This is the alpine restaurant you secretly dream of owning. With the most wonderful views of the Alps all around you, it beckons you in from the (blue) slopes. Choose whether to curl up in front of the log fire, or sit outdoors in the sunshine ordering from a huge range of home-cooked food, watching in disbelief as expert off-pisters descend vertically in the distance. The food is delicious, the service relaxed, the bill very reasonable and the experience will stay with you for a long long time.

Opposite the St Esprit chair lift about 2km below Arcs 1950.
chaletpresaintesprit@orange.fr
+33 4 79 07 44 18

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Bistro in Paris 15 - open all day until around 11pm. Very varied menu with some interesting and unusual daily choices. Large terrace. Friendly service. Nearest metros Charles Michels and Boucicaut. Has a very good, reasonably priced, wine list. Lots of people and a really good atmosphere

167 Rue Saint-Charles, 75015 Paris, France
+33 1 45 58 31 63
Google map: bit.ly/X0asSV

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Small restaurant with a menu that changes weekly - rare for Honfleur - friendly service and very good food at reasonable prices - 24 euros fixed price three course menu - à la carte around 35 euros. Is also a wine bar and so has some really good wines to choose from.

58 rue Haute
Google mp: bit.ly/13ybrRp

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Go on a week day to avoid the amazing mass of crowds pouring outside onto the street beside Omotesando Hills. If you’re a fan of the American branded ice cream then this shop wont disappoint. If you’ve never tried it you might want to dip in and see. I recommend getting your hands on some of the more daring and unusual flavours. Couch potato, a sweet potato based flavour, is definitely something I’ve yet to see on another menu in Tokyo ice cream shop menu!

Google map: bit.ly/UMwyub

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here:
www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

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This stylish restaurant in Tokyo’s Daikanyama is decked out in dark wood, lending to the feeling of sitting out on the veranda of a holiday home. The restaurant is mid range with a modern European style menu. Think salads, fish plates, cheeses, pizzas and pasta. The portion sizes aren’t big, so in usual Japanese style I recommend ordering a few plates to share between two. With a great wine list and friendly, approachable staff this place makes for a great date spot or a posh lunch with friends.

16-15 Sarugakucho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 6415 3232
Google map: bit.ly/VQXPe8

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

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Kerala is renowned for its food, and Fort Cochin is home to some smart and some simple places for its famous fish curry and other local specialities. Looking like the worst kind of tourist trap, the Hotel Cochin Fort (“Hotel” in this context meaning “restaurant”, as so often is the case in India) stands on a corner opposite posh Brunton Boatyard hotel. We had dropped in a few times for cups of tea and cold beers in the past and were always given fast and helpful service, so we took a chance and booked a table outside for new year's eve. We didn't expect much, just somewhere to stay up late with a few drinks and a place where our friends visiting us from the UK would be able to smoke. But it was so much better than that. The restaurant had quite a few foreign tourists, and I was interested to see some domestic tourists and even some Keralan families there too. Although Cochin Fort offers Italian and continental dishes, we played it safe with the local cuisine. Tiger prawns, seerfish (local name for Spanish Mackerel or Kingfish), chicken and vegetable dishes filled the table and were light, fresh and spicy. My Chemmeen Mango Curry (made with green mangoes) was scrumptious. The wine wasn't bad (Banyan Tree), the beer was cold and the seven of us chatted to the watchful waiters as the clock ticked towards 2013.
Then it all went a bit bonkers: one of the waiters had brought some tunes which he added to an mp3 player belonging to one of the guests and an instant party was born. The doors were barred and we had a lock-in until 2.30am. An impromptu Gangnam Style dancefest to a sound system was so distorted we each danced in the rain to our own rhythm (oh yes, it rained like the monsoon and we all thanked our own gods for bringing some sorely needed water to Kerala). The chef danced on the tables, the waiters and owner's family danced in the rain, my friends danced in the fountain and I danced with a chair on my head.
The next day we passed the guys and had a big hug. It seems that after seven years of being open they had never had a party before this new year's eve. Good times, and hopefully the first of many more.

Bellar Road, Fort Kochi, Cochin 682 001
+91(0)484 2216355
cochinfort@gmail.com

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If you want to feel like a hip New Yorker and enjoy some fabulous and unique food, try this restaurant on the trendy Lower Eastside. The owner/chef greets you and her staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. You can't go wrong with any of the choices; especially the ribs. Reasonable prices for quality and inspired cooking.

www.zoerestaurantnyc.com
245 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002
+1 646 559 5962
Google map: bit.ly/UlAvtn

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Widemouth Bay is quintessential English seaside. A huge expanse of sea and sand welcomes you as you drive into the bay. The Bay View Inn is a great, friendly pub/restaurant and has good reasonably priced rooms, including family rooms with DVD players, comfy beds and terraces overlooking the ocean. It's a popular place for the locals and gets busy but at 11PM all goes quiet and a good night's sleep can be had with just the sound of waves to help you drop off. The Bay has a surf school, local shop selling fresh seafood, good cafe on the beach and a charming old-fashioned 50's fresh fish and chip van for cheap and cheerful evening suppers.

www.bayviewinn.co.uk/
Widemouth Bay, Bude, Cornwall, EX23 0AW
+44(0)1288 361273
Google map: bit.ly/12QoY6t

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Restaurante Patria in Patria is the best restaurant in or near Vejer. The quality of the food is always excellent, the trilingual (or more) owner manager is charming and her husband, the chef - very talented in the kitchen. Faultless!

www.restaurantepatria.com
c/ Patría 48, La Muela, 11150 Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, España
+34 956 44 84 63
Google map: bit.ly/WZZhMB

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Great food, staff, decor and views - from the terrace you can see Africa, the Atlantic, Cádiz - just stunning! The menu caters for all tastes and budgets. A great find!

www.lavistademedina.com
Plaza de la Iglesia Mayor No.2, 11170, Medina Sidonia, Cádiz, Spain
+ 34 956 410 069
Google map: bit.ly/10MOfyR

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The cheapest Michelin starred food in the world at Tim Ho Wan's restaurant in Mongkok, Kowloon may not be a secret - you will be able to identify the small restaurant by the queue outside - but what I did discover this year was that you could get takeaway. The pleasure I took in walking past all the outraged queuing tourists to pick up my freshly baked pork buns was only topped by the pleasure of sitting by the side of the road eating the delicacy.

2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok
Flat 8, Ground Floor, Phase 2, Tsui Yuen, Mansion, 2-20 Kwong Wa St
+852 2332 2896
Google map: bit.ly/X010Bv

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Great "new wave" tapas at Torre de Sande, in the old part of Caceres. What a wonderful surprise of flavours and superb value. This is definitely going to be a repeat visit next time we visit this special city in Spain.

www.torredesande.com/
Calle de los Condes, 3, 10003, Cáceres, Spain
+34 927 21 11 4
Google map: bit.ly/X01UOf

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I would really like to recommend a new restaurant in Barcelona called Llamber. It's situated in the new hip area of Born. It's one of the few places in Barcelona, where you get a free pitxo (mini tapas) with your glass of wine. For the wine lover they have 150 different wines, 30 by glass and they start from only 2,5€. Also they have a really good a la carte menu with different kinds of tapas, tables of cheeses and Spanish ham, dessert etc., all served in a creative and beautiful way.
I love to go there because the food is delicious and it's a really friendly and informal place with beautiful decoration.

www.llamberbarcelona.com
Carrer de la Fusina 5, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
(+34) 933 196 250
Google map: bit.ly/UcViNJ

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It is an international kitchen but with a Turkish touch. Open kitchen with a large menu and small prices for big plates!
Nice decoration and it was comfortable and cosy.
Child friendly atmosphere and very nice service.
The owners are from the Netherlands and the coffee they serve is fair trade with about 20 different types.

www. hotplate.com.tr
Büyükdere Cad. Eczacı Ali Kaya Sok. No. 4 Levent (Pol Center Kapı No. 35), Istanbul 34394, Turkey
+90 212 324 5588
Google map:

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On a walk back to the hotel, the exterior of Balique caught my eye - earthy, softly lit and inviting. What sets this gem apart from everything else is the effortless way in which Indonesian elements are blended with retro vintage themes. The palatable items are varied, from a fresh salade nicoise to the local Nasi Goreng. There is no need for air-conditioning as the sky-high ceiling fans circulate the natural breeze of the island. The furnishings are raw yet artfully decorated. Balique stimulates all your senses and one can find me there everyday on trips to Bali, whether it be for tea time or a laid-back lunch.

www.balique-restaurant.com/
Jalan Uluwatu no. 39, Jimbaran, Bali
+62 (361) 704 945
Google map: bit.ly/UydWMU

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The teahouse serves a fabulous afternoon tea with traditional Javanese snacks cooked to order, cakes and fresh local tea and coffee, in an attractive Javanese setting, with very pleasant staff. Then wander round the hotel which is full of artefacts and historical and cultural treasures.

www.tuguhotels.com
Jl. Tugu no. 3, Malang, Indonesia
+62 341 363891
Google map: bit.ly/VPZVtb

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It's a genuine local restaurant tucked away by the harbour. Home to many cats, it serves the best banana pancakes in S.E Asia, complete with a lake of honey.
Aside from this it's also completely reasonable, even by local economy standards, and the view is beautiful.

Near the harbour, Gili Trawangan.
Google map: bit.ly/R59V59

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This chain can be found at most of the bigger stations in Tokyo; Shinjuku, Shinagawa and Shibuya. If you’re a cake addict then this place will make you squeal with delight. Piles of wonderfully flavoured muffins; cranberry and ricotta, carrot cake, oreo (which they will heat up for you!), giant danish pastries, lavish white chocolate and fruit scones... It’s easy to just wonder round the luxury deli items for hours on end. Some of the goods here make great presents for foodie lovers and especially for people who live in Tokyo who have trouble getting their hands on foreign products. I’d especially recommend trying any of their seasonal beverages; the chestnut cream latte is the type you’ll have dreams about for weeks afterwards.

www.deananddeluca.co.jp
2-18-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Atre Shinagawa 2F
+803 6717 0935

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

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If you have a bit of a soft spot for the old classic, then Japan is an incredible country in which to indulge your interest. It’s rare to walk down the street without seeing someone donning a pair of Alice tights, or without a stopwatch shaped handbag. This theme has been continued in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza, where you can dine at an Alice themed restaurant. The tables are shaped like the playing cards, the menu is a pop up apparition of the white rabbit, and the waitresses are all either playing Alice or the Mad Hatter. Even the food comes shaped to fit the decor, with caterpillar sushi rolls and Cheshire cats in the ice cream. It’s quite a small place so I’d definitely recommend booking before to ensure your trip down the rabbit tunnel, but even waiting is a pleasure, enshrouded as you are in floor to ceiling page extracts from the book.

www.diamond-dining.com/alice/index.htm
Taiyo Building 5th floor, 8-8-5 Ginza Chuo Ku Tokyo T 104-0061
+81 (03) 3574 6980

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

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This restaurant was located several blocks back from the Rialto Bridge and enroute to the grocery store. I passed it several nights and then a young man who worked there assured me a gluten free and garlic free spaghetti. He said they had served gluten free before to people who were sensitive. I took a leap of trust and ordered. The spaghetti came loaded with tomato sauce and veggies, and was delicious. One of the best meals I had in the 10 days I was there and will certainly go back.
I enjoyed the decor and also had free wi fi while I dined with a glass of wine.

www.ristorante-sabrina.it
Castello 5471, Salizada S. Lio
+39 (0)412411003
Google map: bit.ly/SSw0nc

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