The train ride from Paris Orly was quick and smooth, however it took me   around 10minutes to find my way out of the metro station. There are little underground cities with terrible navigation and thousands of steps. Getting out of the street at last was like stepping into heaven. Millions of people walk the streets of Paris everyday. The myriad of languages and faces is just enchanting.

I couldn’t help myself and just kept walking. Passing queues of tourists in Louvre, heading towards the Eiffel tower alongside the Seine and then strolling down the street next to Musée d’Orsay (please do me a favour and visit this jewel of Impressionism).

French are so sweet (when they are not driving) they even let you make your own cappuccino (and you pay a premium for that, but it’s a worthwhile venture). What gets me every time are the cosy seats on the side of the street and deliciousness of those baguettes! (video below will make you laugh)

Simple tuna sandwich can be turned into full mouth-watering lunch just with the bread, right mayo, tomato, lettuce and a smell of the french street.

I am deeply in love with this overpriced, crowded, loud, loving and tasteful city! Now it’s your turn and taste it. But beware seafood is never as good as near the sea.

Let me start with bit of a history of this small sea-side haven. Sea bathing was highly popularized during the middle of 19th century when doctors prescribed it as a therapeutic method for mentally unstable. I am the sound of waves makes me calm and time spent on the beach is always pleasurable, if you don’t forget sun block. But the big boom with made Biarritz into a jewel on the Basque cost came when the wife of Napoleon III Eugénie came here and fell in love with the place. As a loving husband and powerful emperor Napoleon III invested in development of the town, build a beautiful villa for his beloved wife, which is now a hotel, if you want to treat yourself to royalty standards, and made sure Biarritz will prosper.

I was really lucky to catch photographic exhibition of pictures from the beach taken at the end of 19^th century by Georges Ancely. Did you know that it was common for men to bath naked just two centuries ago? Of course when it became more popular it became more institutionalized. There was a certain dresscode, beach facilitators and guards who made sure your stay was pleasurable for you and everyone else (no faux pas madame et monsieurs).

Enough about history and geography, it’s hard to put in words, and you should take a trip to explore the border of France and Spain. What fascinated me was the deliciousness of the food. I am not the biggest seafood fan, but I deliberately went and ordered seafood everywhere we went. First night it was shrimp and moules on the top of traditional Spanish paella. Then we ventured to the port and ate in the small but packed fishermen’s restaurant. The tables were set up next to the boats and carpark, grill was outside for everyone to see and the service was French.

There is a certain way French waiters will approach you. When you try and use their language you might soften them a little, but don’t really expect any chitchat. They are there to serve your meal, bring your bill and get you on the way. Maybe panic a little in between. When you set your expectations on this, you might even be pleasantly surprised.

But let’s back to the small port restaurant. It looks like the one you might not choose, because it doesn’t look fancy or stylish enough, but the long queue for the table  (which fortunately formed after we came) might be a hint. Their menu consists only of seafood freshly caught in the waters around here. We decided to try grilled octopus and famous French moulles with cream.

Both were incredibly delicious. Accompanied with sangria and fresh sea breeze it was a perfect end of the day. Great tip for the first eaters of moules – the best way to enjoy them is to take one shell and use it as clippers to pick the meat for another. It is great fun and you will look like an expert.

In France it is a custom to leave a 10-20% tip, depending on how happy you were with your food. You can pay with coins; just leave them a little something.

During my trip to Biarritz I also decided to challenge my fear and hop on a scooter. If you ever been to France you know they are crazy drivers and there no danger to them on the road. After colouring the truth my way I got a little scooter and went off to closest city Bayonne. It took me around 45 minutes but once I got a grip of it was actually fun. French are notorious in not obeying road rules, I can’t believe they are not all dead by now.

Walking the medieval streets of Bayonne was a great pleasure. They look like they are getting ready for running through the streets followed by some angry bulls. It was beautifully colourful. I couldn’t resist but visiting a boulangerie/patisserie getting a coffee éclair. It was smoothly, crispy delight.

During one of the official dinners I tasted delicious sautéed lamb with potatoes and mushrooms, which was so soft and succulent. Being in

In France you need to go and taste foie gras (besides the ethical concerns), delicious pate made out of duck liver. It’s specialty and it’s incredibly delicious when good quality.

Overall I can recommend giving yourself royal treatment in Biarritz. You can come and sleep in one of the cosy parks (the weather is usually pleasant), but skipping the fancy life might make you regret it a bit.

Let me know if you are planning to go, or have been and how was your stay.

The Pantry is not at all far from where we live, it’s like having a pantry in your kitchen and entering the magic world behind the closet door. Every time we stop by the room seems to be full, with a few people waiting outside. The shopfront is glass with several tables outside and a compact layout of vinyl tables and chairs. It all transports you back to the sixties. Even the menus have retro pieces of magazine articles and stories on the back.

The atmosphere is not the only thing that drives people to the Pantry. As a proper pantry it is full of tasty homemade food. So if you are looking for some good quality eggs in a bagel, on sourdough with mushrooms, veggies and bacon, this is your place. Their specials are always a great experiment and worth trying. Besides the eggs, my all time favourite is the French toast. It’s smooth full of cinnamon with seasonal fruit and house made cinnamon cream cheese.

The coffee is always strong and good, it’s single origin and ethical too. To accompany the good coffee you have your pick of the homemade cakes in the fridge. The apple strudel is as scrumptious as the one my grandma used to do with apples from our garden. If you are not into coffee try their seasonal smoothies and freshly squeezed juices. The combinations are incredibly refreshing.

Even if you have to wait for your table, please do, the experience is worth it.

Check out their website with latest menus

The Green Room is just around the corner from the market on High Street (next to the post office). The building isn’t special in any way, but when you enter you have the warm, homey feeling of country living. Even though the cafe crowded, they didn’t send us away. After a quick peek at the newspaper webbed menu I found my winner – The Green Envy.
It was a poached egg on panini with sauteed baby spinach, fresh avocado, ricotta cheese and some delicious pickled veggies. I just fell in love. It was so incredibly delicious, complementary flavours mixed with fresh organic ingredients. Their Free Range Eggs on sour dough toast were also very nice. The food was just part of the equation though. The staff were really friendly and helpful. We started in the tranquil garden, but the coming rain threatened to soak us through. By the time the rain came we were sitting cosily inside with a delicious cappuccino and flat white.

I can highly recommend taking a trip down to Willunga and enjoying your weekend brunch. Come hungry though! I would also recommend booking a table before if you are coming with a bigger group. The place is also kid friendly and has some nice postcards to buy. I hope you’ll get a great taste of beautiful McLaren Vale region.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the interior aesthetic. It’s a simple, open space with an inviting atmosphere. It’s just that the seating is not terribly comfortable and allows a high turn arround (I guess that’s the point).

Confusing as the name might be, it has nothing to do with breast feeding. As they say on the front page of their menu, “…because the perfect cup of coffee can be said to be a mother’s milk”. And the coffee is exceptional. Strong with full body. Not for the light-headed.

The meals on the other hand are just presentable, looking perfect on the plate but leaving a lonely feeling in the stomach. Avocado sourdough topped with dukkha just didn’t do it for me. Compared to other brunch venues around Adelaide, I wouldn’t pick this one. The price/atmosphere/food ratio wasn’t at the right balance for me. Even my partner didn’t really enjoy his eggs, and he is not that hard to please.

If you are looking for great organic coffee from the cradle of coffee making, A Mother’s Milk is the place for you.

Yours,

Georgie

We booked in a table, which was a great thing to do on Saturday night. We saw the small room fill up with a variety of types, much like you would see on the streets of Delhi — an Indian family with a constantly whining infant, a group of young people, a middle aged couple on a date, a bigger gathering of upper aged upper middle class, a girl picking up dinner after sport practice and a guy in his tracksuit pants. The restaurant is fully licensed to bring your own bottle, so if you are set for your favourite bottle of wine, this is a great place to do it.

When you decide to dine-in, get ready for some good and meaningful conversation. The proper food they serve needs some time for preparation. As they say on their flyer, the food is about socialising. Go ahead and try some of the entrees. I am a big fan of onion rings and “Onion Bhaji” was the best in a long time. Crispy, yet soft rings with traditional Indian minty spicy sauce and some vegetables to calm the fire in your mouth. If you ever wondered why they put cucumbers on the side with spicy meals, it’s a great fix for a burning mouth. We are also big fans of Samosas. These were honestly prepared by the smiling chef behind the counter.

I can’t help it, but I am in love with naan bread. My top favourite is the one with cheese and garlic. These guys know what they are doing with it. It’s just begging you to dip it into the sauce. As my Indian friends showed me, the best way to eat is to use your hands, rip a piece of naan, dip it in the sauce and grab a piece of meat in the process. So with a great naan bread I just needed some good meat. It is easy to make a bad beef dish. But making it tender and soft, melting on your tongue, that’s what I call art. My partner went on and tried the full Tandoori Chicken, and when you say full, it is really going to be the whole chicken.

All and all it was authentic, colourful and well priced. So for your next foodie adventure, take your date here and you won’t be sorry.

Enjoy!
Georgie

See the Delhi Spice Menu

The menu is short and sweet, but it’s still hard to choose whether you want to try hand crafted pizzas or some other speciality from the mains menu. Maybe you fancy a mozzarella plate? Welcome to your Italian cousins’ home. They have a selection of great wine from France and Italy, with the knowledge of what will suit your meal. The Swiss waiter, maintaining his ingrained diplomacy, slowly becomes friendly with you, neutrally smiling at the end. Sitting like a mannequin in a shop window at my bench seat, made me want to sit and smile at people the whole day, everyday.

The wait of 30 minutes is worth the culinary experience of their food. Every pizza is asymmetrically unique, with sunny tomato sauce. Mine was decorated with genuine prosciutto and traditional mozzeralla. Accompanied by a French Riesling, the meal was a celebration of life.

If EST, a favourite for pizza, didn’t only open evenings, Pizza e Mozzarella Bar would mean a serious threat to my dinner choices. Luckily I can be faithful to both.

On less sunny side, get your wallet ready to pay the price for good and ethical meal. Even tap water has a price tag* (During my second visit to this food loving institution our Swiss friend informed me that the charge for water goes to a children’s charity every week to provide clean water. Now it becomes ethical without any irony attached) .

Bon appetit!

Georgie

Check out their website

Chicken leg filled with provolina affumicata, mushrooms & spinach

Our first two choices for dinner venues had closed just before we arrived, so we decided to go and try something different. Surprisingly, we chanced upon on a short restaurant strip with three or four Italian ristorantes to choose from.

We picked the wrong one. I sensed trouble since the moment the waitress was too eagerly selling items on the wine list. Among her persuasion techniques was a low cut shirt and distinct lean over. The beginner’s mistake. Coming from a cocktail bar we were just hoping for decent meal and pleasant ambiance. None of that happened.

After waiting for a salad, pasta and pizza over half an hour, I was ready to leave. When the food arrived, to have used the term “mediocre” would have been a compliment to the quality and presentation. The bacon and croutons in the Caesar Salad seemed to be well-acquainted, they must have spent long days in the kitchen together before they met on my plate. The so-called Italian pizza bread just did not have any taste whatsoever. My companions were luckier. It’s really hard to screw up Margerita pizza or ravioli with bolognese sauce. Just make them uninteresting.

Disappointed and unsatisfied we left, promising ourselves never to set foot in the establishment again.

On this note, I am doing the place a favour. If you think about it, it is better for a company to have people hating you that ignoring your existence at all.

Good luck to anyone trying to have a decent meal in ristorante la Roma in Broad Beach!

I like the idea of an organic and real food cafe, where you can come any time of the day and find something really tasty and healthy. Wild Thyme deserves the title of the best Eggs Benedict in town, they are fabulous. Fresh toasted turkish bread, organic eggs, home-made hollandaise sauce… It’s just a delight for Sunday morning. The same goes with other items on the menu. I can recommend their range of sandwiches—each and every one of them tasted good! Eggs Florentine with fresh salmon, or fresh croissant with ham and cheese.

As a bonus, if you liked something, you can probably find the ingredients in Wild Thyme’s organic store. It’s a great place to find a wide range of organic, gluten-free and other more alternative products. The only drawback is that it’s a bit pricy.

If you really want to enjoy Wild Thyme, go there during the week, or very early on the weekend. During peak hours the staff are too busy, and it shows in your food. Either your croissant spent too much time in the toaster, or they forgot about the berries on your waffle, or the coffee tastes too bitter. You will also miss the tranquil beauty of the space if you can’t even hear your own thoughts.

Wild Thyme represents healthy, organic, ethical, sustainable, locally produced food. All that responsible citizens could dream about.

After having a feast, full and satisfied, we strolled down the street and found this little gorgeous bakery. It’s unique in the way that you can see your food made in front of you. There is no wall separating you and the goodies to be baked on the other side of the counter. This fascinated me the first time we came. The place itself is small, and it feels cozy when the staff smile at you. Each of the three skilled bakers have a different talent, and a special way of making you feel at home. Imagine visiting your long lost aunt and uncle, meeting their son and sitting on their comfortable sofa eating homemade goodies. That’s what it feels like.

The coffee is always strong, but not bitter. My quest for the best croissant in town is over, for now at least. Red Door Bakery has the best croissant, it’s not just fresh, but crispy with good quality ham and stretchy cheese.

The first time we came, they served us Hay Valley Lamb and Moroccan Eggplant Sausage Roll with plum jam. It wasn’t what we ordered, but it tasted great. On the second tour the sausage roll came with home-made chilli jam. A different experience, but still worth repeating.

The single adjective which comes to my mind when I think about the pastries there, is real. The steak pie has real chunks of meat inside, the chocolate tart has real dark chocolate and caramel bits on the top, and the crème brûlée will melt if you don’t eat it fast, because the caramel crust is no fake.

If you are full, or just passing by, try their bread sticks. My favourite are the ones with olives and thyme. The lady behind the counter will tell you that she loves them too, but her favourite are the chorizo and onion. I enjoy our conversation over and over again.

Yes, Red Door Bakery makes you feel at home, not just with tasty food, but with a warm feeling around your heart.

Provoke your taste buds with their delicious menu