Restaurants London - Mildreds

This is a great vegan restaurant in the middle of Soho. It can get a little busy, so it is better not to be in a rush. Unfortunately they do not take any bookings.

It is not expensive, no frills and delicious! The main dishes cost around 9 GBP. It is hard for me to say which was my favourite dish. I liked everything I tried from vegetarian burgers which is healthy fast food like food to the mixed mushroom, porcini and ale pie with fries.

45 Lexington Street

London W1F 9AN

Tel. 020-7494-1634

www.mildreds.co.uk

Restaurants London - Le Pain Quotidien

I am not a big fan of chain restaurants and in London there are plenty. I did however enjoy Le Pain Quotidien at the Royal Festival Hall and in Marylebone. I think it is more of a breakfast or coffee/tea place rather than for dinners. They do serve dinners as well, but the food is not exciting. 

It is a tiny bit of the expensive side - perhaps around 20 GBP per person (they add the service to the bill).

They have nice fruit salads and a bread baskets with a large selection of spreads (I love the blandis and chocolate spreads). 

The setting is casual and since there are not that many small tables, be prepared to share a communal table.

Belvedere Road

Tel. 020-7486-6154

www.lepainquotidien.co.uk

Restaurants London - Maroush

There a couple of Lebanese restaurants by the same owner in London. I mainly know the one in Edgware Road, which I quite like.

The dish I always take is Shish Taouk which is charcoal-grilled skewers of marinated chicken cubes served with a delicious garlic sauce. The cost os most main courses are around 12.95 GBP, which is surely not only the cheap side, but I believe worth it.

The food comes and fast and the service is very quick. So perhaps not a place for a romantic dinner, but rather a more elegant fast food place.

21 Edgware Road

London

Tel. 020-7723-0773

www.maroush.com

Restaurants London - Benihana

Toptable has a great discount: 7 courses for 19 GBP. With the discount I think it is good value for money. Generally Toptable has a lot of discounts and gives you an opportunity to try out many places at lower prices. Great when you just arrive in a new city.

It is a set menu where one can choose from any 2: steak, chicken, prawns, salmon, black cod or seabass. The food is grilled on Teppan tables. The food is good, I would not say great, but partly it is just fun to see the cook the food in front of you. Personally I prefer Matsuri.

37 Sackville St

London W1S 3

Tel. +44 207 494 2525

www.benihana.co.uk

Restaurants in Chicago - Handlebar

I went back to Ottawa from Charleston via Chicago so that I would not miss the U2 concert here! Great to be back! U2 concert - no words ... the best concert ever!!

This is a casual bar or pub style restaurant with some seats outside. Most of their menu can be ordered as a vegan dish. I tried the asparagus & portobello gemelli with baby tomatoes, garlic herb white wine sauce, toasted and pine nuts. A nice change to have really fresh ingredients and no over-cooked vegies!

2311 W. North Ave.

Chicago, IL 60647

773 384 9546

www.handlebarchicago.com

Restaurants Charleston - Blossom

This is a restaurant with lot of fish choices as well, but with an italian touch.

They have a nice seating area outside which I enjoyed greatly. Usually I get cold easily, but the temperature in Charleston is pleasant this time of the year. Deliciously warm summer evenings with a very slight breeze.

Since this is a coastal town, I thought I gotta try as much fish as I can! They had a special - again with a local white fish with a lemon citrus butter and a delicious risotto. This time the risotto was made with chorizo, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes which was around $28.

Blossom

171 East Bay Street

Charleston, SC 29401

www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com

Restaurants Charleston - Hank's Seafood Restaurant (very recommendable)

Yup Charleston South Carolina! I guess this is what they mean with southern charm.  This is a coastal city with lots of historical houses with large porches. Although I did not get a chance to see the coast this time because of the intense 2 day Pu-erh tea course, I have heard it is worth a visit. 

There is a big variety of restaurants to chose from. Most offer some kind of fish dishes, so it is not that easy to pick one. We went to Hank's Seafood Restaurant which looks quite formal when one looks at the website, however the people who go there are very mixed. Some go in flip-flops and others a little more dressed up.

The dish we tried was delicious:

Roast Grouper (sweet corn, leek, lobster and rock shrimp risotto with a champagne citrus beurre blanc which costs $27.95. We shared the dish and it was enough as a little bite in the evening. 

I found the risotto and their sauce especially delicious. It was a light dish with lots of different flavour notes.

Hank's Seafood Restaurant

10 Hayne Street

Charleston, SC

www.hanksseafoodrestaurant.com

Restaurants in Chicago - Takashi (very recommendable)

There has been a lot of fuss about this restaurant and it is well deserved! The chef has spent time playing with different flavour combinations and has really succeeded - an absolutely top restaurant!

It is a place of informal elegance - do not expect white linen.

If you go on Tuesdays you can try this great place for a three course prix fixe of $36, which is great value for money. This level of quality, detail and creativity usually costs more than a $100. (Unfortunately they have discontinued this prix fixe menu).

They serve the most innovative and gorgeous dishes in Chicago at an affordable price.

We liked all the dishes, but some of our favourites are:

-summer roll (gulf shrimp, avocado, asparagus, japanese omelet caper-golden raisin vinaigrette)

-warm baby octopus and fingerling potato salad with smoked parika, prosiutto, preserved lemon, chickpea mousseline

-seared maine skate wing with roasted stuffed zucchini, ratatouille, eggplant caviar, pistachio-caper vinaigrette

-chicken in clay pot (chicken, shimeji mushrooms, eggplant, haricot vert, yuzu juice); this dish was even able to enthuse a young teenager

The waiters are professional, but will make you feel at ease.

www.takashichicago.com

Restaurants Ottawa -The Green Door (recommendable)

This is a buffet vegetarian restaurant with lots of tasty dishes from vegetable curries to a mouth-watering avocado salad. You will be charged by weight, not per dish.

It is a funny little place where people seem to know each other or just start talking to each other because the tables are so close together. It is a great place for lunches (opening hourse are from Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 9pm). 

198 Main Street

Ottawa, ON K1S 1C6

Tel. 613-234-9597

www.thegreendoor.ca

Restaurants London - Cha Cha Moon

This is a simple chinese noodle place in the same style as Wagamama, but a little better.

It is quite fun to watch the kitchen make the fresh noodles.

We sat on long benches and were served our food at a super quick speed. It was extremely cheap in the beginning (around 3 GBP per dish), but the prices have gone up (around 5-7 GBP per dish) so in comparison to places like Ran, it is no longer good value for money.

There are queues, but they move very quickly.

15-21 Ganton Street

London W1F 9BN

+44 207 297 9800

www.chachamoon.com

Restaurants London - Zuma (very recommendable)

This is an upscale casual restaurant. In a way this is a Japanese style tapas place. So if one is a larger group one can try many small dishes and share them.

They have a large choice of warm dishes and sake. The average cost per person is around 70 GBP. I enjoyed all the dishes from the softshell crab sushis to the simple karaage (crispy fried lemon sole with spicy ponzu sauce and green onions).

5 Raphael Street Knightsbridge

London SW7 1DL

+44 207 584 1010

www.zumarestaurant.com

Restaurants London - Fino (very recommendable)

It is a trendy tapas place with a good wine list. Some say that the quality is not consistent, but I enjoyed it every time I went. It is a tiny bit on the pricy side but certainly worth it.

I am not very fond of squids in most places because they are extremely chewy. However Fino has tasty squids for 11.50 GBP, the classic tortilla for 5.50 GBP and the chorizo are all worth trying.

33 Charlotte St

London W1T 1RR

+44 207 813 8010

www.finorestaurant.com

Restaurants London - Nobu (very recommendable)

This is a great place to go to when you start exploring new flavours and dishes. I must confess though, if one goes several times it becomes less exciting and perhaps it is not such good value for money.

It feels a tiny bit formal, but one does not have to dress up if one does not feel like it. A lot of people go there very casually dressed.

It is definitely a place where it is necessary to make a reservation.

If you like people-watching, this is a place for you! I am not into people watching but I bumped into Cameron Diaz and Boris Becker there.

The dishes I like are:

Black Cod Den Miso 32 GBP

New Style Salmon Sashimi 12.50 GBP

Grilled Asparagus with Dried Miso. 9.50 GBP

Chocolate Bento Box with Green Tea ice cream is great too 9.50 GBP

I tried the Rock Shrimp Tempura with Ponzu which did not inspire me that much.

15 Berkeley Street

London W1J 8DY

+44 207 290 9222

www.noburestaurants.com

Restaurants London - Busaba Eathai (recommendable)

This is a great thai restaurant in London. It is simple and quick. The only thing is they do not take reservations, so there is always a little wait. Do not be put off by the queues though, they move quite quickly.

It is a tiny bit loud, so not for a romantic dinner, but fun for a night out with friends.

I like the following dishes and drinks:

-Jasmine smoothie (passion fruit, banana, orange, natural joghurt and jasmine) £3

-Aromatic butternut pumpkin curry with cucumber relish £7.50

-Coconut rice £2.70

106-110 Wardour St., London

+44 207 255 8686

www.busaba.com

Restaurants London - Ran (very recommendable)

I am a big fan of Korean food and have tried quite a few in London, but this is my favourite for the Bulgogi. This place is not only delcious, but great value for money! As you probably know, London is not known for cheap and good food. Quite the contrary, you will find a lot of average food for very steep prices.

My favourite dishes are:

Beef with glass noodles 5.50 GBP

Korean Flatbread (spring onios and seafood baked in a Korean dough) 6.40 GBP

Bulgogi (Korean beef BBQ) 6.25 GBP

Dolsot Bimbimbap (shreds of vegetables, beef, rice and a sweet chili sauce heated in a heavy stone dish) 7.95 GBP

58-59 Great Marlborough Street

Soho, London W1F 7JY

+44 20 7434 1650

www.ranrestaurant.com

Torino, Italy - Eataly Torino (recommendable)

Eataly in Torino is part of the Slow Food movement (www.slowfood.com), an alliance of small scale producers marketing their high quality food. It's an upscale supermarket, as wells having a dozen places where you can eat (offering everything from fish and steak, to pasta and pizza). The supermarket is excellent and the food is minimalist and good. This is the ultimate shopping, dining and drinking experience, and don't forget the gelato at the end.

Eataly, Via Nizza, 230, Torino Italy

http://www.eatalytorino.it/eatalytorino/welcome_eng.lasso

Torino, Italy - Mare Nostrum (very recommendable)

Mare Nostrum is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. Like all good restaurants they have a short menu: four starters (antipasti), first courses (primo piati), second courses (secondo piati) and desserts (dolce). It's a fish and seafood restaurant, the dishes are simple, but tend to have a twist, as you would expect from an excellent Italian restaurant. The grappa at the end is complimentary. The atmosphere is friendly and casual, somehow the place would work for anything from a business meeting to a romantic date. Having sampled several dishes I can only say that everything is excellent, and the menu changes, so go and be surprised.

Prices are reasonable for such a restaurant: The full menu is €50. First courses are around €15 and second courses a little above €20.

Mare Nostrum - via Matteo Pescatore,16
Torino - tel. 011.839.45.43

Chiuso la domenica

www.ristorantemarenostrum.it

Restaurants Montreal - La Maison du Bulgogi

It was my first time to Montreal. I loved it! A great vibrant city with so many restaurants from all over the world it becomes difficult to chose which one to go to!  

La Maison du Bulgogi was absolutely deeeeeelicous!!! A huge variety of Korean dishes. When you come into the restaurant your mouth is already watering from the great smells coming from the kitchen! It is a big room with simple tables and simple to no decor, so you would go to this place just for the food.

We ate the following:

-Bulgogi (marinated broiled beef) - one of my absolute favorites in Korean food. 12.95 

-Gam Ja Tang (pork bone with potato soup) - for those who are more adventurous and do not mind a little bit messy dish try this one. You get a plastic glove so that you can hold the bone and take of the meat without getting your hands dirty. The meat is very tender, flavorful, perhaps a little fatty for some peoples taste. Even if you just use the soup to pour over your rice it is very tasty. 7.95 

-Jap Chae (stir fried potato noodles with vegetable and beef) 9.95 

-Pa Jun (Korean style Pizza or Pancake with green onions and seafood) 12.95

2127 Sainte Catherine West, Montreal

Tel 514-935-9820 

Restaurants Ottawa - Palais Imperial Chines Restaurant

This is a greasy spoon Chinese. Very simple and cheap!

 

The dim sum are ok. I guess very different from the Chinese restaurants in London where they keep on coming past with a huge selection of different dim sum. If you order the menu with pictures of the dim sum, you can ask for some dim sum which you will not find on the carts.

We had the usual B.B.Q pork bun, Lo Mai Gai (sticky rice), Shu Mai and beef with ginger. I would say simple, but ok for a quick lunch. We spent $20.29 CAD for two people and were full.

311-313 Dalhousie Street

Ottawa ON K1N 7E8

Tel. 613-789-6888 

Restaurants Ottawa - Khao Thai

Yup that is right Ottawa! Well since the culinary scene is perhaps not as competitive or big, I will try and not be harsh, but rather try and compare restaurants locally. I will not compare them with restaurants in Chicago. All my quotes for Canada will be in Canadian Dollars, sorry for those who are looking at this from abroad. But it is quite easy to convert since currently it is approximately equal to the USD.

We had a dinner special $17.95 (fried shrimps with green beans, rice and a tom ka gai soup) and the Gaeng Karee Gai (yellow chicken curry with potatoes) $10.95, as well as some stick rice.

I would say it was a pretty good curry. The potato tasted unusual, but I am not yet sure if it is the flavour of the potatoes in Canada which is completely different or just this place. It is hard to describe but I wont get hung up on that - it is a detail. I particularly liked that the green beans which were crunchy.

Service & Atmosphere: I would say pretty standard. (For those who are used to eating out late, be careful in Ottawa, in some restaurants the last order is at 21:00!!)

103 Murray Street

Ottawa, ON K1N 5M5

Tel 613-241-7276.

www.khaothai.ca