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”

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: 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: CONSONANCE, Bordeaux, France

When you stumble onto a classy wine bar establishment with super-friendly service and you aren’t hungry but can’t stop ordering their tasty menu treats, you know you’ve stumbled upon the next Thacks Awards winner! Whilst the word Consonance means ‘agreement or compatibility between opinions and actions’ our opinion has been that we need to takeContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: CONSONANCE, Bordeaux, France”

Ets Vallauri Wine Bar and Shop (Cannes) Review

When you’re in Cannes for a day and want some good wine, this is your place! We saw an online review simply reading “A bit snobby”. When someone who visited in January 2021 (when Covid was still lurking around) posts a rubbish 3-word review like that, you wonder what they thought to be so rude.Continue reading “Ets Vallauri Wine Bar and Shop (Cannes) Review”

Vinorte Wine Bar (Valencia) Review

For something to be featured on Thacks Awards, it needs to be good. And ‘Vinorte’ in Valencia won’t disappoint!Last night two of the panelists and their friends stumbled upon this gem. And we’ll be back… very soon. We had a 21:30 dinner show reservation nearby and it turned out that the highlight of our eveningContinue reading “Vinorte Wine Bar (Valencia) Review”

Buenos Aires – a treat for all senses

The Italian food elements, chocolate, ice-cream/helados and great value on the ‘blue dollar’ rate (changing euros or US dollars at double the rate than with the banks); with a Spanish twist made our April 2022 trip to Buenos Aires very affordable – and memorable. It was my first trip to South America. Argentina and BuenosContinue reading “Buenos Aires – a treat for all senses”

2022 Top 5 Winner: NAMIDA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Recently I visited Argentina for less than 3 weeks and although the foodie scene in Palermo (Buenos Aires) is very impressive, Namida is one of the few restaurants I frequented more than once in my too-short visit. They got my 1st Thacks Award for 2022. The venue and decor was delightfully crisp and although NamidaContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: NAMIDA, Buenos Aires, Argentina”

2022 Top 5 Winner: TIERRAS DE UVA, Mexico City, Mexico

One would think that it’s easy to find many wine bars offering a selection of great wines by the glass and bottles in a wine-producing country but to my disappointment, that is not the case in Mexico City. Visit cities in France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and other wine-producing countries and you will findContinue reading “2022 Top 5 Winner: TIERRAS DE UVA, Mexico City, Mexico”

Visiting Vienna including Wine

Austria ranks highly as a city break destination with friends. Vienna is a city I’ve been to more than once and it always seems to deliver new treasures. Our previous outing was in the summer where beach bars with sand along the riverbank were a cool highlight along with vineyard visits on the outskirts ofContinue reading “Visiting Vienna including Wine”