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It's written by a local person in Edinburgh, who provides honest and detailed reviews of restaurants and bars in Edinburgh. Photos are provided too, so you can see what your meal looks like and if it's appetising!
Throughout Brittany, during the summer months, there are local dance festivals called Fest Deiz or Fest Noz (day or night festivals). These take place in village halls, leisure centres or even in even school playgrounds where you can join in dancing beneath the stars, eating crepes and drink cidre or lemonade. Different localities have local dance steps and dances are often in lines or couples to live music. Everyone dances, young and old. The Fest Noz make a really excellent family activity to finish off the day and are worth seeking out for a memorable holiday. Quimper is renowned as a major centre for Breton dance and music.
There is a very useful website here for locating the Fest Noz and Fest Deiz www.tamm-kreiz.com/
Castro is a smallish jewel of a resort to the west of Bilbao and a welcome respite from the cultural overload of the Guggenheim. Comprising of a cheery port and two beaches (one manmade), it's a popular destination in summer and offers the perfect Cantabrian holiday experience. Just back from the front are a couple of pedestrianised streets are cluttered with stone pinxto bars specialising in everything from fried mushrooms to wonderfully plump sardines.
Google map: bit.ly/j4zXaM
www.castro-urdiales.net/
Most years the rivers in Alaska freeze over (hey - it's cold up there!) Including the Tanana river near Fairbanks. (The Tanana also flows past North Pole, but that's another story).
Every year - when the snow melts - Alaska becomes a raging mud-bath. Everything gets dirty. And the enterprising folks of Nenana (pop: 352) have set up the nearest thing to a state lottery Alaska has - the Nenana Ice Classic. A Tripod is anchored to the ice in the middle of the river and when the Tripod goes over a camera is triggered and the time is recorded. The nearest time/tickets win the money. Best months are March-April-May.
www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nenana,_Alaska
Google map: tinyurl.com/32258pd
There are some lovely local markets in and around Cape Town, that offer unique crafts, books, delicious things to eat, or places to just hang out. Try Hout Bay market, the Montebello Design Centre or the slow market at Willowbrige.
A little restaurant in the heart of Krakow's old Jewish ghetto, this is a slightly bonkers but very endearing place to dine. The menu is simple, with possibly no more than a dozen dishes including starters, mains and desserts. And be advised, if you order a plate of pirogi (the local dumplings) then you get just that. 'Just' that: no salad, sides, or even sauce. Despite this the food is delicious (I can also recommend the duck with cranberry).
The decor is quirky, full of history, and the tables are an eclectic mix of old sewing desks and things which resemble small workbenches.
While my girlfriend and I were there they had a band, doing instrumental classic pop covers as an accordion and electric organ-playing duo. My personal favourite: a brilliantly catchy version of Stevie Wonder's 'Sir Duke'. Genius.
The main square in Krakow's Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz
It's talked about but not many people in the world have tasted it. It is decadent and pure luxury. I'm talking about Kobe beef - the most tender, tasty, melt in the mouth moment I've ever tasted. This delight of Japanese cuisine is of course, best tasted in the home of the beef. Kobe is an hour or so away from Tokyo on the bullet train but the journey is well worth it. Step out of Kobe's main shinkensen station and you will be greeted with posters and bill boards of places to taste this fine meat.
Check out the restaurants who offer 'nose print' certificates of the cow to prove authenticity. Lightly grilled is my personal recommendation.
When travelling in Tokyo, I would highly recommend vending machine Ramen (noodles) for the experience. The ramen is not dispensed by a machine but human contact (read the need to communicate in Japanese) is limited - so may be great for the foreign visitor. The process may look intimidating at first but in reality it couldn't be simpler. Outside the restaurant you will be faced with a vending machine with a selection of buttons, typically you need to select:
1) The size of your noodles
2) The type of noodles
3) Any extras, including egg, extra meat, etc
Simply press your desired buttons (all with pictures on for you to follow), insert money and you will be issued with a coupon. Hand this in to the staff in the 'restaurant' (usually a bar - perfect for single dining) and a few minutes later you will be presented with a piping hot bowl of ramen. Prices are fantastically cheap (no more than GBP5 a bowl) and extremely fresh. As an added bonus, you can feel smug that you've achieved to dine like a local and navigate yourself around what can be a very confusing city.
All around Japan, look for the vending machines with pictures on for a clue
If you are feeling pretty brave or have lost all sense of smell, then why not try durian fruit on your trip to Asia. This soft yellow fruit is considered quite tasty (well why else would anyone eat it) but it is most famous for its strong and pungent smell. Note, public transport systems will not allow you to board with this fruit! If you can get over the smell, then you discover a soft creamy texture with a unique taste (just try holding your breath whilst swallowing). Buy pre-prepared durian from market stalls and eat with caution!
More details online en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian
Market stalls
Singaporeans can be brusque but they will warm to you if you take an interest in their fantastic food. We seemed to be eating round the clock when we were there. Kopi Tiams (coffee shops) open until the wee hours and it's not uncommon to go out for a meal after a midnight film in Singapore.
Singaporeans often greet each other by asking "Have you eaten?" and you will endear yourself to the locals by enquiring if they have had their "makan" (food) as well. We visited a great restaurant called The Rice Table, where Indonesian Dutch rijsttafel was served. There'll be no awkward silences because everyone is too busy stuffing their faces with the never-ending stream of satay, otak, and curries that arrive. The moment one dish is finished, just ask for another at no extra charge. And the price is incredibly reasonable.
The Rice Table. 360 Orchard Rd., #02-09/10 International Building Tel: 65/6835-3783Lunch set S$15 (US$9.80/£5.05); dinner set S$23 (US$15/£7.65)
Any visit to Shanghai would not be complete without tasting the famous Shanghai dumpling (Xiaolongbao). These delicious dumplings are also know as soup dumplings, as the dumplings are filled with (often piping hot) soup. There are different versions to the dumpling but most are filled with pork and soup. It is typically served with vinegar, ginger and soy sauce.The most famous dumpling shop is in Nanxiang Mantou Dian in Shanghai where up to 30 minute queues can snake through this pretty historic site.
Nanxiang Mantou Dian, Shanghai
Ask your hotel to write down the address in Chinese. All hotels (plus locals) will know what you are talking about!
You should cultivate friends in locations where you are planning to visit. Make contacts on internet bulletin boards and seek advice from like-minded locals on any activities/hotels/restaurants etc.
This is always the best way to minimise your risk when visiting a new city (or even one that you have been to many times!). Also, be prepared to help others with advice on your own city also :-)
A little hidden gem in Greenwich Village is Prune, a cosy neighbourhood restaurant that does the best brunch in New York, perfect for a Sunday morning in the city (yes some of us go there at weekends for business as well!) I've taken clients to this place a few times, and they're always impressed, as it feels like you really know the area, and feels like a real part of New York. It does get VERY busy for Sunday brunch so the earlier the better (I've arrived there before at midday on a Sunday to be told it was a 2 hour wait) - the wait however is worth it. This tiny little restaurant has a huge list of bloody marys and a delightful selection of brunch items which'll knock your socks off. I'm a big fan of their pear pancake. A little New York experience which may be small in stature but is huge on taste.
www.prunerestaurant.com54 E 1st St
Excellent food - a great opportunity to taste traditional, home-made Polish cuisine. Moderately priced, Chlopskie Jadlo is an excellent place for dinner.
Nice description of this and other restaurants in Krakow is here on page 14 www.discoverpl.com/discover_poland_3.pdf
Address: ul. Św. Jana 3 (Old Town)
Krakow
Restaurant website: www.chlopskiejadlo.pl
Map: www.cracowonline.com/7-Chlopskie_Jadlo-Restaurant
Enjoy!
Indigo is a restaurant, formerly Maria's, in the New Market in Rhodes Town. It is adorned with billowing drapes so you feel as though you are eating in a tent. The food is wonderful, the service discreet and pleasant - no touting - and the wine is excellent. Despite all this, it is not expensive and offers great value for money.
Indigo
105-106 New Market
Rhodes Town
An international group of locals and expats who meet twice a week to socialise, practice their Spanish or English and exchange tips on Barcelona.
Don't watch TV in your hotel, meet the locals (Barcelonians and expats). Socialise and get all the insiders' info you could never get from a guide book. Every person is a walking, talking, up-to-date guide book. Ask and we shall answer!
The group meets at least twice a week. For all the details check out their website: www.englishoasiscafe.com
If you're in Devon get into Totnes and enjoy the river Dart, Vire Island, the Town Museum, the Costume Museum in Bogan house. Then, if it's Friday or Saturday, you can enjoy the town market too. After that go on right up through the Narrows to the top of town and you'll find the Bay Horse Inn - lovely food, real beer, a warm atmosphere with a nice garden at the back - and local folk music on Tuesday nights, very good jazz evenings - at no extra charge! You can stay the night there too. A great place to be on your holiday!
The Bay Horse is in Cistern Street, by the Rotherfold, at the end of The Narrows, on your right going uphill.
Totnes station is on the main Paddington to Plymouth line. The whole town is within easy walking distance of the station.
It's an alternative music show with a focus on local bands and gigs. It puts the local scene in context with the wider alternative music world, so it actually plays tracks by bands from all over the globe, not just Bristol.
You'll hear loads of new music and plenty of bands/artists getting their first radio play, interviews and sessions too, alongside the better known. It's presented by Richard Pitt and Gary Smith. They have two shows on at the weekend. There should be more local radio like this.
You can hear the show on line. You'll find links to the BBC i-Player from www.myspace.com/bristoluncovered or via www.bbc.co.uk/bristol just follow the entertainment and local music links.
Mongolia is a notoriously tough place to get your 5-a-day and wholefoods, but if you're craving fresh produce while visiting Ulaanbaatar you no longer need rely on those suspiciously glossy looking imports in the State Department Store. There's now a single row of stalls in the square outside the former Museum of the Revolution every Saturday selling home-grown berries, vegetables caked in the soil of the steppes, honey, fungi, an array of sour but sumptuous cheeses and other intriguing commestibles. The atmosphere is typically friendly and down to earth, and you can sample the cheese and honey. Best of all, you can duck into the guanz (cafeteria ger) at the end of the row and hunker down with the locals to quaff bowl after bowl of fermented mare's milk while chewing a plateful of horsemeat (the Mongolian equivalent of mother and child reunion) boiled up with jacket potatoes.
About a kilometre west of the Natural History Museum on Khuvsgalchdyn Orgon Toroo, the street north of and parallel to Peace Avenue.
One of the things I like in London is the variety of restaurants with so many different kinds of cuisine and flavours. London has everything for everyone's taste. From fish and chips to the most sophisticated dishes. Exotic and ethnic cuisines are to be found in most areas of London. But also traditional English food in many pubs and restaurants like Maggie Jones's in 6 Old Court Place near Kensington High Street .
www.hotelara.com/travel/uk/england/london-restaurants-eating-out.html
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