and Chile, downtown Asuncion.
It is a great place to grab a snack at really affordable prices. It offers Paraguayan style burguers (steaks not mince meat), pizzas and pasta.
Combos at £1.50 or USD$3.
www.pancholos.com
Mariscal Lopez and Salasquin
Palma between 14 de Mayo and 15 de Agosto and all main shopping centres.
This is an excellent restaurant at the very eastern end of the main harbourfront street in Bodrum. Go past all the crappy "Irish" pubs. It's a little restaurant at the end, filled with locals and the best seafood I've ever had. Friendly service. We ate there both nights we were in Bodrum.
Berk Balık
Cumhuriyet Caddesi 167
Bodrum
Turkey
If you're visiting Cappadocia, this town is an easy side trip from the main tourist sites. Much as Konya is the historic centre of the Mevlevi, or whirling dervishes, so Hacıbektaş is to the Bektashi, and if such things interest you it is definitely worth a visit. Less touristed than Konya, simple piety is the behavioral mode. The museum complex contains the tomb of the founder, Hacı Bektaş, and the saints of the order. The Bektashi promulgated the study of the sciences, the pictorial arts, and the equality of women. The architecture of the compound is extraordinary, almost as if an Anatolian Frank Lloyd Wright had dropped by, so ideally does it suit the landscape. In summer, Bektashi dances are demonstrated in the courtyard a few afternoons a week, and there is a Bektashi Festival at the end of July or the beginning of August.
There are a very few hotels, but the local food is good. A pideci on the way out of town on the Nevşehir road makes some of the best pizza I've had anywhere, and provides an ideal lunch.
North of town there is a ceremonial hill commanding a fine view of the volcano Mt. Erciyes and the steppes east.
North on the road out of Nevşehir past Gülşehir and on the the way to Ankara.
Just a lovely, proper fish and chip shop, with a website would you believe! Portion size is perfect with the choice of three different sizes of fish, great chips, mushy peas, cup of tea and the all important bread and butter.
26 Clifton Street
Lytham
FY8 5EW
Tel: 01253 735 188
www.whelansfishandchips.co.uk/whelans.htm
It's a local chippy, and I'd travel from my home in Chicago any day for his fresh fish, chips and peas.
Alan Po Fong
260, Greenside Lane, Droylsden, Manchester, Lancashire M43 7SL
Tel: 0161 370 0862
It's not on the menu, but if you ask for the steak special in the restaurant at the Ellis Island (one block off the strip behind Ballys) you get a choice of soup or salad followed by a 10oz steak cooked to perfection with a choice of fries, baked potato, mashed potato and gravy or rice for $4.95. It's far and away the best value meal in town!
I travel in central London a lot at weekends, buying games, clothes and various other things. I have always generally enjoyed London, for all its opportunities and tucked-away secrets. But I then found a place which doesn’t have clothes or games. There was a children’s show on there (and this was many years ago) and we decided to sit down and watch. The show itself wasn’t really that good, and I soon tottered off. I wandered around, looking for anything interesting, but just found dull concrete buildings. But in the midst of this wall of grey I found a most peculiar sculpture. It was very hard to describe, as it seemed to be a partly squashed bug. A large sphere of metal with wiggly antennae, with two large flat metal discs behind it and I found it very amusing to hop from one disc to another, as they weren’t very high, and made a loud clang, much to the annoyance of my parents. As I got older I would always visit that metal sculpture. There were several large buildings nearby the metal toy. We ventured inside one once, and found it very family friendly. It often had exhibitions, and had a constant feed of entertainment, such as live music and dance, as well as a cafe, and a well-stocked book shop. This was of course, the Royal Festival Hall, which is now under refurbishment.
As I grew older still we would move around London more, and me and my little sister would beg our parents to let us go to the South Bank instead of boring clothes shops. We soon discovered the far-off ends of the South Bank, which seemed to never have an end to the various forms of entertainment. There were several good restaurants, along the bank, including a Wagamamas we still often visit, a Strada (best Italian food in the world) and a pizza place at the end. In the summer, we regularly visit the South Bank, as it provides a way to take up a day, and make it a fun one. We often meet friends there, or go and watch a show, as well as having dinner.
The great thing about the South Bank is that there is always a place you haven’t been, some unturned leaf, which is always ready and waiting, and bursting full of energy and imagination. And these leaves are always falling, so regular visiting is always needed. Still things remain undiscovered to my family, so we shall keep on visiting, and so should you.
Angus Hegarty, Age 13, East Barnet
Embankment or Waterloo Tube Station
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