The Contender for best restaurant in Napa
Yountville is one of the quintessential towns in Napa, full of beautifully landscaped properties, quaint period buildings and the best of wine-county experimentation. We found ourselves in Napa again, and had a few hours to kill between vineyards. Yountville itself has the odd good restaurant :-) OK, let’s be honest, The French Laundry - with three Michelin stars - is considered one of the temples of culinary vision in the US.
Amazing food under the Harbour Bridge
Can location improve an already good meal? Or can it save a disappointing one? Normally I don’t concern myself with weighty contemplation like this, but circumstances drew me back to one of the greatest dining locations on the planet - Cafe Sydney. Sitting in one of the most spectacular locations in which to eat tends to make the mind dizzy (or perhaps it was just the champagne?)
Cafe Sydney is location on the 5th floor - effectively the roof-top - of the Customs House building in Circular Quay.
Happy accidents do happen
Happy accidents do happen. One of our favourite pizza places in London was closed for renovation, which we only found out about when we walked up to the door, and saw the drop sheets, ladders and tins of paint. This left us a) perplexed, and b) desperate to find another good pizza place.
What does this have to do with a restaurant called Chez Gerard? Well, we saw it as we stood outside of another pizza place.
Sea-side speciality at Boardwalk
Thanks to a long distance drive, we had the chance to try Boardwalk twice in the space of a few days, and the constrasts were interesting.
First, the food. Boardwalk describes its offerings as Tapas, and they have several dishes that meet exactly that description - various prawn, chorizo and other dishes that all had firm grounding in the Spanish style. I’d say they were more tapas-style, as many of the dishes are asian influenced, and in the Spanish tradition, their servings are generous enough to qualify as “ración” :-).
Japan's best kept dining secret - J-Sekka Niseko
Niseko is a fantastic destination for skiers, as well as those who prefer the aprés style. This year the crowds were smaller that in previous years, which meant getting a last minute table at one of the greatest little restaurants in that part of Japan was possible.
J Sekka has grown to encompass everything from apartments to a masseur, but at heart it is still all about the food. This year, they’ve joined the Hokkaido regional restaurateurs in promoting local produce, and we enjoyed everything from wild venison to exquisitie chocolate creations (OK, chocolate might not be indigenous).
Tsubara Tsubara - Quick, Tasty and Fun
Just like this review, Tsubara Tsubara is a quick, tasty and fun little Japanese restaurant on the edge of Niseko as one follows the road east to Kutchan. As it’s in one of the satellite “pension” areas, it can be easier to get a table here for those who walk 5 minutes further than Niseko’s main road.
One of the highlights of this place is the fantastic “dial up the chilli” ordering system.
Fantastic Feast in the 5th Arrondissement
One of the great ways to find new restaurant and bars is to grab the magazine of “local attractions” that hotels often include in the room. Depending on your tastes, you can trust in the full-page glossy ads, or if you’re like us, you can look for the quirky, interesting, and curious little ads.
Jean Baptiste Restaurant We were flicking through exactly this kind of magazine in our hotel in St.