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Another nice little find in my local neighbourhood... Sarands presents a Mediterranean-based menu of seafood or meat dishes. The restaurant itself is light and airy (with an upstairs private dining area for functions), service is pleasant, the wine list small but well chosen and the (mains) servings huge. The prices are reasonable too. Coffee is excellent.
532 Hampton St, Hampton
3188 Vic (200m south of South Rd)
Ph 9598 8944
Google map: tinyurl.com/rxul2v
Great restaurant in a good location, not far from Octagon. Food is fantastic, atmosphere great. Two people, two courses, best bottle of wine on the menu; £45 - bargain. It's full of locals too - a good indication.
6th district, Liszt Ferenc ter 2
Not really a cocktail bar, but a cocktail lounge in a lovely Italian restaurant. Makes the only proper vodka martini I've ever tasted in Ireland. Also has the best pasta.
The Mall, Waterford City. www.lapalma.ie
While it's not old by world standards, PJ Clarke's is more than 125 years old, a fairly old bar for New York that has not changed much over the years. In midtown, it sits in the shadow of a skyscraper and miraculously was saved from the wrecker's ball, thank goodness. If you watched the classic 'Lost Weekend' movie, here's where it was set. After work it is mobbed. Other times it is not that crammed with people. Men will want to use the men's room as it features huge urinals. It harks back to a time when men were probably the only bar folk as it is easy to see into the urinals from the bar. (Women, please turn your eyes away.) Food is good here, by the way... fresh oysters on ice, delicious broccoli rabe, rare hamburgers (I once had two).
915 Third Avenue, 55th St, New York, NY 10022
+1 212 317 1616
www.pjclarkes.com
Google map: bit.ly/mIeOLf
This incredible bar is located in the Four Seasons restaurant, an architectural and culinary landmark since it opened in 1959. You can drink and/or have a light lunch while sitting under a stunning Richard Lippold sculpture of brass rods hanging from the ceiling. It's not cheap, but definitely a 'must-do' splurge. (It's nice to feel special and privileged even if it is only once in one's life.) The Four Seasons is still the place where New York's movers and shakers, political, financial, editorial and otherwise come for lunch ($100 at least per person) and the bar offers a nice perch to view them from. (Well, you can always rub shoulders with them in the lavish restrooms.) Plus there's a good view of what's happening on glorious Park Avenue.
99 E. 52nd & Park Avenue in the landmark Seagram's Building. Go to www.fourseasonsrestaurant.com for pics, menus, etc.
Probably the best restaurant we visited in a three-week trip to NZ.
Fish restaurant - excellent choice of fish, beautifully cooked and served. A real star restaurant. Fish-themed decor and very relaxed atmosphere. 5 stars from me!
Dined here April 2007
7 Beach St Queenstown
Telephone (03)4426768
url: www.fishbonequeenstown.co.nz/
50% off at 500 London restaurants for a year. Also, I picked up a leaflet that gives you £20 off the RRP, use the promotional code TASTY and it knocks the price down to £49.95, for 12 months membership.
The Ski resorts of Sassotetto, Maddalena and Bolognola are small scale but a great place to learn or get a long weekend fix and give visitors the opportunity to combine skiing or boarding with a bit of culture and touring the beautiful area of Le Marche.
Prices are also very reasonable; passes and ski/boot hire are both about £12 a day. The resorts have just invested in four new lifts, artificial snow canons and a new trattoria.
The town of Sarnano is a top base for a white week in the Sibillini mountains, it has over 20 restaurants, a late music bar and even has a funky nightclub.
There's plenty to see and do locally, the area is full of wonderful medieval villages and fantastic for walking below the snowline.
There are many hotels locally or maybe you would prefer a cosy apartment with woodburning stove and free wood, in the old Sarnano Farm Villa San Raffaello.
The resort is easily reached on cheap flights into Ancona, Pescara, Perugia and even Rome and Bologna.
Ski resort piste map: www.scuolasci-montisibillini.it/pagine/cartina.htm
www.villasanraffaello.com/
This little communal cafe has a nice variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic cocktails and a very alternative, lefty and studenty atmosphere; it doubles up as a little bit as a community centre, arthouse cinema, theatre and concert hall and event space.
The group associated with it also organises some of the best fun events of the city: the bathtub regatta, the soapbox derby, the naTo-cup (football), Bollywood in Leipzig and has also been caring for the restoration of the historic GDR advert 'Löffelfamilie'; which shows a family eating soup (donations urgently needed).
It's a fantastic little venue with cult status and as one of my favourite places only suitable for nice, friendly, open-minded, easy-going and in general just lovely people.
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 46
04275 Leipzig,
Germany
telephone: 0049/0 341 3014398
E-mail: info@nato-leipzig.de
Web: www.nato-leipzig.de/english.php
Several trams are just stopping in front of it. Can't remember which ones, but all which go to "Connewitzer Kreuz".
The Shima restaurant is a place with excellent Asian food and a lovely atmosphere.
Schwäbische Straße No. 5, D-10781-Berlin
www.shima-world.de/
When at IN-N-OUT - don't forget to look for the Biblical references on your cups and remember The Dude.
Fatburger is almost as cheap as the incredible IN-N-OUT Burger with more of a diner feel and no Bible verses
Charcoal - when you want upscale - new but gaining fans - 6372 W Sunset Boulevard, LA, CA 90028
The Oinkster - worth the drive to Eagle Rock - you don't really need a reason to visit ER, just do it before it gets too trendy.
And don't forget a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard while you're out.
fatburger.com/home/
www.theoinkster.com/
traveller.uncommontraveller.com/2007/08/01/hollywood-meets-dollywood.aspx
Family friendly, great ambience, food and service at reasonable prices.
801 Second Avenue (43rd St), NewYork ,NY 10017
tel 212-878-9600
nearest subway Grand Central Station
This section of the city is amazing. It has a real Middle Eastern feel combined with far east. There is one main street next to the ancient city wall which you can turn off to reach the Great Mosque. The street is alive with people and the perfect place to sit and enjoy the unique Chinese Muslim culture and food of spiced meats, noodles with a type of bread dough and delicious spicy flatbreads. I enjoyed many a beer here watching the world go by.
City centre
Three great restaurants. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere; superb fish with stunning desserts - the trio of creme brulee was superb and enough to share.
Not cheap but worth every penny. Don't miss it - the two TV chefs borrowed the name, with permission. Named after the first to open at 88 Dumbarton Road.
118a Blythswood St G2 - close to Sauchiehall St
88 Dumbarton Road G11
and a new one in Argyle St.
I'm absolutely crazy for Brazilian food and I've been around the country enough to be able to enjoy all types of different dishes, from carne de sol (sundried meat) to the Carioca famous feijoada. One of my all-time favourites though, is the moqueca de camarao, which is made from shrimp with milk-coconut stew. It's a typical dish that originates from Bahia, but you can find it in Rio, in an excellent restaurant called Azul Marinho.
It's right at the Arpoador in Ipanema, so you'll be privileged with a breathtaking view while eating this amazing food!
Avenida Francisco Bhering
Arpoador
www.cozinhatipica.com.br/ver_restaurante.php?id=1
This quality Italian place, focused on simply executed dishes based on fresh produce is a great new addition to the surprisingly limited St Albans dining scene.
Despite its affluence and increasing popularity as one of the nicest places to commute to London from, St Albans has a pretty disappointing range of places to eat out. Sure, there's the creditable Darcy's on Hatfield Road, a recent addition to the slick Loch Fyne seafood chain on Verulam Road (plus a great, unpretentious curry house in Mumtaj on London Road) but that's about it. Until now.
Cibo DiVino opened in summer 2007 and despite its central, if relatively unprepossessing location behind M&S and Boots there are treats in store.
Service is warm and welcoming, the room is cosy and well lit, homemade bread is offered with your apertif (we had a couple of glasses of appley house Prosecco).
The focus is on fresh regional Italian food (think modern Italian style championed by the likes of the River Cafe or Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall). Some examples from the short but appetising menu are: antipasti (say, buffalo mozzarella with grilled vegetables, an autumnal lentil soup), pasta (I had a delicious rabbit and black olive ragu with fettuccine but there was also linguine with clams), fish (simply grilled whole bream, scallops with cauliflower puree), meat and game (guinea fowl with polenta, a veal chop), vegetables and desserts (honey semi-freddo, tiramisu).
Expect to pay about £50 a head for the works: aperitifs, three courses, a good bottle of wine, coffee. We were offered a complimentary digestif.
We really hope this charming place is a success - it fills a much needed space and does so really well.
Cibo DiVino Ristorante Italiano
4-5 Waddington Road
St. Albans
AL3 5EX
www.cibodivino.co.uk
Tel 01727899189
St Albans City (mainline/Thameslink) or St Albans Abbey (branch line from Watford/Silverlink)
The best Mexican food I have eaten outside the States. The interior is bright and used authentic Mexican colours and the food is fab. I especially loved the carnitas which took me back home to Santa Fe. Worth a visit.
64 Thistle Street Edinburgh, eh2 1en
www.texmex2.com
0131 260 9699
Firstly Danielle's Pizzas are amazing. You might wonder why pizza in Rhodes, well, the Italians occupied Rhodes between the wars. I guess it rubbed off. Definitely the best pizza you will get anywhere.
Also in Afandou Theo's Taverna is a small fish taverna set in the traditional village house that Theo the owner and chef was born in.
Wonderful food prepared by the whole family, try the prawns in ouzo sauce. Theo is a fantastic character who wants all his customers to enjoy the real Greece.
Both in Afandou village.
Danielle's is just off the square in the main street.
Theo's is up a side street opposite Eleni Restaurant.
I did not know what to expect when I went to CBF with my family, and may I say I was quite impressed! We were told at the restaurant that their main specialty was Portuguese food, from Portugal (duh!) aside from some Spanish dishes, like paella, very good. But the best by far was their cod fish with baked potatoes, olives and shrimp, just heaven! My kids loved it too, but my husband and I enjoyed it the most. It also seemed to have some of that atmosphere based on the country where the food originates from, Portugal. Anyway, quite a family-friendly spot for an afternoon lunch.
Praça Tiradentes 83, Downtown
A fascinating and entertaining three-hour tour of Chelsea Market and the meat packing district. A well- informed and very funny guide took us on a 'grazing' tour of great shops and restaurants. We ate very well, learnt a lot and had a real laugh. And all for $40.00 which was good value. They do Greenwich Village as well.
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