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Literally on the beach at Mers-les-Bains - Haute Normandie - Les Mouettes is a buzzy bistro popular with French locals. Serves fresh fish and meat dishes, including scallops when in season, to enjoy overlooking the sea. Get your timings right because its open (and indeed only there!) from April to 11th November after which cranes come along and dismantle the entire restaurant to comply with seasonal “beach dining licencing rules”. If you still haven’t sampled enough seafood take a stroll to the quayside at nearby Le Treport where boats arrive with the daily catch.
Les Mouettes, Esplanade du Général Leclerc, 80350 Mers-les-Bains
+33 2 35 86 30 38
Google map: bit.ly/XTFwWf
A small, intimate restaurant set in a 17th Century townhouse that fits beautifully into the medieval atmosphere of Dinan.
Grilled meat is cooked on an open fireplace within. Flames and delicious aromas add to the all important 'je ne sais quoi.' Although fully booked we were left unhurried and had plenty of time to savour delicious local wines while drinking in the period details of the setting.
6 rue Sainte-Claire, 22100 Dinan, Brittany
+33(0)2963 90252
Google map: bit.ly/14jZMmB
As you drive through the tall fir trees along the winding hilly roads in search of Les Chalet du Tarn, where to your side rolls the calm, serene Tarn river, you can't help feeling as though you have escaped. Escaped the busy day-to-day hassle of life, the crowds and heat of tourists and have discovered a wonderful retreat in the heart of the French countryside in the Midi-Pyrenees.
The road curves and you cross a small, stone bridge and crawl across taking in the breathtaking views up and down the Tarn. A quaint church sits at the opposite side and as you reach this you take the lane to the left, following alongside the river again, driving carefully between it's banks and the Chateaux on your right. This is a place of heritage and original architecture.
Les Chalet du Tarn is a campsite, but there are chalets you can hire. Before you have even pitched your tent, with views that are hard to put into words, the friendly owner invites you to dine tonight - what's on the menu? "Ce soir", he says, "Moules frites". Heaven to my senses.
Each night the owners create a new menu, everything is home made and served fresh to your private, if basic, table.
Imagine: you are sat back, relaxed, with a glass of locale vin blanc/rouge/rose in your hand; the quiet hush surrounds you, a slight rustling of the trees and background run of the river; a few children play over in the park while on the other tables couples sit and converse in their mother tongue. The owner stands command over the hot coals, stirring and lifting the steaming moules in a home made garlic and white wine sauce. The smell is phenomenal. He is a master of precision, carefully watching and marinading the most incredible moules you will ever eat (and that is some claim).
As they are served, straight from the huge wok style pan, to your table the traditional skinny frites are rushed from the kitchen by his wife and staff where you are left to dive in and devour these delights.
www.leschaletsdutarn.com/
Lincou, 12170 Réquista, France
+33 5 65 72 34 84
Google map: bit.ly/15sYx7b
At one end of this historically fascinating town is a river and by the bridge there you will find, tucked away, 'Le Pain Sur La Table'. Organic, original and fantastically priced - a three course lunch accompanied by delicious wine comes in at a cool 16 euros each - you can rest and refill after your cultural explorations. And don't leave without buying, from the in-house bakery, one of the best croissants you will ever eat, for tomorrow's breakfast!
1 Pont de l'Etang, 71250 Cluny, France
+33(0)385592450
Google map: bit.ly/XkTFPy
Very straightforward, if slightly old fashioned, restaurant. I've eaten here a couple of times when I've been visiting CERN for work - it is just across the border. Better value than restaurants across the border in Switzerland, and very friendly when I visited.
1 Place Fontaine, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France
+33 4 50 42 20 50
Google map: bit.ly/XNR6oF
Since 1869 they've been preparing decent French food at decent prices, with phenomenally good service here. The first time I was taken there I was as a 9 year-old on a "Paris Travel" coach holiday to the city and it made a lasting impression on me. The elegant dining room with its hat stands and mirrored walls, the cramped tables where a stranger is likely to be sharing a table with you once it starts to fill up and the waiters memory skills and tradition of annotating your order on the paper tablecloth, then jotting down the addition to work out your bill. When I went there last year, over 30 years since my first visit, none of that had changed and I sat with a smile on my face through the whole meal. It is all standard French fare, but well cooked and reasonably priced and I could happily spend a whole week going back every day to work my way through the menu. The wine by the glass, pichet or bottle is tasty and inexpensive.
Trying to expose my children to maximum Frenchness they started with snails, while I ordered the steak tartare last time I was there and we all loved it. I suspect it'll still be unchanged when my kids are taking their own children there in 30 years time.
www.bouillon-chartier.com/
7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris, France
+33 1 47 70 86 29
Google map: bit.ly/WDcABe
On a recent travel forum, somebody asked ‘ Is Marseillan in the Languedoc really as lovely as people say it is?' The answer is a resounding yes. Just walk down to the pretty little port and take in the view - sail boats bobbing on the silvery waters of the saltwater lagoon, and holiday cruisers drawn up to the moorings where a choice of restaurants awaits the lucky traveller. The impressive Chateau de Port, now a restaurant, looks out to sea, flanked by the cellars of local winemaker Henri de Richemer.
Your choice for lunch – Rive Gauche or Rive Droite ? Go left and a dozen waterside restaurants await, offering you everything from fresh shellfish to crepes and fresh salads. Go right, and choose from the fine dining at the Chateau to pizzas or oysters and a glass of Picpoul at the tiny fish stall.
But the really great thing about Marseillan is that it isn’t just a chic tourist façade, but a proper working town. The church square buzzes on Tuesday with the street market, the little indoor Halles opens daily for fruit, veg, fish and cheese. The Boulevard Hotel in the town centre offers steaks cooked on an open fire, or go to the Table d’Emilie for Michelin-style dining. The Bar Marine is where the local stop to people watch over a coffee, a Ricard, or to watch the evening footie on big screens. The Delicatessen restaurant is decorated with retro furnishings, and spills out into the shadow of the church on summer days.
Plunge into the narrow lanes of the pedestrianised old town for shady relief from the sun, where visitors and locals live happily side by side. And when you need a dip, clean, sandy uncrowded Mediterranean beaches are just five minutes away.
Throughout the town, tiny shellfish stalls packed with freshly harvested oysters and mussels raise their shutters at lunchtime and evenings. Locals queue for a kilo or two of oysters – this isn’t overpriced food for the few, but the local diet, cheap as chips. The Picpoul de Pinet wine which is only grown in this area is the perfect accompaniment – sit in any local restaurant and watch the two being enjoyed together. Visit the Picpoul domains which dot the area, and marvel at how many labels can thrive in such a small locality.
Marseillan really is a French town like no other, worth a visit at any time of the year. Buses connect with Beziers Cap d’Agde airport for the princely sum of 1.5 euros making it an easy place to visit for a short break without a car.
www.holidaylettings.co.uk/photodisplay.aspx?home_id=5150
Google map: bit.ly/X6tFUA
If you find yourself stuck in the culinary desert that is the glass and steel void of Potsdamer Platz, then a short stroll down Potsdamer Strasse leads to one of the cheeriest restaurants in town. Set in an unpromising commercial block almost opposite the Wintergarten Theatre, it's known as a book cafe but is also a terrific place to stop for an evening meal. Named after the 19th century Jewish author Joseph Roth Diele, who apparently wrote Radetzkymarsch in the locale, its calming, quirky decor is the work of the owner, film director Dieter Funk. The ludicrously good value menu is German with spatzle with cheese and bacon as well as a nicely cooked schnitzel all washed down by some terrific beer. On the downside, it's closed at weekends.
www.joseph-roth-diele.de
Potsdamer Straße 75 10785 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 2636 ext. 9884
Google map: bit.ly/VKmljV
Awesome vegetarian restaurant with brilliant delicious food and a great atmosphere. Very good value and friendly staff. They are a Dublin institution.
www.cornucopia.ie
19-20 Wicklow St, Dublin 2, Ireland
+353 1 677 7583
Google map: bit.ly/Z5DJyn
On a recent travel forum, somebody asked ‘ Is Marseillan in the Languedoc really as lovely as people say it is? ‘ The answer is a resounding yes. Just walk down to the pretty little port and take in the view - sail boats bobbing on the silvery waters of the saltwater lagoon, and holiday cruisers drawn up to the moorings where a choice of restaurants awaits the lucky traveller. The impressive Chateau de Port, now a restaurant, looks out to sea, flanked by the cellars of local winemaker Henri de Richemer.
Your choice for lunch – Rive Gauche or Rive Droite ? Go left and a dozen waterside restaurants await, offering you everything from fresh shellfish to crepes and fresh salads. Go right, and choose from the fine dining at the Chateau to pizzas or oysters and a glass of Picpoul at the tiny fish stall.
But the really great thing about Marseillan is that it isn’t just a chic tourist façade, but a proper working town. The church square buzzes on Tuesday with the street market, the little indoor Halles opens daily for fruit, veg, fish and cheese. The Boulevard Hotel in the town centre offers steaks cooked on an open fire, or go to the Table d’Emilie for Michelin-style dining. The Bar Marine is where the locals stop to people watch over a coffee, a Ricard, or to watch the evening footie on big screens. The Delicatessen restaurant is decorated with retro furnishings, and spills out into the shadow of the church on summer days.
Plunge into the narrow lanes of the pedestrianised old town for shady relief from the sun, where visitors and locals live happily side by side. And when you need a dip, clean, sandy uncrowded Mediterranean beaches are just five minutes away.
Throughout the town, tiny shellfish stalls packed with freshly harvested oysters and mussels raise their shutters at lunchtime and evenings. Locals queue for a kilo or two of oysters – this isn’t overpriced food for the few, but the local diet, cheap as chips. The Picpoul de Pinet wine which is only grown in this area is the perfect accompaniment – sit in any local restaurant and watch the two being enjoyed together. Visit the Picpoul domains which dot the area, and marvel at how many labels can thrive in such a small locality.
Further afield, visit Bouziques, an even bigger oyster producer, where restaurants line the shores of the Etang de Thau, Pezenas for amazing architecture and great shopping, Meze for a great Sunday market and Montpellier if you long for small city chic.
Marseillan exerts a real magnetism, with people buying there, holidaying there, and returning year after year. The locals are friendly ( though you will need to use whatever French you have) , and the calendar is peppered with amazing little festivals, where enthusiastic amateurs throw themselves into everything from water jousting to hauling a giant polar bear through the streets to herald the arrival of the Christmas market.
Marseillan really is a French town like no other, worth a visit at any time of the year. Buses connect with Beziers Cap d’Agde airport for the princely sum of 1 euro 50, making it an easy place to visit for a short break without a car.
Families love it for it's safe, easygoing culture, and couples love it for the great food and wine. Perfect for everyone, and it won't break the bank.
www.ruedelamour.com
Google map: bit.ly/YaVcdJ
This is an excellent, authentic Czech bar/restaurant, out of the city centre, but not so far. You can eat your fill for a very modest outlay.
www.zlatyklas.cz
Plzeňská 609/9, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov, Czech Republic
+420 251 562 539
Google map: bit.ly/12AIg1j
Menza is my recommendation around the Liszt Ferenc area, great Hungarian food at very reasonable prices. Then get along to one of the many cafe’s or pastry houses and eat the best croissants in the world filled with the most delicious apple, curd cheese or walnut, or combinations of a couple, with a good coffee and a swig of Palinka, the national drink.
www.menzaetterem.hu/
1061 Budapest Liszt Ferenc tér 2, Hungary
+36 1 413 1482
Google map: bit.ly/WgALHD
Less than 100 miles apart, these South Moravian towns are linked by good cycling routes, vineyards around the River Morava, the heady smell of flowering lime trees, buildings of Baroque splendour, palaces and gardens, and market square cafes. In Kromeriz the highlight was Radnice restaurant serving a degustation menu with samples of local wine. In Mikulov, the Hotel Templ provided a comfortable room and excellent food, and was a good base for a day’s circular cycle route exploring the former Liechtenstein palaces of Valtice and Lednice, and the former Jewish area of Mikulov itself.
Radnici restaurace, Kovarska 20, Kromeriz
Google map: bit.ly/150TB9g
Hotel Templ:
www.templ.cz
Husova 50, 692 01 Mikulov
+420 519 323 095
Google map: bit.ly/WF75UJ
La Posada is a beautiful hotel, the last to be built on the Santa Fe railroad, in the 1920's. Designed by Mary Colter, it was used as a launchpad for tourists into the Indian lands of northern Arizona. The hotel was beautifully restored in the 1990's after 40 years of closure. In addition to the beautiful Southwest interiors and art collection, the hotel offers, perhaps the finest dining in northern Arizona, in its restaurant, The Turquoise Room.
www.laposada.org
303 E. 2nd Street (Route 66), Winslow, AZ 86047
+1 928 289 4366
Google map: bit.ly/YnGWYz
Restaurant near the park. Great food, lovely courtyard, quiet and good prices. This was the first restaurant I ate at on my trip to Bulgaria and I don't think I topped it for the rest of the trip. A really beautiful place to stop for lunch.
47 Primorski Blvd, Varna, Bulgaria
One of the best restaurants in Budapest. Top class customer service and heavenly dishes.
www.costes.hu/en
H-1092 Budapest, Ráday utca 4
+36 1 2190696
Google map: bit.ly/Y65F4E
It's a sausage and mash restaurant, believe it or not, right in the heart of Oxford's Castle Quarter, and it's just 'right' - a celebration of all that's great about great British food. It's not a chain, but a single place, run by a single guy and his enthusiastic team. He's bound to be there, telling you which creation of sausages goes best with which creation of mash. Local beers, local staff and a good feel. Best place I can recommend
www.thebigbangrestaurants.co.uk
42 Oxford Castle Quarter, OX1 1AY +44(0)1865249413
Google map: bit.ly/XdLamH
An erect willy is a part of the chef's special in Sighişoara's smartest dinery. Made from pork meatloaf, it salutes Vlad the Impaler, the Translyvanian hero whose birthplace is just around the corner. The town is the best preserved medieval citadel in Europe, old MittelEurope alive and well in Transylvania. The impressive Tolkienesque clock-tower houses a good museum. Climb to the top to gaze down on the pan-tiled roofs, cobbled streets and ancient covered walkways that link nine defensive guild towers. And the willy was delicious, thank you for asking.
The place to stay in Sighisoara is the Casa cu Cerb - the name translates as the Stag House and the hotel is easy to find: on the front of the building there's a painted rearing stag, complete with real antlers that project into the small main square.
A face behind reception may look familiar; this is where Princes Charles has stayed on trips to the area. HRH is apparently related to Vlad the Impaler but you wouldn't guess, a friendly autographed 'Charles' portrait welcomes you to Translyvania. Ask for a room overlooking the square: you can watch the Transylvanian world go by, see and hear the clock-tower, listen to the echoing chacks of jackdaws, and almost don't need to leave your room. The top floor rooms are the best value.
The hotel is not quite what it seems, dig a little deeper to discover that in 2001 it was restored to an extremely high standard (a traditional wooden staircase is particularly superb) by the Messerschmitt Foundation www.schloss-anras.com/messerschmitt_eng.html. Established by Willy Messerschmitt it is dedicated to preserving the best of German architecture. The link between Germany and Transylvania, if you're wondering, is that the region was formerly peopled by the Saxons, their churches and villages remain today. (You should also know for politeness at least, that until the first world war Translyvania was very much Hungarian and for many, still is.)
Two must-see-dos (as well as the pork willy) in Sighişoara are a) a walk up the covered walkway (protection against winter snow) to the defensive church and graveyard at the top of the hill. An old horse-drawn hearse parked round the back adds atmosphere, as if it were needed. Then b) is a little pizzaria, San Gennaro, near the main square. Baked in front of your eyes, the pizzas are thin and fresh and delicious and costed us two euros each. There's a garden at the back to enjoy them with a beer if the weather's good.
To aid in creating a sustainable new Translyvanian rural economy Prince Charles bought a couple of farmhouses and converted them into self-catering accommodation. These are managed for HRH by Count Kalnoky www.transylvaniancastle.com/kalnoky/kalnoky.htmlwho who also welcomes guests to his own estate in Miklósvár - a typically Translyvanian agrarian village. We stayed there in a 'gingerbread' cottage with maize cobs hanging under the eaves. Meals including breakfast are usually served al fresco under a wonderful grapevine-covered loggia, or in the evening in a very atmospheric ancient dining room (think dark night, Dracula, flickering candles, intriguing fellow guests, Dracula ...)
The last stronghold of the European Wolf is Translyvania; there are an estimated 3000 still roaming the forests, more than the rest of Europe combined. There are also brown bears and lynx. Count Kalnoky organises guided nature trips into the woods and forests. We first met sheep, with their shepherd, and our guide issued a sheepdog cautionary - speak softly and carry a big stick (you may look like a shepherd). The dogs are large and can need watching, their role is, after all, fighting wolves and bears.
We found ammonites in a forest stream, saw really beautiful insects, and picked and ate delicous wild raspberries with our picnic which included the ubiquitous strong plum spirit. This was enjoyed in a meadow alive with grasshoppers and birdsong. The raspberries you also see being sold at the roadside by gypsy women and girls along with baskets of some luminously yellow fungi. In the middle of nowhere on a wooded hill we came across an American archaelogy professor plus students excavating a Hunnish 4th century settlement. But the very best came last, as we crossed a stream on the way back, there glistening in the mud were the very recently formed spoor of a large brown bear.
Casa Cu Cerb
www.casacucerb.ro/en/
Str. Scolii, 1, Sighisoara, Mures, 545400
+40 265 774625
Google map: bit.ly/WOXqd8
Eating
The Hotel Sighisoara is a good hotel next to the square with a separate outdoor restaurant with good quality food where the aforementioned chef's special is good value, five or six meats served on large wooden board. A meal to remember. www.sighisoarahotels.ro/
Pizzeria San Gennaro - just opposite the Casa Cu Cerb. Baked to order delicious thin pizza, garden in the rear. Was 2 euro for an eat-in pizza.
Restaurant Chevalet has the most idyllic location on the shores of Lake Siutghiol. Light streams in through the French doors, or in warmer weather, you can eat on the terrace. Prices are incredibly low and the cooking is almost a floor show in itself-the cheery chef prepares food at the table, most of which comprise freshly-caught fish (including enormous prawns who clearly considered themselves to be part-lobster) and flamboyantly concocting indulgent desserts made from local berries or crepes with wild almonds, honey and buttery caramel. When the sun sets, the lake sparkles...as did my husband's eyes when the bill came! Very reasonable, washed down with a dark, spicy local wine and finished with sweet, strong coffee. Perfect.
www.restaurantchevalet.com/en/index.php
+40 (0)721 421 501
Google map: bit.ly/Wsu32g
A rare nod to Romania's literary heratage that it seems shy to acknowledge, this restaurant is woefully under-used, and the owners struggle to market it. Spooky inside and out, with themed, good quality and inexpensive meals, along with friendly staff, Dracula restaurant is well worth a visit during any stay in Bucharest.
Splaiul Independenței, București, Romania
+40 21 312 1353
Google map: bit.ly/112Hs5D
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