YAKINIKU JUMBO

On our last evening in Tokyo, we ventured out to Shirokane in the southern end of Minato for an early dinner at Yakiniku Jumbo.  This yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant only serves A5 Black Wagyu which is the highest quality of Japanese beef.  The place is simply decorated with wooden booths and tables with a built-in grill in the center.  Reservations are recommended as the place fills up quickly as soon as they open at 5:00 p.m. and tables are allocated every two hours so we were gently ushered out at 6:30 so they could reset for the next batch of diners.

Different cuts are available on the menu from traditional cuts like short-plate kalbi and the loin to higher-priced prime cuts like shoulder and rib-eye plus sirloin which is only served in extra thin sukiyaki slices and served with a raw egg dip.  There's also a large selection of offal: beef tongue, intestine and stomach as well as pork womb (not really sure what that is) along with the more usual pork cheek and pork loin.  Specialties include Korean-style beef tartare and raw beef heart sashimi.  A few salads, kimchi and some vegetables (pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, mushroom, onion, carrot and shishito pepper) to be cooked on the grill is all there is for vegetarians.  Aside from steamed rice in small (individual), to medium or large (family-size) portions, they have two special rice dishes cooked in hot stone bowl: the traditional bibimbap topped with vegetables and a raw egg or the unusual Wagyu garlic rice version which is topped with a mound hand-chopped raw Wagyu beef and raw garlic which is mixed into the hot rice and continues to cook in the super hot stone bowl sort of like an instant extra-delicious premium fried rice.  Desserts are limited to Hokkaido soft-serve milk flavored ice cream or sherbet.

We  ordered both beef and pork, a green salad of lettuce in a sesame soy dressing, assorted vegetables and both the bibimbap and the Wagyu garlic rice.  The meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender with the marbled fat making every mouthful a pleasure.  The kids enjoyed it as well as we did and we ended up ordering more meat as the first plates went by way quicker than we expected.  Our server was a friendly California-raised Japanese surfer dude, making it the only meal we had in Tokyo where we could communicate easily with the person assigned to our table.  After a fantastic meal, we skipped dessert and instead took a short walk along the pedestrian street of the quiet residential area of Shirokane before heading back to the hotel.  Out of all our meals in Japan, yakiniku was the one that appealed to the whole family even if they only served one type of food: meat on the grill.  My Argentine husband got his meat fix and the kids and I all enjoyed the simple dinner of quality grilled meat and rice.  Looks like they have a partner restaurant in Singapore Yakiniku Yazawa which we are now eager to try for our Sunday family dinner out.

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Yakiniku Jumbo

Dai-ichi Azabu Bldg. 1F, 3-1-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Tel. 03-5795-4129

Open daily 5:00 p.m. to midnight (Closed 31 December to 2 January)

GINZA BAIRIN

Ginza Bairin is one of Japan's most well-known tonkatsu specialty restaurants with five branches in Japan and almost a dozen overseas locations in Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Manila and even in Hawaii.  When we showed the taxi driver the address for the Ginza branch, he smiled and said "Oh, you'll be having good tonkatsu tonight.".

Ginza Bairin does one thing only and that is tonkatsu -  Kurobuta (Berkshire pig) plus prawn cutlets and extra-large prawns coated in panko and deep-fried to perfection.  The menus consist of tonkatsu sets that come with unlimited steamed rice, cabbage salad, pickled vegetables and miso soup.  The place is like a Japanese diner with a long wooden counter running the length of the restaurant plus a few small tables at the back.  Tables are set with just chopsticks, the laminated menu and a small tray of homemade tonkatsu sauce in sweet and spicy versions, extra spicy Japanese mustard and chili flakes. 

Ginza Bairin opens all-day every day (except for new year's day) from 11:30 a.m. till just 8:45 p.m. so you need to get there early for dinner.  The restaurant facade is unobtrusive with no English sign and is located just off Ginza's main drag.  If not for the ubiquitous window display of plastic tonkatsu food variations right by the entrance, we would have missed it.  It showcases tonkatsu sandwiches (crispy deep-fried pork cutlet sandwiched on soft white crustless bread) to curry katsu (tonkatsu covered in a gravy like Japanese curry sauce) along with the other versions of tonkatsu meals. 

We all chose the tonkatsu set -crisp and not oily panko-coated kurobuta pork loin plus a side order of prawn katsu to share. The only thing we didn't realize was that the restaurant only takes cash so after dinner, my husband and son rushed  off to a nearby ATM while my daughter and I waited for them to get back.  (My daughter didn't mind the wait as she had her first encounter with a pink dialing pay phone and I had to explain to her how it worked).  Dinner was a hit as the kids love tonkatsu and even if that was the only thing Ginza Bairin served, they do such  good job that we enjoyed it thoroughly.  Our taxi driver was absolutely right.

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Ginza Bairin

7-8-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061
Daily 11:30 am till 8:45 pm (except January 1st)
Cash payment only
Contact: t.ohyabu@ginzabairin.co.jp

BAREBURGER

I know, I know - we're in Tokyo so why are we eating hamburgers?  Well, like I mentioned in the previous post, Japanese restaurants have a tendency to serve one thing and one thing only and after several days where everyone had to agree to one-dish meals, I started googling burgers in Tokyo and found Bareburger Ginza which had just opened the day before (31 March 2016) at the brand-spanking new Tokyo Plaza Ginza department store which was conveniently located a few minutes walk from our hotel in Shiodome.

Bareburger Organic opened its first outlet in 2009 in Astoria, Queens and now has 28 locations mostly in New York but with a few scattered in Connecticut, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Ohio, Washington DC.  Its' first overseas franchise was in Tokyo with Dubai and Frankfurt opening soon.   Voted by Zagat as New York's best burger and Michelin-recommended for four years in a row (2011-2014), Bareburger has a lot to live up for since they use only free-range, pasture-grazed, humanely raised and antibiotic, gluten and hormone-free beef and chicken.  Even the beverages are organic and the french fries are cooked in non-GMO Canola oil.

The menu has Bare "burgers and wiches", from¥1380/US$13 for the Buttermilk Buffalo Chicken Sandwich to ¥2980/US$28 for the Tomorrow Burger - a limited Tokyo special of Ozaki (Wagyu) beef tenderloin burger .  For vegetarians, there's The Shroom, a wild mushroom patty with alfalfa and balsamic mayo wrapped in kale.  There are also Greens (salads) and Bare shares which have side or share portions of french fries, sweet fries (sweet potato), onion rings and buttermilk chicken bites plus a couple of sliders.  They have a kid's menu called Cubby Fare (¥880/ US$8.50) - a choice of Panda (buttermilk chicken bites and buttermilk ranch dip) or a Grizzly (burger with Egmont cheese on a brioche) served with fries, dessert and organic juices (orange and apple) or organic milk.  They also have house-made natural soda, lemonade, iced tea and creamy milkshakes and a large selection on organic wines and spirits, organic craft beers and cocktails.  Desserts are ice cream sundaes: either the banana foster or the choco-peanut butter. 

On both visits, once for dinner and another to indulge the C's Grizzly craving, we enjoyed the food and the atmosphere plus the super friendly service and English-speaking (a challenge in Japan) staff.  We enjoyed the Buck Wild - burger with pimento, fried egg, crispy onions, dill pickles on a brioche bun) and the Supreme - burger with Egmont cheese, country bacon, green-leaf, chopped fried, special sauce on a birch bun topped with house-made onion rings.  We shared the fries and rings combo and the buttermilk chicken bites with classic lemonades and a creamy chocolate milkshake served in tall ice-cold aluminum cup.  The experience was all-American and guilt-free because of the organic and non-GMO ingredients they use making it one of our best meals in Tokyo.  Wonder when they'll open one in Singapore?  Soon, I hope.

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Bareburger

Tokyo Plaza Ginza 10-B (10th floor), 5-2-1 Ginza, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-0061

Telephone: +81 3 3572 5315

Open daily, 11:00AM to 11:00PM (Last Order 10:00PM)

ROADHOUSE

When we ask our six-year old where she'd like to go for Sunday lunch, she usually chooses Roadhouse for their super deal kids menu ($14) which is a main course, a drink and a fun dessert.  We don't mind because the burgers at the Roadhouse are pretty good and they have lots of other items on the menu in case you're not in the mood for meat.  The Josper-grilled burgers are juicy, corn-dogs are delicious, fries and onion rings are crispy, iced teas come in large mugs, milkshakes are thick and creamy and the service is friendly.  Don't be surprised to walk in to a full restaurant on weekends with lots of families having a burger while sharing the large communal table in the center of the restaurant.

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Roadhouse

13 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249674

Telephone: +65 6476 2922

Email: info@roadhouse.com.sg

Mondays to Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Weekends and public holidays 9:30 to 11 p.m., Brunch served till 5 p.m.

Free corkage Monday to Thursday, Small fee on Friday and weekends

CHELSEA MARKET

On my last day in New York, I met up with good friend, Brooklyn native and fellow foodie C, who said I couldn't leave the cit without stopping by Chelsea Market - which houses an enclosed food court with specialized food purveyors including a large Anthroplogie boutique, a Posman Books 

and a Bowery Kitchens, restaurant supply store where I finally found a large metal cake stand which I had long-admired in the Dean & DeLuca stores.  Also in the same building are the offices and production facilities of the Food Network which makes for a captive clientele of foodies who often lunch at the market.

We met right after noon and walked around the place scoping out the area and doing a tour of what was available before deciding on lunch from the specialty butcher Dicksons Farmstand  where the daily blackboard menu listed pulled pork, banh-mi, roast chicken and hot dogs.  C had the pulled pork sandwich and treated me to a banh-mi (a Vietnamese sandwich usually made with roasted pork belly) with caramelized ground pork stuffed in a soft baguette and topped with pickled cucumbers and carrots and lots of fresh cilantro along with a fizzy organic lemonade.  We managed to snag one of the few tables where we devoured our sandwiches before heading off in search of dessert.  

We finally ended up at Bar Suzette where we lined up for a takeaway lemon, butter and sugar crepe made with the pedigree ingredients of Ronnybrook Dairy Farm butter, fresh lemon juice and natural granulated sugar.  Wrapped up in a paper cone, we then exited onto to 16th street and climbed up to The High Line where we enjoyed our dessert while taking a stroll in one of the prettiest parks created out of an abandoned railway.  We grabbed a post-lunch coffee at the Blue Bottle stand where I had an espresso while C chose an iced coffee then we walked further on until we found a spot in the shade of The Standard Hotel and listened to a classical quartet while enjoying the summer breeze, the Hudson river views and several years of catching up. 

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Chelsea Market

75 Ninth Avenue (between 15th and 16th streets)

New York NY 10011

Telephone: +1 888 727 7887

*Open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The High Line

Telephone: +1 212 206 9922

*Open daily from 7 a.m to 10 p.m. 

Access from the following locations:

• Gansevoort Street
• 14th Street (elevator access)
• West 16th Street (elevator access)
• West 18th Street
• West 20th Street
• 23rd Street (elevator access)
• West 26th Street
• West 28th Street
• West 30th Street (elevator access)

Fast Food

It's the middle of the summer holidays and the kids are bored - what to do?  We've been to the beach almost every day, to the new play area Cubby House in Seminyak, to Ubud on day trips and to the Bali Galleria's Time Zone, eaten lots of ice cream and tried several fast food places.  Here they are.

MM JUICE

I first tried this fast food restaurant at the food court of the Carrefour on Sunset road.  After a morning spent grocery shopping, my son and I spotted the juice sign and decided to have a fresh mango juice which was wonderful.  We were all set to get some takeaway pizza from the PepeNero stand when we noticed that all of the tables in front of MM Juice were full so we sat down and shared a Nasi Goreng special - fried rice with sausage and chicken and topped with a fried egg and served with some achar and melinjo crackers.  It was a surprising find - the food was freshly cooked and delicious and the service quick.

They have another branch at the Bali Galleria which is more like a restaurant with brightly-colored wooden tables in an air-conditioned space.  We had lunch there a few days ago and this time, I ordered the stir-fried beef kway teow (flat rice noodles) which was a large portion of flavorful fried noodles with chunks of beef and egg - a satisfying lunch for such a reasonable price.  Fast and cheap food.

WARUNG BUNANA

Another little spot I've been meaning to try is the stand just at the end of Jalan Danau Poso which we pass often on our way home.  There is a large sign advertising Roti Canai (flat bread) & Teh Tarik (milky tea).  They also have a few other branches around - one of which is in Seminyak.  I finally stopped by the other day and ordered one portion of plain roti which was rolled out, slapped around and cooked to order right in front of me.   I took it home and opened the brown paper package of hot flaky bread which came with the standard curry dip.  Perfect as an afternoon snack and again, another cheap and cheerful place.

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MM Juice

Carrefour Food court on Sunset Road

Bali Galleria Food court area, ground floor

Warung Bunana

At the Sanur bypass just at the end of Jl. Danau Poso

On the Kerobokan road, Seminyak

KUDETA SUNDAY

Clockwise from bottom left: mushroom gyoza, crispy chicken, spare ribs, spicy salami pizza, calamari, pizza margarita, spring rolls

On lazy Sundays, we usually have lunch out.  Sometimes, we go for dim sum and other times, we go over to KuDeTa for lunch.  A few weekends ago, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to eat out. A's 20-year old nephew C is visiting from Argentina with two friends so we piled into the car and drove over to Seminyak for a long, lazy brunch.  We settled in a long table right with a direct view to the beach and ordered many different grazing plates to share: two thin-crust pizzas, mushroom-filled dumplings, prawn and vegetable spring rolls, deep-fried calamari with aioli, crispy battered fried-chicken, barbecued spare ribs and heaps of french fries.  We slowly ate our way through the different plates and somehow, managed to finish it all.  For dessert, we shared a tiramisu, three scoops of fruit-flavored sorbet and the three-flavored mini creme brulee.  A fantastic spread for Sunday brunch, lots of entertaining things for the kids (arts and crafts, bouncy castle and the dipping pool) and the view of the waves crashing to shore. What more can one ask for?

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KuDeTa

Jalan Laksmana 9
Denpasar, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 736969
*Open daily from breakfast till late.

THE TUCK SHOP

Clockwise from top left: flat white, table top, breakfast, Tuck Shop interiors

We've been in Bali almost six months now and have been to many different places for breakfast.  Although there are still lots more to discover, I think I may have found Bali's best coffee.  (Kopi Bali is now in second place.)  A friend (Kiki) had mentioned that she had really good coffee at the Corner Store a few months back so I decided to finally go to Seminyak and check it out.

Arriving at around ten on a weekday, the place was packed with a young hip and happening crowd, typical of Seminyak.  We sat at one of the few indoor tables inside the boutique (The Corner Store) which has a fun collection of children's clothes, men's swimwear and a small rack of assorted women's clothing.  Hip-hop music blasted from the speakers and the crowd looked like they needed a bit of a boost from the loud music as most looked like they had just woken up.

The little cafe is called The Tuck Shop and has a three-page clipboard menu of breakfast items, salads, sandwiches and coffees.  We ordered two very reasonably-priced flat whites (Aussie-speak for an espresso topped with hot milk, rather than foam which would be a cappuccino) at 15,000 Rupiah each, an orange juice and two specials - a poached egg on hash brown potatoes and arugula. The coffee arrived quickly and were very, very good.  So good that we downed them quickly and had to order a two more even before our food was served.  The breakfast was freshly-made shredded potatoes pan-fried to a crisp and served with a perfectly poached egg and bitter arugula greens.  After breakfast, I browsed around the shop and ended up buying some cotton batik dresses for my little girl.

We've been back for breakfast since and have also tried the smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese and green peppercorns which was delicious.  We also had a nice bowl of muesli with yogurt and strawberries.  As usual, the coffee was fantastic.  If we didn't live in Sanur, I would probably be having coffee at the Tuck Shop every morning.  As it is, I'll just have to try and get there once a week.

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The Tuck Shop at The Corner Store

Jl. Laksmana 10A (corner Petitenget)

Seminyak

Open daily from 7:00 to 18:00

KUDETA

On my mom's last Friday in Bali, I finally convinced her to leave the comfort and luxury of the hotel to venture out into hip and happening Seminyak.  After doing the (very) early school run, we headed off to the other part of the island and went straight to KuDeTa for breakfast.  We chose a table right in front of the beach, almost touching the sand, so we could enjoy the view watch the people walk by - early surfers, dog walkers, yoga stretchers and a few lounging around getting ready for a long day of sun worship.

We settled into our front-row seats and had a look at the menu.  Lots of breakfast dishes available plus an extensive kids menu selection as well.  After placing our orders, we relaxed and watched the beach start to get busy.  Our fresh juices were served along with our cappuccinos then the food came soon after - a corn and zucchini fritters with slices of corned beef for me.  From the set breakfasts, scrambled eggs, bacon and baked beans for my mom and sausages and eggs from the kid's menu for C.  We were having such a good time sitting there and just chilling out that we decided to stay a bit longer while C went for a little run around the garden.  My mom and I sat and chatted and had our second cappuccinos until it was almost 10:30 a.m. and time for us to walk around Seminyak a bit and get some shopping done.

KuDeTa is probably the best breakfast place I've ever been to - the setting is amazing and the food is pretty good too.  Yes, it is pricey for Bali but it's worth it.  I think it's even better for breakfast than for dinner.  I hear that on Sundays they have an excellent brunch menu and lots of activities for the children so it's already on my to-go list for one of the coming weekends.

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KuDeTa

Jalan Oberoi

Kuta, Bali
+62 (0)36 173 6969
Open daily for breakfast from 8:00 to noon, On Sundays from 8:00 to 13:00

FIRST FOOD & BAR

Sunday brunch for the whole family was at First Food & Bar at the Palazzo where we booked a large table for 11:00 a.m. when they open.  First is a casual bar/restaurant serving American cuisine in a sports bar atmosphere.  The chairs are retro diner-style red leather and the menu items are American classics.  Opened less than a year ago, First serves breakfast, lunch, dinner plus a late-night menu daily.  They also serve brunch all-day on Sundays.

The brunch menu is a slightly shorter version of the lunch menu with a few breakfast items added in.  Their box brunch set menu is $14.90 (for another $7, you get unlimited champagne).  It gets a bit confusing as the menu is split into different sections called "boxes" (e.g. classic box, omelets box, salad box, "sam"wich box, pizza box, brunch burger box) from which you have to pick one item.  There is also the "5 buck add-on box" where for $5. more, you can choose from steak and eggs, steak frites, chicken and fries, salmon and fries or a fried pork chop.  There are also several side dishes for another $6 - first home fries, herb-Parmesan shoestrings, ore-ida tater tots, truffle mac & cheese, biscuits & gravy etc.  Are you confused yet because I was after adding all the add-ons and extras and figuring out the "box" menu.

After we placed our orders, the drinks cart rolled over for C's bloody mary order followed by the complimentary mini-sugared donuts they serve in tiny fryer baskets lined with wax paper - really cute.  I ordered the steak frites which was fine and came with salad and some Bearnaise sauce.  Other orders were the steak and eggs which, strangely enough, was two filet mignon steaks (for breakfast?) with two eggs and home fries and a salad of BBQ spiced half chicken whole Cobb (a.k.a. half a roast chicken over a whole portion of Cobb salad - lettuce, avocados, egg and buttermilk dressing).  From the classics box - the brisket hash which is corned beef brisket topped with fried eggs and served with fresh fruit.   there were also mini burgers (four mini burgers with special sauce. lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and tomatoes on buns - doesn't that sound like a mini big mac?) and a turkey club sandwich.  The kids have a special set menu for $11-ish which comes with a main course (spaghetti with meatballs, dinosaur nuggets and fries, mac and cheese), dessert (donut sundae, ice cream or ice cream sandwich) and a drink.

First is a convenient place to go with the kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon - the food is fine and the music is loud and the kids can play in the photo booth ($1 for 4 photos) while mom and dad enjoy their brunch. 

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First Food & Bar

at the Palazzo Las Vegas

Tel: +1 702 607 3478

Coffee mornings

Since the cafe scene in Marbella is spread out along the coast, we end up going to the same ones over and over again and forget that hidden away in some of the areas west of Marbella and Puerto Banus are several places great for a mid-morning al fresco coffee - alone, with a toddler or with other tot-toting mums.  Here are a few of my favorite places to do just that:

Laguna Village has two cafes - the Spanish Star Cafe near Flamant and the new-ish Terra Sana Express on the Purobeach side.  Both have outdoor seating, serve coffees and light breakfasts and are ideal for a quick mid-morning snack before going to the beach for the kids to run around. (*Best for coffee mornings with other mums)

Another place that is right beside the beach in Costalita is the Villa Padierna Raquet Club where there are half a dozen Padel courts, two tennis courts and a nice little restaurant which serves sandwiches and grilled food.  Best of all for those with children is a play area and a mini football pitch within the racquet club surrounded by gardens with lots of shady areas to park the stroller. Open daily from 10 to 6 during the winter and 10 till late in the summer.  (*Best for a quiet chat with a friend while the kids run around)

Just by the Mercadona in Bel-Air is the Viveros del Valle garden center where there is a Child's Play wooden play set with a climbing wall, swings and a slide right beside a little cafe so you can have a coffee while the children have fun next door. (*Best for a quick break)


All places I've listed have free parking, easy access and are open daily.

LE CERCLE

Clockwise from upper left: interiors of Le Cercle, the menus and blond wooden tables, bread and demi-sel butter, the wine cellar

The weather predicted for Wednesday was rainy which just gave us enough time to explore a bit of the King's Road shops and then walk towards Sloane Square and up the road to the tiny street Wilbraham place (on the corner of the Anya Hindmarch shop) for our lunch reservation at Le Cercle. I had read about Le Cercle when researching on London's best children's restaurants. It's one of three restaurants owned by the Club Gascon group where I had a fantastic Valentine's day dinner in 2001. The three restaurants - Club Gascon, Cellar Gascon and Comptoir Gascon are all located in the Smithfield area of the city, while their newest addition, Le Cercle, is in the chichi Chelsea area.

The cuisine at all the Club Gascon restaurants are tapas-style and were created by chef Pascal Aussignac from southwest France way before Joel Robuchon opened his Atelier which does exactly the same thing. The other interesting thing about Le Cercle is that they have a children's Petits Gourmets degustation lunch menu served FREE (no that's not a mistake) from Tuesdays to Saturdays to all children aged 4 to 11 accompanied by an adult. Now, in a city like London, that is a real steal and a fantastic opportunity for your child to experience real cuisine and not be subjected to the usual kid's menu of frozen chicken nuggets and soggy fries.

Petits Gourmets 5-course menu: top row - raviolis, black cod; bottom row - coquelet, chocolate dessert (first course pea soup not in photo collage)

We were the first to arrive at the restaurant and were seated in a comfortable booth at the end of the room. The interiors are light and airy despite the fact that the restaurant is in a windowless basement and the stylish wooden chairs with the bare tables gave the place a modern refectory-style feel. Leather-covered menus were handed to us with both a la carte and the bargain prix-fixe lunch menu of 3-courses for £15.00 or 4-courses for £19.50 (including coffee or tea). Crusty rolls were served in a rustic wooden bowl with some beurre demi-sel along with our drinks.

My husband's prix-fixe menu: top row - raviolis, salmon; bottom row - rabbit, cheese plate

My husband and I opted for the 4-course prix-fixe option while J gladly agreed to have the children's 5-course degustation menu which consisted of: garden pea cream with Piquillo peppers emulsion, Royan baby raviolis and celery, glazed black cod with almond puree, roast coquelet (baby chicken) and finally a chocolate souffle cake with vanilla ice cream. A chose the Royan baby raviolis with celery, organic salmon confit with lemon pulp and crumble, spring rabbit with lettuce and Piquillo pepper emulsion and the cheekily-named Tour de France assorted cheese platter (Pont L'Eveque, Camembert and Comte AOC)while I had the aubergine caviar, peppers and wild herbs, pan-fried sea bass with juicy ratatouille, grilled rib-eye steak and potato surprise and the strawberries tartare with muesli and vintage Balsamic vinegar. I know that it sounds like a lot of food but really the portions are small and even after polishing off the four courses, I could have had another little plate. (If you're hungry, have the prix-fixe and add another course.)

My prix-fixe menu: top row - aubergine caviar, sea bass; bottom row - rib-eye steak, strawberries

Each little plate was an interesting mouthful of flavours and textures - from the dill and orange zest in my aubergine caviar to the minuscule celery cubes in the raviolis, from the crispy-skinned sea bass to the raw salmon chunks covered in a crumble of crushed pistachio and lemon zest. Our son was extremely game, tasted everything and ate most of his tiny portions and loved the saucy raviolis the most. The food was just like what we had at Club Gascon seven years ago and still as good as we remember.


While we were enjoying our lunch, the restaurant was more than half full with suited businessmen and in our neighboring table was the Italian owner of La Martina, the cult boutique of Argentine polo wear. When we finished our short dark espressos and were done, we settled the reasonably-priced bill and walked out to wet pavements and a cloudy sky. We decided to watch a film and went to the Odeon cinema on Kensington High Street to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon on a rainy London day.

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Le Cercle
1 Wilbraham Place, Chelsea, London
Telephone: +44 0207 901 9999
Email: info@lecercle.co.uk

***** Food - French tapas with interesting flavours and textures, the prix-fixe lunch is a steal and the free petits gourmets children's menu is a great way to introduce kids to good food

**** Atmosphere - a well-designed restaurant, light and airy despite the basement location

**** Service - friendly and efficient, the food came quickly and the waitstaff were attentive and welcoming to our 6-year old

YAKI JAPO

Set lunch menus at Yaki Japo

Our lunch place on our last day in Paris was chosen by our son. Surprisingly, he had enough of fries and wanted to have sushi instead. Luckily, there is a reasonably-priced Japanese restaurant, Yaki Japo, just off the Rue de Rennes on the tiny Rue du Sabot. We arrived in the middle of the lunchtime rush but were seated in a booth after just a short wait. There is an a la carte menu of yakitoris, sushi and sashimi but most everyone has the set lunch menus priced between 16€ and 18€ (a more complete dinner set menu is 35€). There are three yakitori set menus - 4 sticks, 5 sticks or 7 sticks, a sushi set menu and a sashimi a set menu. All menus come with a bean sprout and cabbage salad, miso soup, a bowl of steamed rice and two scoops of ice cream for dessert - a bargain in Paris.

We each had a set menu and were soon served with 2 plates of yakitori, a plate of sashimi and another of sushi which we all shared. The fish was fresh and the sushi rolls were very good. The yakitoris were fine although they could have been cooked a bit longer on the grill to have a smokier flavour. Portions are large and they don't scrimp on either the sushi or the sashimi plates. Our bill came up to a reasonable 78.50€ for four set menus and two bottles of Evian (about 19.60€ per person). We polished everything off and headed off to the Flore for some coffee and dessert.

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Yaki Japo Mitsuko
8 Rue du Sabot, 75006 Paris
+33 (01) 4222 1774

Paris: Day 3 - Cafés in St. Germain des Prés

Spring flowers at the Passage Madeleine

We started out at the Madeleine because we had promised our son a trip to Paris' oldest toy store, Au Nain Bleu ,which has been in existence since 1836. We were disappointed though to find out that the store is currently undergoing a major renovation and had just a tiny display of toys stacked on top of each other. We left quickly and walked towards Rue Saint Honoré passing by the Passage Madeleine where we couldn't resist to walk through and see the fantastic spring flower box that was right in the middle of the alley. There are a few specialty stores in this side street and a very nice cafe filled with the Rive Droite (right bank) fashion crowd.

Au Vieux Colombier - a classic neighborhood cafe in St. Germain des Pres

So, we hopped into a taxi and headed back to the Rive Gauche (left bank) and straight to the oldest department store in the city, Le Bon Marché, which is the favorite of many Parisians. Our son got his toy, a table football game, and then went back to the hotel for some lunch while we continued on to do some leche-vitrine (literally translated as window licking a.k.a. window-shopping) in St. Germain. We walked along the boutique-filled streets of Rue de Cherche-Midi, Rue de Vieux-Colombier, Rue du Four, Rue des Ste. Peres and Rue de Grenelle taking a short break for a cafe lunch at the neighborhood place, the Café de la Mairie, which is usually packed with writers and students filling the place with smoke, although now that all of indoor Paris is smoke-free, having a coffee indoors is a pleasure. We had a quick lunch - a tartine pain Poilâne (open-faced sandwich) for me and a salade nicoise for my husband. We walked around a bit more and stopped for a quick espresso at the other iconic café, Au Vieux Colombier, just on the corner of Rue du Vieux-Colombier and Rue de Rennes.

Cafe de Flore - an institution loved both by locals and tourists right on the Boulevard Saint Germain

Dinner that evening was supposed to be at 21, a seafood restaurant that I ate at in October, but when I called to reconfirm our booking, we were told that the restaurant had decided to close for Easter week and so we were without an evening reservation. We then decided to go to Le Bar du Plaza Athénée which was renovated a few years ago and has since become a trendy place to have a drink. After a quick drink in the modern clubby bar, we walked four blocks to Rue Marbeuf to have dinner at Meiji renovated a year ago from what used to be my favorite sushi place in Paris, Sushi-Cho. The interiors have been spruced up but the place pretty much looks the same except that they've streamlined the menu and concentrated only on sushi, sashimi and yakitori. Our dinner was excellent and the service was efficient. We ended the day with a short walk up the Champs-Élysées then it was back to the hotel.

Paris: Day 2 - A rainy day on the Seine

Scenes from the Seine - the bridges of Paris

We woke up to a cold and rainy day and found out that Easter Monday was a public holiday so we changed our previous shopping plans and instead decided to take a tour on the Seine. Having lived in Paris before, my husband and I didn't really need to go on a Paris tour but we wanted to show Paris to our six-year old and a walking tour would have been out of the question with the weather. Besides, it was the only way we could convince him to leave the cozy hotel room and avoid watching DVD's all day long.

Facades of typical Parisian buildings lining the river Seine

There are several boat tours on the Seine - the Vedettes de Pont Neuf on the Pont Neuf, Les Bateaux Parisiens, in front of the Eiffel tower and the oldest one, the Bateaux Mouches on the Pont de L'Alma. We decided to take the Bateaux Parisiens so we easily find a taxi afterwards since there is a rank just in front of the Eiffel tower. The tour is a comprehensive one that meanders along the river Seine highlighting most of Paris' monuments. The boats are large and glass-roofed (perfect for a rainy day) and have individual recorded guides in several languages for each seat. We passed underneath all the beautiful bridges of Paris and saw the newly-scrubbed Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Grand Palais and Notre Dame plus the wonderful architecture and facades of the buildings lining the river. Seeing the apartments on the Ile Saint Louis made us remember our dream of one day having a Parisian pied-a-terre.

Lunch at Breakfast in America on the Rue des Ecoles in the 5th arrondissement

After the hour-long tour, we were ready for some lunch and we decided to go and have a quick lunch at the family-friendly diner, Breakfast in America. True to it's name, American-style breakfasts are served all day long with traditional diner fare - hamburgers, sandwiches and milkshakes. We had a Caesar salad and cheeseburgers plus a chocolate milkshake. It's a great place to take the kids in Paris for when they get tired of cafe food. It was back to the hotel afterwards for a rest before dinner.

The long weekend: Madrid

Thursday

The AVE from Malaga to Madrid was such a luxury compared to the stress and unpredictabiltiy of air travel. The train left on time, we had no problem with our luggage and we were served complimentary drinks, snacks and newspapers in Preferente class. We arrived exactly as scheduled at Atocha station in downtown Madrid and took a very short taxi ride to the Ritz hotel where we would be staying for three nights. Check-in at the hotel was a breeze and we were upgraded to a junior suite on the smoke-free fourth floor which overlookeed the Prado museum and the convent of San Jeronimo.



After unpacking, we crossed the street to the Westin Palace hotel where we had dinner at Asia Gallery. The food was disappointing - spring rolls that had pieces of roast pork and cabbage - a very strange combination, the kung pao chicken was made with bland chicken breast and served with soggy peanuts and a cornstarch-thickened sauce, shrimps in black bean sauce had a handful of shrimps and an abundance of red peppers. The only decent dish was the crispy shredded beef and even that had a hint of curry flavour instead of the usual sweet-spicy Szechuan sauce. It was a mistake to eat there but we were hungry, it was nearby and we were craving for some Chinese food. Asia Gallery is definitely going on my restaurant black list. We went to bed early after that.

Friday

The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast at the Goya restaurant with the tables laid with silver, starched linen and crystal. We had croissants, café con leche, poached eggs on brown toast with bacon and fresh orange juice to start the day.

As we were Madrid with our six-year old, our plans were made to accomodate him so we went on a tour of the Santiago Bernabeu football stadium which is the home of Real Madrid. It was a well-organized and comprehensive tour. We saw the bleachers and the special boxes, the trophy room and the football pitch, the bench where the players sat during games and even the changing rooms which had power showers and a jacuzzi. After that, we headed off for some lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. The burgers were good and the children's menu was a steal at €9.45 including a drink and a scoop of ice cream. We all had a nap after lunch then got ready at around seven. I went downstairs to the intimate wood-panelled Velazquez Bar to have a drink with my good friend, Therese, then the boys joined us (my husband and son) shortly after. We decided to walk to the Gran Via where we had a reservation at Madrid's oldest Japanese restaurant - Robata. What a change from our dinner the previous evening - the food was authentic - the sushi and sashimi were fresh, the yakitori was very good, the prawns and vegetables tempura were crispy and light and the agedashi tofu was delicious. Robata has been on the same location off Gran Via on Calle Reina since 1992 and is a favorite with both locals and the Japanes community of Madrid. We walked off our yummy dinner and returned to the hotel close to midnight.

Saturday

Bright and early after another civilized and delicious breakfast at the Ritz, Therese picked us up and we went to Las Rozas Village for some retail therapy. Out of the sixty plus boutiques at this outlet mall, the ones I recommend for some fantastic bargains are: Bodum and Le Creuset for the home, Loewe, Carolina Herrera, Pedro del Hierro, Purificacion Garcia and Hoss Intropia for Spanish fashion and Camper and Petit Bateau for children's clothes and shoes. After a few hours of shopping, we went to La Moraleja and had a quick lunch at Argentine grill restaurant - Clerico. After lunch, the boys went to visit my brother-in-law and his family while I stayed with Therese so we could "chitter-chatter" as my son says.

We were all tired after a long day and so after Therese dropped us off at the Ritz, we decided to spend the night in and have room service, pack our bags and go to bed early.

Sunday

On our last morning in Madrid, we had a quick breakfast then headed to the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum across the street. The best part about staying at the Ritz is that it is located in the golden art triangle of three fantastic museums: the Prado, the national museum; the modern art museum - Reina Sofia and the private collection of the Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza. An exhibit on Modigliani's works had just opened a few days before that we wanted to see. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out until 2:00 p.m. so we decided to see the permanent collection instead which is amazing as well. 800 works of art all owned by a private individual which is quite impressive. Our visit ended at the museum shop where our son was allowed to choose a treat and promptly decided on a wonderful colouring book of unfinished drawings that the child completes with his own designs.

We then walked to the little street behind the Westin Palace hotel where there are loads of little tapas bars. We tried to get into a few well-known ones but they were jampacked so we ended up in a chain called Cerveceria Gambrinus which is like a Mc'Tapas - the food was typically not very good and the service was spotty but we had a train to catch and not much time to wait around for a spot at one of the better tapas bars. After lunch, we walked back to the hotel, checked out and headed to Atocha station where we had enough time to buy some magazines before boarding the AVE back to Malaga.