El Botín

Have you ever wondered what the oldest restaurant in the world is? And how it is to eat in it? Well, then, let me invite you to ride with me in a trip to Madrid, where we find El Botín (also known as “Sobriño del Botín”). Right in the center of Madrid, this restaurant was founded in 1725 – making it older than the US or the French Revolution. It is said that Goya worked here as a dishwasher, between these old brick walls and Hemingway boasted it as being the best restaurant in the world – a over-hyped statement, let me tell you.

El Botin is a beautiful restaurant. It is rather cosy – which is natural if you think it sits in a 400-year old building right in the middle on Madrid’s old town. It still is a big building – 3 storeys high, many rooms, a basement. But you always have the feeling that people are around you - you can never pretend you are alone with your girlfriend. Maybe the old décor, white, red and timber also help it. But, altogether, it fuels the feeling that you are in something old.

Ask for some starters from Castilla – like a good plate of “jamon ibérico”, “manchego cheese”, the spicy “pimentos pardon”… But they are just appetizers – because you need to prepare yourself for the entrée. El Botin specialty is the suckling pig – the “cochonillo”. Very tender, very soft, very delicious, very good. It is a castillan traditional dish, and you will love it – I do! An alternative might be the roasted lamb, another specialty from the house – but one that I can’t tell you about, as I never tried it myself. Any of those entrees is better enjoyed with a good Spanish red wine – like a Marques de Cáceres, a reserve with a great taste, perfect for these meats.

If you are in Madrid, you should go Botin. It is the world’s oldest restaurant, according to the Guiness Book. And it is a great experience – both from the place and the food that comes straight out of the 18^th century. Just don’t forget to ask the concierge to take you a picture with your traditional entrée, next to the big ovens where it is cooked – believe me, it is a souvenir almost as good as the roast meat taste in your mouth!

Where: Madrid - Spain

Address: Calle de los cuchilleros, 17 - Madrid

Phone: +34 91366 4217

Website: http://www.botin.es

Expensive: Around €50

Last visit: December 2011

A Tal da Pizza

Let’s talk about pizzas! Pizzas are an easy choice in São Paulo – actually, I would say pizzas are one of the traditional dishes of São Paulo. Everybody likes them and has their opinion about which is best. Is this the Italian heritage of the city surfacing up?

“A Tal da Pizza” is a “posh but we are also kind of relaxed” place to enjoy a good pizza meal in São Paulo. I have been to the one in Itaim Bibi, and the first message if you pretend to go there on a weekend is… book first or go really soon! If not, you’ll have to wait – it is as simple as so. Now, if you actually come in, you will be facing a big, open room, absolutely full with tables and chairs, in an orderly chaos, mixed with red and timber decoration… and with a massive oven (a wooden one) at the back of the restaurant. That is where the cooking is done in front of you, and the mastery of the cooks and the oven will be responsible for the “yummi” feeling you will have in a few minutes.

There are a couple of specific things that are not very usual outside of this place. I think the first one is that there isn’t any cutlery – yes, you eat directly with your hands and fingers, without any help from any kind of fork and knife. And yes, you do this in a posh environment (the prices enforce it), surrounded by beautiful people. For any pizza, you will have to choose it’s halves – meaning, you can can choose half of a a pizza, and then complete it with a very different one. And it will arrive your table already sliced in tiny pieces – that will actually make it easier as finger food…

Now… for the pizzas. They are thin and delicious! And, if it would be any other way, I wouldn’t be writing this text. The ingredients are… tasty! You will find white truffles, mascarpone, olive oil and garlic, pepper, parmeggiano, tomato, several types of sausage, catupiry cheese, ham, olives, shitake, Dijon moustard, anchovies, tuna, shimeji, cheese and red-fruits jam,… All in the right proportion and incredibly mixed! Great for your senses! (and don’t ask me about desserts here! They seem to have great sweet pizzas for that, but I just had to shout enough…)

Do you like pizzas and happen to be in São Paulo? Go to “A Tal da Pizza”, eat with your hands in a posh environment and pay more than you expect. But, your senses will love that wooden-oven…

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Rua Dr. Mario Ferraz, 351- Itaim Bibi

Phone: +55 11 3079 3599

Website: http://www.ataldapizza.com.br

Expensive: Pizza a 1 beer for around 35 euros…

Last visit: November 2011

Wine: Quinta do Côtto

I really like red wine from Douro valley, in Portugal - I guess you already know it by now! And this one is a great choice! It is one of those close wines, that doesn't let go that much at the beginning - but then, it starts opening up, slowly, revealing a mixture of red berries and timber to your nose. Then, as you taste it, it settles in, calmly, tenderly, letting go its fruits, spices and a bit of timber, that endures in your mouth. In my opinion, it is a great choice for some game dishes, red meat and cheese - especially as (at least in Portugal) it really isn't an expensive wine.

Website: http://www.quintadocotto.pt/

Soteropolitano

I am a very lucky person – I always have someone to guide me to great restaurants. That was the only way I could have found Soteropolitano, and, therefore, great food from Bahia!

Bahia is in the Northeast of Brazil, and is a melting pot of its own. Former slavery harbour, once the most important European city in the continent, thriving with African rooted religions, Muslims and Catholics, Portuguese and Dutch, and then blessed by a rich bay from where it takes it’s name – it comes to no surprise that Bahia has such great food! And for anyone visiting Brazil, it should be compulsory to get away from the better known picanha and to taste all the richness this North-eastern food cuisine has to offer.

Soteropolitano is located in the trendy and bohemian neighbourhood of Vila Madalena – one of the hippest place in São Paulo. The restaurant in itself is a small vila, and when you get there you fully understand what it means. It is a house – literally! The dining room is not one, but several small ones, with tables here and there, maximizing the use of the space. The toilets are also adapted from regular bathrooms. And there is also a small area outside, adapted from a small garden, where you can enjoy your meal – and, in my opinion, this is the “best seat in the house”!

Then, it is time for choosing your food – and from all the great options that Bahia has to offer. As a starter, you can order an “acarajé”, an afro-brazilian bun (but actually a bit bitter and not made of bread), that you can then prepare with small shrimps, vatapá (don’t ask, just bear in mind it is damn good!), vegetables, an assortment fo sauces,… Believe me – ask one to share and you will find it delicious. Then, it is time to actually order starters. And I really like “moqueca” or “bobó”! Moqueca is a fish and shellfish stew prepared with a number of different spices – in Sotoporetano, you elect from several kinds of shrimp, crabs, fish… Bobó is also a delicacy from Brazilian Northeast, a delicious creamy shrimp dish – one of my top entrées! There are other options, like great fish or dried meat entrees, but, these two, are

You don’t know food from Bahia? You should! And if you are in São Paulo, Soteropolitano is the perfect place to do so! With some friends, a beer in your hand and good, easy flowing conversation. As that will be complementing good food, the rest of the day or night will be close to perfection.

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Rua Fidalga, 340- Vila Madalena

Phone: +55 11 3034 4881

Expensive: Around €40

Last visit: November 2011

Ping Pong

Do you like dim sum? That is the question to make, before I start talking about my experience in this restaurant. Ping Pong is a dim sum restaurant in the heart of São Paulo – and I think I can say I have summed up this restaurant value proposition in this sentence. But the fact is this is a very nice restaurant (especially if you like this Chinese specialty) and it is not as overpriced as many of São Paulo’s places (just don’t compare it with dim sum prices in China or Macao).

Ping Pong is located in Itaim Bibi, in a small and quiet street. The room is large and clean, with black and sober walls and lines, and a big vertical garden wall in one end. Small tables and stools complete the picture that unfolds in front of your eyes. In each one of them, a small menu awaits.

And then the dim sum adventure begins. The menu is nothing more than a small piece of paper, with small boxes that you can tick – indicating your choices. There is an all you can eat menu, comprising almost all of the choices in the menu – and you can order as mucu as you want (if you still eat below the menu price, you will need to pay the price of what you have eaten – not the full price). The options are many and all of them are great – ranging from duck to shrimp, white fish, crabs, dumplings, cream, less or more spicy, no spicy at all,… all of them delicious. And, to complement all of this – just have a look at the teas menu, you will find some good choices there for an immersion in Chinese food in São Paulo.

Ping Pong is great place for a different dinner in São Paulo – a relaxed one, where conversations can be prompted by “what are we eating” questions. And enjoy your dim sums!

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Rua Lopes Neto, 15 - Itaim Bibi

Phone: +55 11 3078 5808

Website: http://www.br.pingpongdimsum.com.br

Expensive: The all you can eat menu is around €35.

Last visit: November 2011

Bar do Juarez

I have been talking too much about high end, expensive, posh restaurants! Let me now give you one where you should go with your friends, to have a beer, eat great picanha and share a few laughs, in a totally relaxed place. Let me give you Bar do Juarez!

Bar do Juarez is actually a 4 restaurant chain spread around São Paulo, in some of the hippest neighbourhoods around (Brooklyn, Itaim Bibi, Moema and Pinheiros). But in all of them you find the same relaxed atmosphere – white tiles on the floor and walls, wooden furniture around and waiters moving quickly around, carrying major trays full of beers of great things to eat. There are TV sets around, usually playing soccer matches and the cheer sound of several conversations going around. There are some tables outdoor, facing the street, but flowing the restaurant into the city. Calmly. In a few words, a relaxed atmosphere, great to end the day or to start the night.

The food is simple and good, a perfect match for the ambience in there. There are crabs and shrimps, fried squids, pork ribs, empanadas and cod fish cakes – all of it great for a relaxed meal with friends. But, actually, my preference (and the main reason why I am writing this article) goes for a seven words entrée – picanha. You can order a picanha to share – it will come raw, and you (and your friends – don’t be a fool and order one for yourself only) will have to cook it in the grill / rechaud that will come along. Believe me – with beer always flowing (the running waiters will be always replacing your empty glass by a new filled one), friends around in a great conversation, those thin pieces of excellent meat will taste like the best meal ever! Trust me!

This is my place of choice to relax with some friends in São Paulo. And it is a great restaurant to have a great meal, while running away from those over-priced places around! A... (guess) cool dinner.

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Avenida Juscelino Kubischek 1164 – Itaim Bibi

Phone: +55 11 3078 3458

Website: http://www.bardojuarez.com.br

Expensive: It will depend on how much beer and meat you will eat – but, I would estimate around €25 (that was what I paid on my last visit)

Last visit: November 2011

Adega Santiago

This small and far-from tourist agenda restaurant was born from a personal trip the owner did to Portugal and Spain. A trip in, as he says, he discovered how these two countries at the same time always suspicious and accomplices, sharing the same passion for food and wine and a relaxed attitude. And I think the restaurant captures this really well!

So, we are talking about a small restaurant off Rebouças Avenue. It has probably around 20 tables, between timber walls and roof, in a nice house. When we step inside, it is noticeable that actually the room is too small for so many people – guests are seated too close to each other and there is too much noise inside. But you breathe some intimacy never the less, and the feeling you are in great restaurant. And then you look at the menu, and any doubt melts away.

Let’s disclose it – I am Portuguese, and crazy for Iberian food. Maybe that was why I felt so good (and excited) when I looked at the menu – but, I doubt you could feel any less (even if you are not Portuguese) when reading it. The menu includes tapas, sandwiches and entrees. It includes “codfish (remember codfish is Portugal’s emblematic sea food) açorda” (a magnificent combination of cod, fried egg and bread flooded in olive oil and herbs), “rich rice” (rice with shellfish, including shrimps and clams), “Portuguese sardines”, “octopus carpaccio”, “oven cooked codfish” and several steaks. It also has a very rich assortment of Iberian wines (especially red) that ensure a perfect match with your entrée or tapas, for a perfect meal. And then you can order desserts – if your belly has not have enough. “Churros with dulce the leche” (Spanish) or “Rabanadas and icecream” (Portuguese) will live up to any expectation, showcasing the perfect combination of dry and warmish desserts with cold and sweet sides – a match that will burst in your mouth!

Adega Santiago is (in my opinion) a great restaurant. One to take your wife on a special and relaxed dinner, one to make both of you enjoy the time and the taste of a great meal, in perfect company. And 9500 kilometres away, it made me feel home!

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Rua Sampaio Vidal, 1072 – Jardim Paulista

Phone: +55 11 3081 5211

Website: http://adegasantiago.com.br/

Expensive: Watch it! Iberian delicacies are a lot more explosive this side of the Atlantic. Dinner will never be below €50.

Last visit: November 2011

Skye @ Unique

Imagine a penthouse on top of an incredibly stylish hotel, overlooking a modern and vibrant world-class city, with a park at your feet. Imagine you are surrounded all night by beautiful (and some of them famous) people who go there for dinner or to take a drink with some friends. Imagine a good and open menu, with many different options and cuisines. Did you imagine it? Then, welcome to Skye restaurant, on top of Unique Hotel, in São Paulo.

Unique hotel is the watermelon building, a landmark of São Paulo, shaped like a suspended fruit in the air. It is located in the fringes of Ibirapuera Park, the one I usually refer to as a tropical version of New York’s Central Park – a big green area, with lakes, paths to bike and run, always full of people having a good time, enjoying family or friends company. It is quite central to São Paulo, next to some of the most expensive neighbourhoods, like Jardins and Itaim-Bibi. The Penthouse of Unique is a bar-restaurant (Skye), with glass windows, long bars, nice decoration and a terrace with amazing views opening up to the city – at night it is an amazing location. And it is always full of beautiful people (disclaimer: beautiful on the looks, I can’t say anything about their “inside”) dining or going for a drink. This is the set up. Now, on the food.

Please be advised of one thing. It won’t be cheap! Skye is an expensive restaurant – quality is (often) paid and São Paulo lives up to being an expensive city. So does Skye. Now, that you have been warned, ask for a ‘caipirinha’, the lime, sugar and Brazilian spirit cachaça cocktail and relax. Enjoy the views and start the easy talk you’re your friends – the atmosphere is great for unwinding, for a light moment. Do it outside, and breathe a (precious) purer air. Then, look at the menu. São Paulo has influences from around the world, as so does Skye cuisine. You can find here Italian pasta, pizzas, sushi and French dishes. Believe me, they are all good, a variety that will please (almost) everyone group. An octopus carpaccio is always a good way to start a meal, maybe coupled with any of the other great starters (have a look at the menu and let you mouth choose it for you). If you like Italian, let me tell you the pizzas are thin and crusty and delicious – or you can head to a good pasta choice. Or a tasty risotto. Sushi and sashimi are also very good and you should try them – but, on a personal note, in São Paulo, I prefer Yabani. But, the last time I was there, I went for a different kind of entrée – I chose a delicious confit de canard, a delicious duck that melted in my mouth and still lingers in my memory. Afterwards, you can still try to make some room in your stomach for a nice petit gateau coupled with ice-cream.

Skye is a great experience to have in São Paulo. It has that good food and chic party atmosphere that combine to make you feel light headed and dizzy, and believe in a World where things are perfect and beautiful. A great place to spurge, with your future girlfriend to impress and a couple of friends, before heading out to a party hard night. Or to take your work colleagues, if you want to show them São Paulo’s fanciest side. But just a cautionary note – Skye is just a place.

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Avenida Brigadeiro Luis Antonio, 4700, Jardim Paulista

Phone: +55 11 3055 4702

Website: http://www.hotelunique.com.br/interna.php?s=skye

Expensive: Watch out for your wallet. Price will easily be over €60. Actually, my last bill was €100…

Wine: D.V. Catena

Mendonza is an amazing terroir. Nested against the always impressive Andes mountain range, at some altitude and with a dry climate, it is home of some of the best wines around. Catena Zapata winery is one of the most important ones in the region, and produces some incredible Malbecs. D.V Catena is one of them.

It is a balanced wine, bodied but on the right mix, rubi coloured and tasting of matured prums and spices, that blend together for an intense and concentrated experience in your mouth, that lings in after you drink it, in a pleasent note. It is a great wine to drink with red meat (a good "bife chorizo" in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires?) or lamb (like a "cordero patagonico"). A good and secure option, that will not let you down.

Website: http://www.catenawines.com/

Ban Kao

My girlfriend (yes, we are back on!) loves Asian food – probably a bit of cultural heritage here. And that means Thai as well. So, yesterday, a Thai restaurant suddenly showed up in our schedule for dinner in São Paulo…

Ban Kao is right in the middle of Itaim Bibi neighbourhood, next to João Cachoeira Street, but actually in a narrower and darker street. When you cross the door you enter into a dark bur sober and modern world, into a very well decorated dining room. I personally choose the couches area…

You can actually skip the “trouble” of choosing between the many available dishes – you can opt for a “tasting” option that will allow you to share with everyone on the table a choice of 3 starters, 3 entrees and 2 desserts elected by the chef. I wanted to choose, so… starters promise a feast for your mouth if you are into Asian cuisine. You have a mix of dim sums, spicy bittersweet chicken, salmon sashimi, scallops and rice pudding delicacies combined in unique and “yummi” dishes – just remember each portion is actually for 2 persons (something a specific person forgot to notice…). When you go to the entrees, you need to pay close attention if you like spicy (like my girlfriend – again, the genetic herigate issue) or non-spicy food (my choice). The you can think about the several curry or coconut based shrimps or sea basses, the chicken Wan Gai, the steak dressed in exotic sauces, the several choices of fried rice… Believe me, the cuisine is great, mixing Thai, Vietnamese and Laos influences in a very mouth filling menu. That sets you up for desserts - especially if you went to a spicy food entrée…

Ban Kao is a very good Asian restaurant – mainly Thai, but with good influences from all Southeast Asia. It is a good place to have dinner with your spicy-food girlfriend, in a quite, charming and sophisticated place, with great tasty options.

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Rua Manuel Guedes 444 - Itaim Bibi

Phone: +55 11 3168 0662

Website: http://www.bankao.com.br/

Expensive: Around €35

Last visit: November 2011

Caffe Italia

When I think Italian in Portugal, it is always Caffe Italia that comes to my mind. Nested in a tiny house in the centre of Cascais (but with a very reasonable balcony where you can stay enjoying the nights during Summer), this is a warm and cosy place, where you will enjoy relaxing and having a good meal, surrounded by very good friends of a lifetime or that relevant person with whom you share your life. It is also one of my “secret” places, those that I really enjoy.

There are 3 important decisions that you need to take when you arrive. Will you stay outdoors (only in Summer or late spring, believe me the Atlantic nights can be freezing) on indoors, by the basement (cosier) or first floor (where you can have agood conversation with the owners, if you want to). Then, what wine will you order – they have a good list of reds, ranging from Portuguese to Italian, brunellos and chianti included. And, then, what starter – and here, I am very traditional, I almost always order a good carpaccio.

The entrees menu seems great – with thin and crusty pizzas, Italian red meat and fishes and some great pasta, with several spaghetti, ravioli, fettuccini and gnocchi. But, actually… my suggestion would be… that you ask your waiter for what is out of the menu. That was how I had amazing spaghetti with clams yesterday, that really made my eyes shine. I also recall having once a great fettuccini with pumpkin – a sweet and sour combination that still lingers in my memory. Or a very good ricotta and spinach cannelloni. Just remember to combine it with a good and tasty red wine that makes the flavour shine – and your mouth will have a wonderful night enjoying all the great flavours that you choose for it.

And last, dessert. And, dessert, let me tell you, for me, it’s the make or break moment of a good Italian. In the end, it all comes down to the tiramisu! And, there, Caffe Italia doesn’t fail. The mascarpone comes in the right quantity, mixed with all the other ingredients in a wise array of choices. It is moist enough, without being wet. And it’s delicious!

Caffe Italia is a cosy and charming Italian restaurant – one I would say you should take your girlfriend to, if you happen to be in Cascais. It will be a great beginning for a very good night!

Where: Cascais - Portugal

Address: Rua Poço Novo, 1 - Cascais

Phone: +351 21 483 0151

Expensive: Around €30

Last visit: October 2011

Charcutaria Francesa

It wasn’t that hard to find a parking spot – especially considering the town area I was. But I could also have used the valet parking service, something that is not that usual in Portugal. If we think that we are in the middle of one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Lisbon, with tiny narrow streets finding its way through 200 years old buildings, just next to the Parliament, a stone away from some of the busiest and hippest night spots of the town, it is a very valuable service. But it wasn’t my option. I preferred to park on my own, walk 300 meters and, hop, I was in the restaurant. A small room, but neat, cosy, nice – expectations were high on a great dinner to start the night!

The starters buffet was great – small tapas, the kind that you let linger and taste in your mouth, like a cold soup shot, a good bruschetta, raw salmon, fried corn… Good! To wash it down, we ordered one of the promoted wines – and, believe it or not, we paid only €5 for a very good wine (and though we are in Portugal and you can drink good and cheap wine, this price was at supermarket level…).

To order the entrees you can’t expect a book menu – the food of the day is recited by one of the restaurant owners. Opinions at this time divided, but I couldn’t resist a nuts and honey octopus with the promise of a strong and exquisite flavour – and I love when promises come through! Other choices were the noir spaghetti with shrimps (that was mildly appreciated by my friends), a fish fillet with ham and vegetables (that looked delicious) and a hare stuffed with mushrooms.

Desserts – I couldn’t resist a chocolate petit gateau with icecream. There isn’t much to do – chocolate is my doom! Some friends of mine opted for pear with icecream – and though a good choice, I still believe mine was better!

This is a very well located, niece restaurant, where you can eat very, very well, and with a warm service. I liked the wines (and the prices). And it was for around €26,5 per person. I recommend! The only point I would like to change was the olive oil – but when that is the thing to point as an improvement, that is all said…

Where: Lisbon - Portugal

Address: Rua Manuel Bernardes nº5 a/b, 1200-250 Lisboa

Phone: +351 21 395 8445

Website: http://www.charcutaria-francesa.com

Expensive: Around €30

Last visit: January 2010

Wine: Churchill Estates

It is a dark red wine from the Douro region in Portugal - one of the best wine producing regions of the country. I think we can say this wine actually absorbs the opposites of the place the grapes were grown in - it is at the same time raw and delicate. A consistent presence in the top100 wines over the last years, you can't call it a smooth wine, but it's not a rude one. It makes a strong impression in your mouth, a positive one, that will never get unnoticed. It smells of raspberries, jams and trees. A bit of acid and sweet at the same time . And is a great choice to go with a hunted bird or red meat. Ah! Its grape - I was forgetting. It is a Touriga Nacional grape, probably the best known of Portuguese grapes.

Churchill Estates blog: http://churchillsestates.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Jully

Thank you, Jully, for all the amazing places and restaurants you have taken me.

Max Brenner

Everybody that knows me knows of my addiction – I am absolutely crazy about chocolate! How can you resist such a moment of indulgence, as you feel the cocoa and the milk melting a fudging in your mouth? And that takes me to one of my favourite spots in New York – for those who don’t know of it, welcome to Max Brenner, chocolate by the bald man.

I only know one of their restaurants. Next to Union Square, its location is ideal for anyone staying in lower and middle Manhattan – it is a quick metro ride away from wherever you might be. When you get in, you understand the place is dark – chocolate dark! Another thing you notice is the smell. Though not sickening, you can still feel the sweet chocolate odour in the air. And chocolate is wherever you look – in the small shop at the entrance of the restaurant, in the large cans and tins and tubes in the bar and throughout the ceiling, in the clients tables – there is no turnaround, this place is dedicated to chocolate lovers! Like me!

I went there usually for brunch. There are several delicatessens in the menu. But I am very loyal to a WOW Chocolate and Granola Surprise – a mix of granola cereals, rice crispies, yogurt, fruit (strawberries, bananas, caramelised nuts), honey and… chocolate! A huge sweet bomb for brunch – but an incredibly tasty one! Other options include crepes, waffles and bagels, always with chocolate around or within. Or then, you can go for the eggs or bagels. Or more stuffy meals – including hamburgers, salads, wings,… – but that, you can have anywhere, can’t you?

What you probably can’t skip is one of the hot chocolates. Actually, chocolate drinks are another great reason to visit! They name their chocolat as the cappuccino of chocolates – and they are delicious, believe me. You can add ingredients, flavours or alcohol shots. Or you can have your chocolate concentrated, as an expresso – short and intense. If you are a traditionalist, you can go through a list that is not traditional at all and pick combinations with toffee, marshmellows, chai or spices. But, you can’t miss the hot mug – the delicious and light mug which is responsible to get the chocolate from the table to your mouth (with a little help from your hands…).

I started by saying it – chocolate is the nightmare of my diet! But such a tasty one… If you are like me and heading to New York – don’t miss Max Brenner!

Where: New York – United States of America

Address: 841 Broadway (between 13th and 14th Streets)

Reservations: http://www.maxbrenner.com/online_reservation_ny.html

Website: http://www.maxbrenner.com/home.aspx

Expensive: My usual brunch (chocolate + WOW) is around 25 to 30 USD.

Last visit: September 2011

Brunch at Isabella's

Upper West Side in New York. Huddled between Central Park and the Hudson. Small restaurants, ethnic food here and there, wine bars. And among them all, let me give you a short recommendation for a good (though expensive) Sunday brunch.

Isabella's is close to the Central Park and closer to the National History Museum. It sits in a pleasant and sunny corner (at least on a late summer Sunday morning, as when I visited) and has a very enjoyable outdoor space - though a bit overcrowded... It was a good experience to go there, bath in all the sun, sip on a lemonade and... taste some good benedicts'! Believe me, I am someone who usually runs away from eggs in the morning (I try to save my liver...), but I couldn't resist those benedicts. I would recommend the salmon or the crab cake ones - delicious! And great to break your fast in the morning!

Where: New York City - United States of America
Address: 359 Columbus Ave, NYC 10024
Phone: +1 212 724 2100

Site: http://www.isabellas.com/
Expensive: Around 25USD for the simple brunch described above

Last visit: September 2011

Mar do Inferno

Do you like seafood? I am talking about shellfish, fish,… Do you like? My (maybe biased) perspective is that Portugal is the best country in the world to eat fish. It is probably an inheritance from having a long Atlantic coast – and it would be a shame to waste it… One of the best places to eat fish in Portugal is in the Cascais Coast, namely the stretch that goes from the village to the Guincho beach – it is home to a number of great (and expensive) restaurants. Mar do Inferno is my top choice amongst them.

It is a top a 20 meters high cliff, and, from the outside, it doesn’t promise that much. The truth is, it is very close to a local attraction (a fond of part of the coast) and a small number of selling huts make a queer impression of that zone. The restaurant on itself is different – but the outdoor impression still lingers. But its location also means you can sit by an outdoor table, enjoying the sun and looking at the vast blue ocean in front of you. And feel at peace.

Though, to feel even more at peace and happier, you should start eating. Mar do Inferno, depending on the time of the year, boasts an incredible (and always fresh) sort of shellfish. You can go for great clams and ‘percebes’ (the exquisite small animal that lives clammed to the rocks and it is a Portuguese and Spanish-Galician delicatessen), “santola” (a specific kind of crab), lobster (or a soup made out of it) or very good prawns – the truth be told, you can’t get it wrong ordering shellfish here. And, if you want, you can always complement them with a few fresh oysters, with a stir of lemon on them – delicious!

Then you are ready to order a good fish – a fine tasting Portuguese one, and let me assure you again, our waters are ripe with good fish. And at Mar do Inferno, they know how to cook it. Ask to have a look at the catch of the day, and decide then. And go for a nice and fresh grilled fish. And don’t forget to ask for a fine white wine to go with your sea food – it is probably the best way to honour a good meal. And a tasty way to do so…

Where: Cascais - Portugal

Address: Av Rei Humberto II de Itália, Boca do Inferno - Cascais

Phone: +351 21 4832218

Website: http://www.mardoinferno.com/

Expensive: Around €40 – but it can easily go a way up!

Last Visit: August 2011

Tancat

Writing about Tancat is hard for me. I simply consider it the best restaurant in Buenos Aires – which means I am biased, and I don’t like it, but also means I am afraid of not communicating the full experience of being in this restaurant, and I don’t like it either. But, to put it very simply – this is the restaurant I always bring my girlfriend to, whenever we are in Buenos Aires. And that will have to sum it all!

Tancat is located near Calle Florida and Plaza San Martin, a few hundred of meters away from Hotel Plaza and its century of charming stories. And a convenient 5 min cab ride or 20 min walk from the major theatres in the city (including Colon). Which makes it a great place to have a charming dinner after a play (but this is just a suggestion).

Tancat mixes the Buenos Aires atmosphere with a flavor of Spanish ambience and cuisine. Which actually ends up blending quite well. Starting with the cozy (and sometimes unfortunately overcrowded) dining room, dressed in brown and red, with a big bar and small and comfortable tables.

The menu is tempting. You can go for some starters and an entrée. Or, then, maybe you can stay only in the starters, playing the tapas game. You can choose “garlic prawns” (probably one of my favorite dishes, “gambas al ajillo”), a fine combination of manchego cheese and Spanish ham, sauted mushrooms that melt in your mouth or “galician octopus” (“Pulpo a la galega”). Let me tell, your mouth will appreciate any of those choices.

On the entrees side, let me first start by telling you a precious information – this is a great place to eat fish (actually, that was how I discovered it, when I was carving for a good Portuguese fish). It is probably one of the few places in Buenos Aires where you can choose a good sea fish and be happy for it! And we are talking about “Argentina, the meat land”! Oh! By the way… of course you can still pick up a great “bife chourizo”, “bife ancho” or a “Ojo de bife”, and still enjoy a great meal! Just, don’t forget to do it with a nice Malbec red wine – whatever you pick on the tapas or meat section will even taste better. And, to wrap it up, don’t skip desserts…

I started by saying it, and will say it again. This is my number one restaurant in Buenos Aires – and the one I would really recommend as part of a romantic evening. (just don’t forget to book a table before-hand…)

Where: Buenos Aires – Argentina

Address: Paraguay 645, Buenos Aires 1067, Argentina

Phone: +54 11 43125442

Expensive: Yes, sorry. Quality has a price. If you go the whole way, you can count on around €50 per person – which is actually not that expensive if you are not living in Buenos Aires…

Last visit: August 2011

Sholken

El Calafate is not the most vivid city in the world. Though one of the most important of Patagonian cities, it is only 20000 inhabitants, and is as far away from being a cosmopolitan town as a neon sign is from a Patagonian lamb (though, the lam tastes great!). It is mainly sought by tourists that are on its way to visit Perito Moreno Glacier – an icy beauty that is really the landmark of this region. Still, there is good food to be found – and I really challenge you to go and have a nice Patagonian lamb (see? I am already talking about it, so, it must be good) in one of the restaurants around – there are many, and, let me tell you, I didn’t feel I was in a tourist trap in any of them. Still, I will be writing about something very different – and, actually, a lot more down-to-earth than the last restaurants I have been talking about…

The place I am going to tell is… a small nice brewery. Really small! It probably doesn’t sit more than 20 people inside. It actually resembles a lot more a small bar – the way the tables are organized, the bar at the left side, the good 70’s music and the TV displaying Charles Chaplin movies help a lot on that feeling… and on my good impression. That was capped by a nice waiter, keen to talk with us but also to leave us alone when he understood we want it that way.

When I went there, the first thing I ordered was my beer – well, this was a brewery after all, so, beer should top the list. I went to the full menu – a combination of 3 glasses of homemade beer, a blond, a dark and a red one. A bit rough, as is intended of a small brewery and expected in Patagonia. And, then, food – and here, let me tell you, you should team with someone and go for the ham, sausages and cheese platter - 2 small table-wooden planks full of… well, several types of cheese, sausages and hams… And it is incredible how such a combination of simple and relaxed food, drink and ambience (and good friends will only boost it) will make it such a perfect way to wrap up a Perito Moreno day-long visit!

Where: El Calafate - Argentina

Address: Av. Libertador 1630, El Calafate 9405, Argentina

Phone: +54 29 02496096

Expensive: Under €10

Last visited: Aug 2011

Lola

I must say I don’t really like cemeteries as a tourist attraction. Still, Recoleta cemetery is usually advertised as one of the biggest attractions in Buenos Aires. Around it sit public gardens, museums, a cultural centre and… restaurants! Including Lola!

First and foremost, let me give you a warning – Lola is a posh restaurant. Last time I went there, with 2 friends at the end of a very touristy day, we were thoroughly looked from head to toe… Snickers and old jeans… It seems they don’t match that well with candles and roses on a perfectly white table, with red napkins… But it all works together for the ambience – traditionally sophisticated and expensive.

Still, the food is really good! Whether it is a “Ojo de Bife” or a “Bife Chourizo” or some pasta, you can’t get it wrong – though, again, my preference here would be the Argentinian tender meat. Better combine it with a good Malbec (delicious red wine – and I am from a wine producing country, so, if I say it…) or a white Torrontes, that will really cap a great dinner.

This is the kind of restaurant where you will go for a business dinner, or a “dinner to impress” your future girlfriend.

Where: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Address: Roberto M Ortiz 1805, Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Phone: +54 11 4804 5959

Expensive: 30 Euros per person

Last visit: August 2011

Gülmen

Patagonian beer. Traditional. The taste is a bit rough, almost bitter. But surprisingly tasty. A very good surprise from the end of the world.

Stiller's

Let me warn you – this is a posh restaurant. The kind of place where you will be well treated, have good food and wine and pay accordingly. It is also a western restaurant. Meaning you will have little taste of China here. But, it is still a very good restaurant I have visited.

Stiller’s sits in The Bund, the river wall along the Huang Po, the heart of the 1920’s Shanghai, with all its western banks, its stock exchange and vibrancy. It is a most noble location I must say. And, if you understand it when you enter the building and you climb on the elevator to the restaurant room, you sure feel it deeply when you set foot in the hall, with its space neatly and classically disposed, its reds and darks and all the persons to serve you. But, that is not what really strikes you. That role is reserved for the view from the windows. The room faces the Huang Po and, especially, Pu Dong bank, with its skyscrapers (including “the bottle opener” and Jiang Mao) and TV Tower, immediately drawing you to a world of neon as no other, and incredible skyline, a glimpse of the future to come. It is impossible to take your eyes out of that amazing view…

The wine list is fair and good – there are some good reds and whites from Europe, including some German ones we would need to try. There are also other options, if you want to decide for a cocktail for you meal – I must say I looked at the caipirinha for quite a while. But the wine list (back to it) goes on well with the food list. I would definitively hold a place in my heart for the codfish (at the same time rich and soft) and I also liked the tenderloin steak – a classic choice. But there are different options, and, actually, given the quality of the entrees I tried, I would say you can’t go wrong with any of courses – scallops, vegetarian dishes, a good sole and then a variety of different steaks.

Desserts are also a treat on themselves – you a treat for yourselve. A delicious raspberry cheese cake, icecream and some chocolate cakes pose the ultimate temptation – and you will hardly resist one of them.

Stiller’s (and I must tell you I liked the name, though “Ben” was not around…) is a good restaurant for a nice dinner after a business, and competent if you want to impress – especially, because no one can really resist that view!

Where: Shanghai - China

Address: 505 Zhong Shan Nan Road – The Cool Docks – Shanghai, 200060

Phone: +86 (21) 61526501

Website: http://www.stillers-restaurant.cn/

Expensive: Over €80

Wu Tongju

I actually didn’t like a lot of things on this restaurant – but there is a very good reason why I am writing about it.

I was in Tin Xian Di area (a nice place full of restaurants and people) with a group of friends, searching for a Chinese restaurant, and this seemed like a good choice – it was our first dinner in China, and price meant safety. We asked for several smaller dishes (dumplings, noodles,…) and then a whole Beijing duck. The smaller dishes were good but not terrifying. But we definitively had issues – the service was terrible, they didn’t speak English (but one person), things were taking too long. And the duck took more than 1 hour to arrive our table, and only after a very serious threat of going away. But…

When the Beijing duck arrived, it was great. Tender, juicy, incredibly tasty! It seemed like it was melting in our mouths. It was by far the best Beijing duck I ever tried – though I had already had it in Beijing and at an amazing Chinese restaurant in Estoril (mental note: need to go back there and write a review about it). It was really delicious!

So, let me sum it up. The service is terrible, it takes too long, but, just go there and order Beijing duck.

Where: Shanghai - China

Address: Unit 1, No.22-23, North Block, 181 TaiCang Rd – Ti Xian Di

Phone: (86 - 21) 6387-0096 / 6387-0097

Expensive: 200RMBs for person

Last visit: August 2011

Last night's beer

Tsingtao was a good company last dinner. The truth is a beer is a lot better complement for a dinner in the damp and humid Shanghai night than any wine - even a white can't stay fresh for a long time. Tsingtao is the most popular beer around here - a light and soft one, easily drinkable.

Club Colombia

Club Colombia restaurant is located in a nice two-storeys Colombian villa next to Bogota’s T Zone. It is a very beautiful place, with a charming place covered by ivy and the green of the trees helping one to forget it is in the middle of the city. The rooms are scantily lighted, with large spaces, fireplaces and a nice atmosphere overall. You can also sit outside in one of the areas reserved for so, or chill out afterwards and take a late drink in the bar next to the entrance of the restaurant

In Club Colombia (a place that actually caught my attention because it shares its name with a local bear) we can taste good traditional Colombian food, like ajiaco (a great and rich soup), chicharrones (fried pork skin), empanadas, parrilladas (a barbecue of different meats) and several types of Caribbean and Cartagena’s rices (usually involving coconut and sea food). This restaurant also has great fish (which, though uncommon in this city, is still incredible if you think you are at 2600m high and so far from the ocean) so that is also a great alternative. And, beware of deserts – you can even ask for an icecream that includes popcorns on the side and that becomes really dangerous for anyone pretending to do a diet…

Club Colombia is a nice and a bit posh restaurant – not too much, but don’t expect a laid back atmosphere. It is still a good option for a nice dinner in Bogotá!

Where: Bogotá – Colombia

Address: Avenida 82 No. 9-11, Bogota

Phone: (57-1) 249 5681

Expensive: Around €20

Garbo's Gazebo

The “Swedish girls” (as it is known) is a small restaurant in Cascais – actually, it is so small, it basically seems a big kiosk like the ones you may find around. It has a very nice space outside, on one of those cliffs where one like to linger for hours in a warm summer night, with fresh drinks and good company, overlooking the way the coast unfolds over the sea or the small fishermen boat down on the sea (or, during the day, after a relaxed bike tour, enjoying lunch with the Atlantic blue as company).

And what’s for eating? Let’s start by… starters, at the very beginning with a weird spread and its butter, that is absolutely divine and precedes any type of order. It doesn’t fit any of the traditional pates or spreads, but is really good! Then, you should really ask some starters, from ruccola to salmon with Swedish hovmâster or skagen toasts – go for something exotic, please, ruccola salad you can eat everywhere.

The menu presents a variety of dish, some “swedisher” than others (I think picanha, Bolognese or fish moqueca aren’t scandinavian cuisine…), but usually, I would recommend two families of dishes. Salads are excellent here, whether mozzarella with pesto, bluecheese or greek ones (or then… that great invention that is the “House Salad” and is nothing more than a mix of all the others). The other great option is… pizzas! And now you are asking why to order pizzas in a swedish restaurant – and the answer is… because they are “damn good”! Actually, they usually are delicious, very simple, thin and crunchy. And they have another small detail – they all have names related to Sweden! Being childstories characters, historic rulers, football or tennis players, furniture stores, models, they all relate to Sweden – a great detail!

And to wrap it up – deserts! I really would hint you to try the applecrumble with vanilla sauce, the kanelbullar or (if you are a chocolate addict as I am) a chocolate fudge.

Enjoy, this very simple but tasteful and laid back restaurant!

Where: Cascais - Portugal

Address: Casa da Guia – EN 247 – Guia

Expensive: Usually around €15

Yabani

São Paulo is definitively one of the food capitals of the world. The variety and richness of its restaurants is gathering global fame – and, let me tell you, that is entirely deserved!

One of the jewels of this vibrant city is actually Japanese food. São Paulo has the largest Japanese community living outside of Japan, and that explains why sushi here is so extraordinarily good – even more as Paulistas (the true name for a São Paulo inhabitant) were able to combine the delicacy of traditional sushi with the vibrancy and freshness of the tropics!

Yabani is one of those restaurants. It is located in the new business centre of the town, in Vila Olímpia, quite close to Itaim-Bibi. It is a long restaurant, combining Japanese and modern decoration, in the kind of light that you’ld expect in a good disco – dark and intimate. It has a long bar that goes the length of the restaurant and a small second floor, where you can sit and eat on the floor (if you don’t like that, just stay in the first one).

Start with some gyosas or miso soup, before having a look at the sushi, sashimi and tempura menus. They are all quite delicious, mixing the freshness of the fish and the juicy flavour of tropical fruits, but, if you follow my advice, you would also want to taste the “hot sushi” – I think it is great, and it is my number one choice whenever I go there! Actually, you may want to ask for a medley of sushi and sashimi that includes some hot pieces – just try to not abuse on the quantity (and that will be quite difficult)! Oh – and by the way! This goes well with Asahi or saké. You may also want to go for one of the various combinations of saké and fruity caipirinha, and you will probably like it! Go for it!

For dessert… Well I am a sweet teeth, so, I would go for a “petit-gateaux” with icecream (this hot chocolate fudge and icecream combination is delicious in this place) or a traditionally Japanese bean-icecream that is actually quite fresh.

So, let me tell you – this is definitively a place to go if you are in São Paulo and like sushi. And it is an almost perfect setting to go have dinner with a sushi fan you want to impress before going out and riding São Paulo night!

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Rua Professor Atílio Inocenti, 53 - Vila Olímpia

Phone: (11) 3078 – 7773

Website: http://www.yabany.com.br/

Expensive: Between 40 and 60 euros – it all depends on you sushi hunger

Andrés DC

Welcome to one of the hippest restaurants in Bogotá! Andrés is an experience in itself, a place I highly recommend you to go, if you are this city.

Andrés is located next to “Zona T”, one of the places to go in Bogotá to have fun – and usually regarded as extremely safe, if that is a concern of yours. It is a several story building, with the restaurant developing in each of the floors. Each of them is dedicated to a specific… place – meaning you will start by “Hell” in the first floor, move up to “Purgatory” and climb to “Heaven” – and though you shouldn’t expect to see angels around, let me tell you there is plenty of entertainment going on, with hired performers doing their shows in the middle of the tables… or on top of them! That could mean a group of Lloyd Weber like cats roaming the rooms or a party of fake big moustaches throwing a party to each of the tables! And this happens in a heavily decorated environment, that will make you feel in the middle of a burlesque movie set!

And now you could think “Yeah! But food must be crappy!”… and you are so wrong! Specialty of the house is anything related to meat – beef, pork, you name it! The name of the game is “compartir”, sharing that is – just ask for food for your table and not for each of the persons seating in there! Start by some mixed “tapas” plates including fried pork skin (yes, it is both a delicacy in Portugal and Colombia), several types of sausages, “arepas” (kind of a bread like type of corn dumpling), cheese,… And then ask for some of the several types of meat dishes, that you will happily share across. At the end there are desserts – but my weak stomach couldn’t take it…

But then you can digest all of the food you have taken in (and actually, part of the alcohol too) by dancing after your meal – yes, Andrés is a all in one! It is a restaurant, but then it is also a bar and a disco, and let me tell you, you can have lots of fun by dancing with the Colombians on top of the tables you (or someone else) just dined in!

Where: Bogotá – Colombia

Address: Calle 82, 12-21, Zona Rosa, Bogotá

Phone: (57-1) 863 78 80

Website: http://www.andrescarnederes.com/

Expensive: Well… yes! But it is a great place!