The Food Diaries

Hakkasan - home of the best dim sum outside of HK

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The George - A Room with a View in Paris

Sitting atop the Centre George Pompidou - the museum of Modern Art designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers - The George, has one of the best views in town.

Don’t bother with a meal - the best way to enjoy the venue is over a drink in the 2001: A Space Odyssey-styled interiors or on the large terrace in the summer.

Don’t forget The George has its own private lift/entrance (look out for the entrance on the piazza side).

Here’s some more info (location, opening times, access).

West Country Girl Creperie in Paris

Tucked away in a little side street off the hip and cool Oberkampf district of Paris snuggles a fab little creperie set in cool and modern surroundings.

I know, I know. It’s totally cliched. But the French do this sort of thing with effortless charm and ease. Delicate and lacy buckwheat savoury crepes stuffed with mushrooms & St. Maur goat’s cheese, brie & bacon, or egg & spinach, and for dessert a sweet crepe topped with baked apples and salty caramel. Once a week on a Friday a fresh shipment of some of the best oysters I have ever tasted arrives directly from Brittany. All this goes very nicely with their house ciders and beers on tap.

And then it’s a mere hop, skip and a jump to rue Oberkampf and beyond to Belleville for some seriously late night bar hopping.

Here’s the address:
6, passage Saint Ambroise (11th)

Tél: 01 47 00 72 54

Here’s the map of the location

Schwartz’s Smoked Meat

Montreal’s very own Schwartz’s is home to the best smoked meat in the world (I know, I’m starting to sound like a broken record after my best bagels in the world entry). Similar (though not identical) to NY pastrami and London salt beef, Montreal smoked meat is spiced cured steamed and then sliced by hand. When served with super soft fresh rye bread and a 1/2 sour (pickle) you’ve got the best thing since well, Montreal bagels.

Again, worth the detour to Montreal (wherever you happen to be heading).

The Dartmouth Castle Hammersmith - just don’t call it a gastro pub

Here’s a little secret. If you’d like to pay a visit to Primark (or Primarni as it is lovingly nicknamed by the Fashionistas) but don’t think you are prepared for heart-palpitating/cold-sweat inducing/flea market ambiance of the majority of their shops, then try paying a visit to the Hammersmith branch on a Monday evening. No queues, neatly folded clothes, friendly staff. And since your visit will be so swift and easy, you even have time to drop by the Dartmouth Castle, conveniently situated around the corner (and very close to the Hammersmith & City Line tube).

It’s the type of pub which manages to maintain its local boozer credentials (with a lovely front terrace for the sun seekers and smokers) while serving up some pretty decent food. We stuck to the above antipasti plate, which at £10 was huge value (4 dips, flatbread, garlic bread, ribs, quiche, chicken wings, olives…), and which our bar guy says he’s been in awe of since the day he joined. A compliment indeed