Greetings and a very happy new year. Enjoying local delicacies is the natural pursuit of many an itinerant artist, or certainly one worth their Maldon Sea Salt. Trapped, stranded, abroad, away from my kitchen, spices and cooking partner, often do I turn to the (potential!) comfort of a decent meal, or make a project out of hunting down that special bar or funky lounge. So to that end, I thought I'd post some foodie notes, randomly, and see if there might be some interest, or even a connection out there with any of the following... Favourite mealtime selections - Breakfast; Pain au chocolate, a couple of espressos and fresh OJ. Lunch; Bento Box. Dinner; Italian food, maybe Antipasti followed by salt-baked Sea Bass with spinach, then sorbets.
Favourite liquid refreshments - Sparkling water with ice and lemon, Burgundy wines or Pinot Noirs from Oregon, real ale.
Favourite restaurants - Uli(All Saints Road, London), Sally Clarke(Kensington Church Street, London) Sugiyama(Japanese in NYC), Cal Pep(Barcelona), Irene Legrandi Antique(Budapest; for the most entertaining meal out of your life, guaranteed!)
Favourite Pubs - The Eagle(Farringdon Road, London), The Landsdowne(Primrose Hill, London), The Alex(now closed, Lancaster, fond memories!)
Top Bars - Mandarin Oriental Hotel(NYC), Nu Teras(Istanbul), Rosa's Shot Bar(Kabuki-cho, Tokyo, for the best Filipino Karaoke in the world, and I've tried a few!)
Favourite Hotels - The Heathman(Portland Oregon, for sheer excellence of service and down to earth comfort and catering), The Halekulani(Honolulu), Al Bustan Palace Hotel(Muscat, Oman)
Favourite chef - Kevin McConkey; Freind, and "expert of good times"!
So - as I embark on this month's US tour, let's see if I can't endeavor to amend and upgrade the above...the search is on, and all suggestions/dinner invitations are gratefully received!
Best, Colin.