Spanish Wine Outings

Just an hour outside of Valencia… Valencia was often known for its cheap bulk wines, but it has already blossomed into one of Spain’s most interesting wine regions. Rehabilitated long-forgotten local grapes like the red Mando and the white Verdil are coming back to life, with the rediscovered use of amphoras. You will find interestingContinue reading “Spanish Wine Outings”

Restaurante Albacora (Valencia) Review

Restaurante Albacora in the Marina of Valencia, Spain, is a hidden gem that is tricky to get to if the pedestrian bridge isn’t open. But it is so worth it!! We started off with ‘Carpaccio de Gambas’ which is a seafood version carpaccio with fresh flavours beautifully presented – and some homemade bread. ‘Crujente deContinue reading “Restaurante Albacora (Valencia) Review”

2023 was an up and down year

2023 was an exciting year in terms of destinations. And finding things different to your expectations. The seven panelists travelled to far-flung destinations like Japan, Columbia, Canada, Brazil, the USA from their bases in Spain, Austria, Cyprus, the UAE, Australia and South Africa. They also revisited foodie favourites like Italy, France and Germany. Some previousContinue reading “2023 was an up and down year”

2023 Top 3 Winner: LONGTABLE RESTAURANT, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Longtable Restaurant at Haskell Vineyards in the Cape Winelands of South Africa, has won an international Thacks Award for ‘Best Brunch in the Cape Winelands’. Longtable Restaurant offers exceptional food, warm service, and stunning views that make it a must-visit for anyone in the Stellenbosch Cape winelands area. During our visit, we had the pleasureContinue reading “2023 Top 3 Winner: LONGTABLE RESTAURANT, Stellenbosch, South Africa”

Son Restaurant (Bordeaux) Review

Ranked a #1 Restaurant in Bordeaux, Son indeed delivers a treat and is sold as a ‘sophisticated restaurant presenting innovative cuisine amid elegant surroundings’. This is an award winning and credible dining experience with a great ‘value for money’ €25 lunch menu and a €65 five-course dinner menu for what it is. Though when weContinue reading “Son Restaurant (Bordeaux) Review”

2022 Top 5 Winner: THE ROYAL OAK, Balmain, Australia

A perfect Sunday afternoon chill session – more than a pub but one of Balmain’s oldest and best-known pubs. For the perfect setting to recharge for the week ahead, look no further than The Royal Oak in Balmain.It’s no secret that Australia has a fantastic pub culture, but the challenge to finding the best pubContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: THE ROYAL OAK, Balmain, Australia”

2022 Top 5 Winner: RUST EN VREDE RESTAURANT, Stellenbosch, South Africa

As far as international comparisons go, Rust en Vrede Restaurant on the stunning Rust en Vrede wine estate near Cape Town, under the fine management of superb chef Fabio Daniel, has already won multiple awards in 2022 since winning the Thacks Awards 2021 Top International Eatery award: and their ‘Estate Experience’ is an appreciated benchmarkContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: RUST EN VREDE RESTAURANT, Stellenbosch, South Africa”

A TALE OF 2 EQUALLY GOOD PIZZA EXPERIENCES IN SPLIT (Croatia) – Restaurant Reviews

A bucket-list trip to Croatia recently included 3 nights in Split between a jam-packed itinerary of Dubrovnik and Hvar with some island hopping to follow. Not too far from Italy we heard that the pizza in Croatia was just as good and although geographically close to Italy, we strangely didn’t see any Italian wines toContinue reading “A TALE OF 2 EQUALLY GOOD PIZZA EXPERIENCES IN SPLIT (Croatia) – Restaurant Reviews”

2022 Top 5 Winner: LEO HILLINGER WINESHOP & BAR, Vienna, Austria

After a week in three cities in Croatia in September three of the panelists parted ways: one went on to do some wine stomping in Spain a week later while another jetted off to Slovenia, then two reunited in time for a quick stop to Germany into October, but the same three panelists then reunitedContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: LEO HILLINGER WINESHOP & BAR, Vienna, Austria”

2022 Top 5 Winner: MEDITERRANEO, Hvar, Croatia

Croatia is a bucket-list destination for many, especially after Game of Thrones made some of the city sights a must-see destination to fans and we noticed mostly American visitors in the narrow city streets of Dubrovnik, Split and Hvar. The days of being known as an affordable destination are however over, and with Croatia setContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: MEDITERRANEO, Hvar, Croatia”