Dinings, Marylebone, London

In anticipation of our trip to Japan, I started reading everything I could find about Japan, particularly the food. Just before we went, I found a magazine in a coffee shop which was dedicated to everything Japanese, and, which included a review of Dinings restaurant in Marylebone. I happened to be going over to London that weekend at short notice so I booked my husband and I in for lunch. 

Dinings is wonderful. It is run by former chefs of Nobu and everything is perfect. They do not have a michelin star and I understand that this doesn't particularly bother them. They say that they would rather people came to dine with them because of the reputation of the food rather than merely because  they had formal accolades. 

To each their own and, that said, their food was exquisite. Essentially what they do is present Japanese food as small tapas dishes, all selected from an a la carte menu. Pictured below are the options that we selected with the guidance of their helpful wait staff. We were not disappointed with anything and, in fact, re-ordered one of plates again at the end. 

The restaurant also has a relatively good sake selection; however, you will be paying top dollar for something that you would pay very little for in Japan. 

All in all, a wonderful experience. 

Almost Famous, Manchester

My husband used to study in Manchester, so we occasionally go up there to visit with friends and to get away for a little while. While in Manchester recently, we were introduced to the, hands down, coolest American diner I've ever visited. It's called Almost Famous, you can't reserve, and there's a line out the door. If you're from London or any other big city, this won't be a foreign concept to you as it seems that making reservations for anywhere is very much a thing of the past. 

Almost Famous is loud, busy, greasy, and pretty much an absolute disaster if you're a vegetarian (they have a single solitary vege burger on the menu...). But if you like meat, chips, bacon, and decent diner food, you will love Almost Famous. 

I was most taken with the concept of "baconnaise". I had it on my fries and on my burger. Pretty much I just had it on everything. Yes. Mayonnaise with bacon. This truly exists. Why didn't I think of this? Pictured below is the "bacon bacon" fried. Fries, with baconnaise and "bacon rain". The burger is "Smoky and the Bandit", which unsurprisingly, also has baconnaise. 

They also have waffle chips, pictured below. These amazing creations are called "pig and waffle" and are waffle shaped potato slathered in mayo (actually not baconnaise), jalapeño, pulled pork, and cheese. 

Even the toilets are awesome... 

And the cocktails and milkshakes are to die for. From butterkissed old fashioned (with salted caramel) to fruity cocktails and boozy milkshakes. I could live here... 

Dandy Coffee Shop, Jersey

This teeny tiny coffee shop has brightened the lives of many local Jersey people over the last year. A year ago, before Dandy opened, there was very little variety for either coffee or lunch during a lunch hour, and certainly nothing remotely interesting. 

I began my working life in Auckland, New Zealand. If you've ever been to Auckland (or any major city in Australasia), you will know that coffee culture is massive there. Baristas make coffee akin to works of art. Beans are perfectly roasted and carefully prepared. 

Upon returning to the northern hemisphere, I thought this was normal and wasn't aware that I had been spoilt for several years, so I genuinely thought that I had gone off coffee when I drank it for the first time in London... Several years later, in Jersey, I walked into Dandy coffee shop, which had just been opened by a Jersey local who had spent many years in Sydney. The famous Allpress coffee was on the menu, properly roasted, and carefully prepared by the staff who had an Allpress machine and training. 

Everything changed. I remembered I did like coffee! Dandy doesn't need any promotion; it is currently the number one restaurant in Jersey on tripadvisor, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Dandy is not just a coffee vendor. They have wonderful banana bread, brownies, breakfasts, and sandwiches (including the recent addition to the menu: the lambwich). 

My personal favourites are the toasted banana bread (with LOTS of butter), sourdough bread with avocado, dandy toast (homemade peanut butter, banana, toasted almonds, cinnamon, honey) and the new lambwich (lamb shoulder, homemade harissa mayo, roasted red pepper and baby leaf spinach). I wish I had photos but I'm too busy eating to remember to take photos - you'll have to check out their Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/DandyCoffeeShop 

Truly one of my favourite places! 

Eleven Madison, New York

This restaurant is currently sitting at number one spot as my most favourite dinner to date (given my current age and the fact that I eat dinner most days, this meal is beating about 11,000 other dinners).

Getting a booking at Eleven Madison is one of the most complicated challenges my husband and I have ever set ourselves. Last year, we booked a trip to New York to visit two of my most wonderful friends. Being a bit of a geek, I researched the best restaurants in New York. We narrowed the choice down to either Eleven Madison or Daniel, finally settling on Eleven Madison. This wasn't the difficult part. 

We then had to get the booking! And we were only in New York for a few days... Tables opened for a particular day exactly 28 days in advance (i.e., at 9am on 6 May for dinner on 6 June). Fortunately, 9am EST was 2pm BST, so we didn't have to get up at midnight to call them. However, neither did anyone else. We tried on the first day and couldn't get through until they had allocated all of their tables. Finally, on the third day, we got one of the prized tables for a 9pm booking (the earliest available). I think the fact that you have to fight for a table makes the whole experience a lot better. Perhaps invoking the primitive hunter gatherer spirit?!

Being ranked 5th in the world according to San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants, we were very much looking forward to our dinner. Fortunately, there was no anticlimax. This restaurant very much lived up to the hype. 

All evening, we were doted on by the most attentive waiter, named Cody. During our visit, Cody was so kind as to give us complimentary tickets to the empire state building (which, when we used them, were witness, literally holding the video camera, to a proposal!). 

Back to the meal. Wow. I would have been happy to have never eaten again as nothing would ever compare. The photos don't do it justice - I think we'll just have to go back some time if we find ourselves in New York again!

At the beginning of the meal, you are asked to select from one of four options, although at the time you have no idea what you're actually trying to achieve. Ultimately, it is a selection of the ingredient that will feature on your tasting menu. We both chose strawberry.

The meal commences with a little box...

...with a little savoury biscuit each

They cook the asparagus in a pig's bladder and they bring it out so you can see (and let you touch it!)

A picnic basket!

The contents of the picnic basket

Baked alaska!

Chocolate pretzels

And the meal ends with a little box...

...with the sweet version of the little biscuits!

Bohemia, Jersey

Bohemia is my local haunt. Boasting a celebrated chef and a michelin star, this is where I spend many long Saturday afternoons with my husband or with friends. 

Bohemia is all about local produce and cooking it well. The restaurant has been recently renovated, so looks absolutely amazing. There's a wide range of menu options, so it caters for every taste and appetite, offering 3 course lunches and dinners to longer tasting menus.  The restaurant recently received publicity for being one of the most affordable lunches in the UK. 

It used to be run by another local celebrity chef who has since gone on to open another local bistro type restaurant, which also has a michelin star but caters to a different audience. Steve Smith has since run Bohemia and received a well deserved michelin star for his efforts. 

Steve's signature scallop dish is one of my most favourite things to eat. You'll see it in the photos below... 

L'Enclume, Cumbria, England

L'Enclume was recommended to us by a friend as being well worth a visit. It took us a couple of years to get around to visiting but we have now been there twice. 

L'Enclume is one of Simon Rogan's establishments and is one of the attractions of a very small village called Cartmel in the Lake District. Carmel is the birth place of sticky toffee pudding and the puddings can be purchased in a local shop. The town is essentially a foodie paradise. Apart from the two michelin starred restaurant and the sticky toffee pudding shop, there is a micro-brewery, a cheese shop, a bottle shop carrying some wonderful whiskys, an award winning coffee shop, and a handful of country pubs. What more could one want? 

The restaurant offers a 17 course tasting menu for lunch and dinner. The courses are based  around what the restaurant staff can forage and everything changes from season to season, depending on what is available. You don't have to book too much in advance, which is nice, and lunch is usually a rather more relaxed affair than dinner. 

The courses are perfectly presented without being fussy.