Explore foodie destinations
GASTRO VACATIONS HAVE BECOME THE CHILLI-HOT WAY TO TRAVEL. IF YOUR IDEA OF HOLIDAY HEAVEN IS A RESTAURANT CRAWL, PUT THESE FOUR DESTINATIONS ON YOUR MUST-VISIT LIST – GUARANTEED TO SATE YOUR APPETITE
ISTANBUL
Turkey’s 24/7 cosmopolitan city has a cuisine that is as wide-ranging as its heritage – an explosion of new high-end restaurants jostle for popularity with old favourites. Street food classics include kebabs, baklava, simit (a round crunchy bread covered in sesame seeds) and acma (a slightly sweet bun). Do try the stuffed mussels – you’ll see queues of people surrounding the cart while the vendor squeezes lemon on each midye dolma.
EAT AT The Neolokal serves up a modern Turkish tasting menu – think sea bass and seafood sausage served with black lemons aged in the caves of Cappadocia – with insane views over the historic peninsula (about £35pp; neolokal.com).
Traditional Pandeli, all blue tiles and chandeliers, is located above the Spice Bazaar. Tuck into Sultan’s Stew (£7.50), a melt-in-the-mouth slow-cooked lamb
over a smoky aubergine purée (pandelirestaurant-msr-carss.business.site).
Glamorous Firuze has stunning views of the Golden Horn. Order sharing plates of modern remakes of Turkish classics such as muhammara, a delicious dip made of crushed walnuts, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Stay to enjoy the chic dance party that normally ensues (about £30pp including drinks; firuze-iksv.business.site).
For views of the crystal waters of the Bosphorus, head to The Stay Bosphorus in the Ortakoy district for a casual-buthip lunch of mezze, superlative salads and burgers (about £15pp; thestay.com.tr).
For baklava heaven, get a mixed tray of walnut, hazelnut and pistachio at Karaköy Güllüoğlu (£10 for enough for four; karakoygulluoglu.com).
SHOP AT Haggle over jewel-coloured powdered bags of different exotic flavours, various dried nuts, different sweets and olives at the Spice Bazaar.
TOKYO
Sushi, yakitori, sake... head to Tokyo for all these and so much more. The Japanese capital is an absolute feast of a destination with foodie temptations at every turn.
EAT AT Top-notch sushi is everywhere, from tiny neighbourhood sushi bars (look for those with a queue outside) to Michelinstarred restaurants (try pocket-concierge.jp/ en). Alternatively, head to Tsuga Sushimasa, which has been serving up raw fish for generations, teaming it with red wine vinegar for a unique flavour (£70pp; 8 Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku; tel 03-3358-0934).
For brilliant yakitori, grab one of the two seatings per night at Torioka for the fixed menu of 11 skewers that goes ‘head to tail’
(£50pp; Roppongi Hills West Walk 5F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku).
Take one of just eight seats at the Michelin-starred Tapas Molecular B, on the 38th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel and, over two hours, be delighted by dishes that smoke, explode and fizz – each course, such as onion soup in bubble form, is paired with the perfect glass of wine or mocktail
(from £145pp; mandarinoriental.com).
Altogether different is Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane), a series of alleys stuffed full of tiny ramshackle restaurants serving izakaya (grilled meat and seafood). Grab a table and eat with the locals (from £10pp; shinjuku-omoide.com).
For craft sake, head for Gem at Moto
(gembymoto.gorp.jp).
SHOP AT Department store Takashimaya
(takashimaya-global.com/en)for desserts, sweets and cakes, as well as bento boxes. Sembikiya-sohonten (sembikiya.co.jp/lang/ en) sells the most perfectly formed fruit. For candyfloss, ice creams and matcha Kit-kats, head to Takeshita Street in Harajuku.
MONTREAL
This super-cool Canadian city is home to the second highest number of restaurants per square mile in North America, after New York. Overdose on maple syrup and poutine – chips with cheese curd and gravy.
EAT AT A traditional Hebrew deli, Schwartz’s is now part-owned by local resident Céline Dion, who sometimes pops in and buys everyone sandwiches. Join the line outside for superlative brisket with a side of pickle and fries – about £7, if Céline doesn’t show up (schwartzsdeli.com). Le Mount Stephen is a must for classic cuisine with a dash of local humour – the veal chop with Yorkshire pudding, blue cheese and a whisky sauce sounds crazy but is moreish perfection (£27; lemountstephen.com). Les Enfants Terrible is a classic brasserie serving seasonal market cuisine on the top floor of Place Ville-marie. Starters include calamari with spicy mayonnaise (£9; jesuisunenfant terrible.com). This year marks the 50th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘bed-in for peace’ at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel. Stop by for a cocktail in the Nacarat Bar and pay homage with a Collins Royale (£6, barnacarat.com). SHOP AT Where Mile End meets Little Italy is the Jean Talon Market, the largest farmers’ market north of Mexico City.
PUGLIA
The ‘breadbasket of Italy’ is fabulous for foodies. Puglia supplies the rest of the country with extra virgin olive oil and sensational tomatoes year-round. It’s also famous for crudi – raw fish and more unusual, surprising items such as purple prawns and sea urchins.
EAT AT Borgo Egnazia resort’s Due Camini Restaurant (where Justin Timberlake got hitched) has just got its first Michelin star. Dishes include grilled octopus, beef fillet with myrtle and gnocci with cherry tomatoes (from £69pp for five courses; ristoranteduecamini.it). At Cala Masciola Beach Club, choose the exact fish you want from the on-site fishmonger and have it cooked to your liking (calamasciola.it). Vegetarian restaurant Masseria Le Carrube uses seasonal produce grown on the land surrounding the property and each evening chef Massimo Santoro offers a different tasting menu. Examples include cream of chickpea with sautéed chicory, cornaletto peppers and fried olives. Pudding could well be honey panna cotta with lavender and almonds (tasting menu about £35pp without drinks; masserialecarrubeostuni.it).
SHOP AT Every town has a weekly market (perfectpuglia.com/markets). The buzzy and bright old fish market in Bari – N’derr a la lanz – is close to the old town and where locals shop for fish and seafood. For wine, head to Bocca di Lupo in Murgia, known for its Negramaro red (tormaresca.it).