- food
- (2545)
-
Almost reluctant to publicise it. In the Brickfields area of KL, on the ground floor of the Temple of Fine Arts - a charitable arts institution. Great vegetarian Indian buffet where you are encouraged not to take more than you can eat and pay what you feel it is worth.
116, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields 50470 Kuala Lumpur
www.annalakshmi.com.my/
Great beer garden - so much so that I only ventured inside once. Lovely food for lunch and great service. It's a bit hard to find if you don't know it's there - turn by Barclays Bank off the main street. There's a big pay and display car park opposite too.
The website doesn't tell you much, but here it is anyway - at least you'll be able to recognise it when you get there...
This is a find! Birthplace of the Jacobean playwright John Fletcher (he was as well known as Shakespeare in his day) this charming house is now Fletcher's Tea Rooms.
A great place for morning coffee, light lunches and afternoon teas. The size of the scones is amazing and makes other cafe's scones look a trifle midget! The owners are gracious and charming and there is a warm welcome.
Upstairs is a quaint, but stunning, private function room. Perfect for a small party or gathering. I was invited to a private funtion and the buffet was absolutely stunningly presented.
The house is situated right beside the church in Rye, one of the quaint Cinque Ports. Lamb House, a National Trust property, is close by. It was home to the authors Henry James and, later, E.F. Benson creator of the 'Mapp & Lucia'novels. The fictional 'Tilling' is in fact Rye and you can walk around and see the houses and locations used in the TV series.
We loved Rye and the atmosphere and food at Fletcher's. Well worth a visit!
If visiting Hastings it is well worth walking in the direction of the St. Leonard's end of the town. You can't miss it as there is a stunning 1930's art deco apartment block called Marine Court which looks like a land locked liner.
Close by, just a few minutes walk from the promenade and seafront, I discovered a wee gem of a restaurant called St. Clements. It has a simple brasserie look inside with attentive staff. The food is all fresh produce and, being Hastings, the fish is excellent. Curently they have an amazing two course set luncheon for £10 or three for £13.50.
I went in, not expecting much, but was treated and served as if I'd ordered more expensive dishes. I had chargrilled aubergine, courgette, roasted pepers, feta, and mint as a starter and beautifuly cooked Grey Mullet for my mainj course. Portions were excellent. And it really was only £10! Well, £15. 20 with a nice glass of wine to go with it all!
This is one of those places you leave wanting to come back. I intend doing so several times before my holiday is over!
A quirky little pub, which besides a good selection of food, beer and wine also serves a fabulous Afternoon Tea - finger sandwiches, little cakes, scones with jam and clotted cream - all homemade, and served on mismatched bone chine tea services. A real treat!
The Bluebell,
93 High Street
Henley in Arden
B95 5AT
www.bluebellhenley.co.uk
Escape from the hustle of Athens and stay in the village of Amaliapolis for a few days. You won’t find many foreign tourists there, but its fish tavernas serve the freshest fish priced for local holiday makers (no tourist rip off prices here). If you want an even cheaper, but delicious, meal have a ‘souvlaki pitta’ – succulent pieces of lamb wrapped in special pita bread with salad and yoghurt sauce – under €2.
We stayed in a very reasonably priced apartment – plainly furnished but with great views of the twinkling lights of the Pelion villages across the Pagasitic Gulf at night and just short walk to the sandy beach in the morning. Just don’t tell too many people or it could get spoilt!
Bar Roma is a great little Italian cafe in the City Centre.
Great pasta dishes, good coffee and an authentic cafe feel. The prices are fantastic too, with some great value meal deals available in the afternoons.
Not open in the evening.
Bar Roma
11 Halford St
Leicester, LE1
0116 251 5959
(5 minutes from Leicester BR)
Don't let the slightly hippy name put you off! It is as far as I could find the only veggie cafe with vegan dises.
Morrocan food is great but can be bit of a challenge for strict veggie or vegan. This cafe meets this need. It is also quiet and relaxing contrast to the souk and feels very Moroccan rather than French as other cafes do.
It's inside a riad and is an oasis of calm in the frenzy. Lovely home-cooked organic food and a small gift shop selling organic toiletries and some craft gifts. In the afternoon you can while away the hours or chat to the staff if you want to as there is no hassle. A gem and only wish I had discovered it earlier in the trip
www.earthcafemarrakech.com
No 2 Derb Zouak Riad Zitoun El Kadim (entering the souk just off the corner of the main square Jmaa el Fna). It was signposted with the Earth sign and locals all knew it
Go for chabakia in the foodmarket on the Djemaa el fna. It's the only cake I've had the pleasure of encountering that you have to dunk into your bean soup. Such dunking is compulsory, and livens up an otherwise boringly healthy dish no end. We were reliably informed that chabakia is made of flour, rolled in lots of honey and sugar, and then fried, which sounds much more believable than it being starfish, as we first thought (not such a startling assumption as we were surrounded by diners merrily tucking into sheeps' heads and giant snails). It's the perfect, sticky cake to chew on while you give away your tourist credentials by drinking mint tea sans sucre and arguing with your boyfriend about whether or not to buy a Moroccan toy drum.
Djemaa el fna at the bean soup stall
It can be difficult to find cheap food at the Fringe - especially as most places seem to be packed or overpriced in August.
Here are some tips for eating on a budget:
- Carry a bottle of water, a few snacks and a packed lunch with you during the day - you can munch during during long queues for tickets, and avoid the premium prices at cafes and sandwich shops in the city center.
- Head to the Edinburgh Farmer's Market on Saturdays for some budget-friendly food. Held between 9am and 2pm at Castle Terrace, it's stalls sell filling hot takeaway food, such as venison burgers and a hog roast!
- Some of the venues have great cafes, but they can get crowded in between shows. Instead, try the street stalls around the main venues such as Johnston Terrace and Bristo Square. The Traverse Theatre Bar and Café has a decent selection of reasonably priced food, and the courtyards inside the Pleasance Dome Theatre are home to stalls selling huge hot dogs and burgers.
- With some shows, food actually comes as part of your ticket. Early risers can catch Shakespeare for breakfast at C Venue at 10am, and watch the Bard’s best plays with a croissant and a cup of tea or coffee.
- For a cheap meal out, check out the Mosque Kitchen (officially called The Lunch Box) where you can pick up huge portions of halal curries for just a few pounds.
If you go to the Amalfi coast, you must go to Da Gemma. It's a great restaurant serving traditional Italian cuisine. Ask for their recommendations before choosing. Great sea food!
Via Fra Gerardo Sasso, 9
84011 Amalfi (SA), Italy
+39 089 871345
www.trattoriadagemma.com
An independent tearoom in the West End of Glasgow, the best spot I know to chill on a busy day or warm up on a cold one. Shisha pipes on the terrace, books and games inside, 80 types of tea, good vegetarian grub and sinful cakes by request.
42 Otago Lane, Glasgow G12 8PB, (0141) 357 4524
tchaiovna.com/who.php
Brunch/lunch café. Menu serves (among other items): fruit cocktails and smoothies, home-made muffins, salads, packed massive sandwiches, veggie maki and my favourite: delicious, taste-bud exploding gazpacho. Oh yum. Free coffee if you eat in-house.
All is organic, all is vegetarian, all is fun as you banter with the service (they love it).
15 Rue Lucien-Sampaix, 75010, Paris
+33(0)950063618
www.bobsjuicebar.com/
Google map: bit.ly/jwcddz
For the best value lunchtime meal, find a country restaurant that has a few commercial vehicles outside it eg blue vans from EDF or GDF. The food will be local and good - these people drive miles to meet up there at lunchtime.
This is one of Hastings best kept secrets which I came across on a walk round the centre. A stuning cafe with comfy leather chairs just minutes from the promenade and the sea. Excellent range of simple fresh food. It is an oasis of peace and tranquility. Super friendly staff and newspapers to read. If only all cafes could be so comfortable!
I recommend that you avoid this cafe at all costs. The cafe lured us in with a budget meal that was not available. Drink costs weren't in the menu - the reason being that they were extortionate. A steak at the price of 24 euros had additional costs of sauce (5 euros) and chips (4.50 euros).
When speaking to the staff about my displeasure they were rude and I can only describe them to be vultures. The meal was substandard and expensive. If the food and service was good then they wouldn't have to lower themselves to sneaky tricks like this to get customers. Very poor - spoiled our trip to Bruges.
Markt 24, B-8000 Brugge.
Located on the market square opposite the Belfry.
Google map: tinyurl.com/ktqgd7
I lived in Mojacar for a short while and worked near to the restaurant. The food and ambience was always good and my family visited every time they came to Spain. Malcolm and Jayne made us really welcome. And Russ and Nick working in kitchen were very good. Cheesy garlic bread was divine and steaks done to your request.
On Paseo de Mediterraneo. Behind the Estanco Cantal on Plaza de Estrella.
Nearest airport Almeria.
Fabulous location on Cartagena's only beach. Good mix of workers, businessmen and tourists. Fish, paellas and seafood. Closed Mondays.
Take the road to the Commercial Port, turn left after the tunnel and go under the road. Tel 968 12 24 35
This is a great little tapas bar/restaurant within a cool walled garden perched at the top of the hill in the Albaicin in Granada. It is quite difficult to find, tucked away in a little side street, but is well worth it if you can find it.
Fantastic tapas free with every drink and eating off the menu looked pretty good as well.
La Higuera
www.granadainfo.com/higuera/english.htm
Albaicín alto
C/horno de hoyo
958 27 51 56
Granada
I can rightly claim the "hombre más baratas en Madrid" crown after surviving a weekend on €38.
The Madrid Metro – the Orient Express compared to the London Underground – runs from the airport to city for a paltry €2. Visit the Parque del Retiro and explore the Crystal Palace art installations, monuments including the beautiful but sinister El Angel Caído, go boating by Alfonso XII's grandiose statue, then watch free street performers and puppeteers. Sip your sangria and toast the Madrid teleférico's 40th anniversary at the terminal bar: the skyline's not as exciting as Barcelona but it's relaxing and cheap.
Window-shop the Gran Via and continue to Plaza de España, Teatro Real, Palacio Real and Plaza Mayor for some classic Spanish architecture. Don't miss the El Rastro fleamarket on Sundays: calling it a flea market is a disservice to the sprawling city of stalls filled with delicious food and exotic crafts. It covers several blocks and gets very crowded so mind your valuables.
Madrid's gloriously rowdy tapas bars were out of my budget so I made do with the supermercado for flavoursome food. Ubiquitous Carrefour City and Express stores stock tasty Iberico ham, chorizo and other Spanish treats at unbeatable prices.
From horrific realisation to splendid sunny weekend of exploration, Madrid is perfect for a Spanish holiday on the cheap.
Metro - €2 one way from airport to central city, daypass tickets available. www.metromadrid.es/en/viaja_en_metro/tarifas/billetes/contenido07.html
Teleférico - €5.10 round trip, Paseo del Pintor Rosales, nearest metro Arguelles. www.teleferico.com/tarifas
El Rastro - start at Puerta de Toledo metro from 10am on Sundays. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Rastro
Parque del Retiro (and other locations) - madridspain.ca/attractions/retiropark.html
Carrefour store finder (use Google translate) - www.carrefour.es/
Is this your business?