International

Following the disappointment of returning to our once favourite restaurant in Albufeira to find it had changed in every way possible (none for the better) we were unsure whether to risk ruining more happy memories by going back to another old favourite. We’d enjoyed O Lusitano very much on the first day of our trip in 2012 so didn’t want to be let …

They say, whoever they are, that you should never go back to somewhere you have fond memories of, in case it’s not as good as you remember. Perhaps I should have listened to them. The highlight of our trip to Portugal’s Algarve coast in 2012 was the tiny seafood restaurant without a menu, A Tasquinha do Rossio. A year later, despite …

I’ve eaten plenty of piri piri chicken in my time and not all at Nando’s either, much of it in Portugal. Sadly it’s often disappointing though, even in its native land it can be dry and flavourless. So on my last trip I was determined to find the best piri piri chicken in Portugal and I think I actually did! It was …

Driving back to our apartment after a day of swimming, crazy golf and feeding Llamas at the rather odd Krazy World Zoo in Algoz, we stumbled upon Restaurante Sobretempero. It’s easy to miss though, as from the outside it looks more like a convenience store than a restaurant. But I’m glad we found it, as it turned out to be one …

Walking from our apartment just outside Albufeira one day, we spotted a small blackboard by the entrance of a fancier nearby complex saying that its restaurant was open to the public. Despite not knowing anything about the place we decided to check it out, it seemed a nice complex and as the sign said they sell ‘fresh fish’ and ‘piri-piri chicken’ which …

What better way to recover from a long and tiring day at popular Algarve water park Slide & Splash than with freshly grilled seafood in the sun. That’s exactly what I needed and what I got at ‘A Paleta’ in Lagoa, just a ten minute drive from said water park. A Paleta doesn’t have a website and isn’t much to look at …

Within 30 minutes of landing at Faro airport on Portugal’s Algarve coast there was only one thing on my mind, Piri-Piri chicken! Thanks to a bit of research before leaving home I had a couple of recommendations; after the first turned out to not exist or at least proved impossible to find I ended up at Restaurante Senhor Frango in …

We wanted to eat somewhere special for our last day in Spain, we were prepared to travel to a bigger town or city but had heard great things about the hotel in the village near our remote riverside lodge. It looked like a nice place from the outside but it was the offer of an 8 course tasting menu that …

Whilst lay on a beach sunbathing it suddenly occurred to me that I’d been in Spain for 6 days and not eaten a paella yet! With no idea how or why i’d let it happen I immediately set to rectify the situation. I was in the quiet, fishermans village of L’Ametlla de Mar and thankfully didn’t have to venture far. …

I think eating at Casa de Tapas Cañota was my most fun restaurant experience ever. Not the best overall but probably the most ‘fun’. Run by the Iglesias brothers who also own well loved restaurant ‘Rías de Galicia’ and ‘Tickets’ with Ferran Adrià my expectations were set pretty high. You can tell it’s a fun place immediately from the bright …

Chef Carles Abellán had revolutionised the tapas scene with his restaurant Comerç 24. After working with culinary legend Ferran Adrià at elBulli and other restaurants for 15 years he opened Comerç 24 in 2001. The food there is elaborate ‘designer tapas’ with influences from Mexican, Italian and Asian cuisines. I recently visited his second restaurant Tapas 24. Certainly more traditional …

Bubó is a pâtisserie/cake shop with a fabulous reputation, particularly famous for it’s macaroons and chocolate cake which apparently once won ‘The World´s Best Chocolate Cake’. I visited the original store in the Born area of Barcelona which opened in 2005, there are now several other branches in Barcelona and oddly one in Kuwait which opened last year. From the …

Miravet is a medieval village centred around an ancient castle, Arab in origin it was later rebuilt by the Order of the Knights Templar. The village is situated on the river Ebro, to reach it I cautiously drove onto a rickety old boat not much bigger than my car to cross. It was worth the risk, Miravet is a beautiful …

After a long day at the brilliant (but sadly lacking in the food department) PortAventura theme park we ventured into Salou hoping to find somewhere decent to eat. Parking opposite ‘The Black Bull’ and having to avoid being sold a dodgy watch or flashing plastic toy as we walked down the road I wasn’t optimistic. It felt like Blackpool or …

Staying in a remote riverside lodge by the Ebro River in the Tarragona mountains we were surrounded by stunning views but few options when it came to eating out. The nearest village ‘Benifallet’ was a 10 minute drive and contained just 3 or 4 restaurants with a few bars and a hotel also serving food.   We chose ‘Braseria Rosa …