Stockholm Hotspot Find: Coffice
Coffice is the place to go in Stockholm for excellent quality barista coffee made by award winning baristas. This café has some serious coffee cred since its run by the owners of Drop Coffee who are arguably the best roasters in Sweden. But Coffice has a much fresher concept than your average café. Inside you’ll … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Mozzarella e Vino
Midtown has got to be one of my least favourite dining destinations in NYC. I’m pretty sure local New Yorkers and tourists alike have gone for an inspiring trip to MoMa, left feeling famished with zero decent restaurant options (that don’t equal the price of a limb). Enter Mozzarella e Vino a casual yet elegant enoteca specialising in … Continue reading
London Hotspot Find: Fernandez & Wells
FERNANDEZ & WELLS, LONDON SOHO You know those days where you didn’t eat lunch till 3pm and you’re not really in the mood for a full-blown dinner? But you still fancy sharing a bottle of red? It’s on these kinds of nights that Fernandez & Wells delivers. Grab a seat, a bottle of red, along … Continue reading
London Hotspot Find: Rochelle Canteen
ROCHELLE CANTEEN, SHOREDITCH Eating lunch at Rochelle Canteen is strictly for those in the know or those with in the know friends. Entry into the restaurant is granted by buzzing an unmarked door nestled in the walls of an old Victorian school situated on Arnold Circus in Shoreditch. Stepping through the door, you’ll likely experience … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Flinders Lane
FLINDERS LANE, EAST VILLAGE It took dinner at Flinders Lane to realise how much I’ve missed the food back home in Australia. If you’re lucky enough to have travelled there, you’ll know modern Australian cuisine as a beautiful multicultural collision that takes the best from South East Asia, Greece, Italy and even India with British … Continue reading
London Hotspot Find: Shoreditch Grind
SHOREDITCH GRIND, OLD STREET Conveniently located directly on the Old Street station roundabout is Shoreditch Grind a third wave, artisanal café by day and a cocktail bar by night. Is it just me? Or is that a genius idea? A trip to Shoreditch Grind will have you sipping on a flat white (these guys are … Continue reading
London Hotspot Find: Duck Soup
DUCK SOUP, SOHO Duck Soup is a buzzing London restaurant where the chefs turn out simple food made with restraint. In fact, everything about this hotspot is pared-back, even the surrounds are minimal, probably deliberately so to showcase their honest food. The restaurant is inspired by the neighbourhood eateries of provincial France but with an … Continue reading
London Hotspot Find: L’Entrepot
L’ENTREPOT, HACKNEY What goes together better than food and wine? Nothing right? So to me, it makes complete sense for an independent wine merchant like Borough Wines, known in London for their excellently edited wine selection, to open an adjoining rustic French eatery. It also leaves me questioning why more boutique wine sellers aren’t doing … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Joseph Leonard
JOSEPH LEONARD, WEST VILLAGE Brunch at Joseph Leonard can be likened to attending your cool stylist friend’s brunch party. You feel slightly jealous as you enter into her tiny but bright West Village apartment filled with all the curious antiques she’s discovered on her travels. You can’t help but notice how she seems to have … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Hi-Collar
HI-COLLAR, EAST VILLAGE I keep saying “this is my new favourite restaurant” but this time it really is, promise. Hi-Collar is one of those no-details-spared Japanese hotspots. It’s a Parisian-inspired cafe by day and restaurant/sake bar by night. The place literally transforms as soon as the barman stealthily slides the wall-to-wall cabinet door to reveal … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Saxon + Parole
SAXON + PAROLE, NOHO Saxon + Parole is a solid NoHo restaurant where you can expect an excellent meal with a memorable bottle of wine. You’ll even enjoy all of it in the restaurant’s lively atmosphere with its sophisticated NoHo crowd. Meat-lovers’ ears will prick up when they hear the specials because there’s bound to … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Bohemian
BOHEMIAN NYC | NOHO Hidden behind Japan Premium Beef on Great Jones Street, lays a Japanese restaurant shrouded in secrecy – an almost impossible feat in a city run by publicity and where speakeasies and members clubs are a dime-a-dozen. Somehow though, Bohemian pulls off the member’s only restaurant concept in a way that weeds out … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Charlie Bird
CHARLIE BIRD, SOHO Lingering lunches at Charlie Bird are my new favourite weekend pursuit. Modern Italian food isn’t always done with as much flair in this town, there’s always that fine line that’s crossed where the food is more American-Italian than it is Italian-Italian, but Charlie Bird gets it right. I’m even poised to say … Continue reading
London Hotspot Find: Ottolenghi
OTTOLENGHI, ISLINGTON Yotam Ottolenghi, best known the world over for his imaginative and beautifully photographed cookbooks (Plenty being my fave), is also known by lucky Londoners for his delightful little restaurants (Islington being my fave). You see, I used to live right on Upper Street where Ottolenghi’s Islington outpost is located and each day walking … Continue reading
Amsterdam Hotspot Find: Hotel Droog
HOTEL DROOG, AMSTERDAM CENTRUM Droog Design, the iconic Dutch design force best known for its unique brand of dry, ironic design has created an almost unimaginable design and hospitality emporium. Hotel Droog as they call it is in fact a hotel offering one hotel room, but what makes its so interesting is its reverse design … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Uncle Boons
UNCLE BOONS, NOLITA Let’s say you’re reminiscing about your last trip to Thailand, when you were nursing that ice-cold beer and grazing on Thai food with that unmistakable fresh, dynamic flavor. You want to recreate that, but you’re stuck in Lower Manhattan, that concrete jungle we all know lacks quality Thai, considering every other cuisine … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Mast Brothers Chocolate
MAST BROTHERS CHOCOLATE, WILLIAMSBURG A must visit spot as you wander the streets of Williamsburg is Mast Brothers Chocolate, an artisanal chocolate factory and store best known for its chocolates that surely inspired Brooklyn’s now ubiquitous craft movement. We can thank founders Michael and Rick Mast for their devoted chocolate making process where only the … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Taïm Falafel & Smoothie Bar
TAÏM FALAFEL & SMOOTHIE BAR, WEST VILLAGE In the beautiful tree-lined West Village lies Taïm (pronounced ta-eem) a quaint little falafel and smoothie bar serving up unadulterated Israeli falafel in the form of sandwiches and platters. Taïm, meaning “tasty” in Hebrew, has no difficulty living up its own name by offering crunchy on the outside, … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Vietnamese Food at the Kirribilli Markets
VIETNAMESE STAND AT KIRRIBILLI MARKETS, KIRRIBILLI This little piggy went to the Kirribilli Markets A favorite weekend past time of mine is hitting the markets. The fresh air, fresh food and knick-knacks seems to slow down the pace. One of my favorite markets is the Kirribilli Art and Design market, because of the art, design, … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Extra Fancy
EXTRA FANCY, WILLIAMSBURG If I really think about the establishments popping up around Williamsburg one theme comes to mind – not so fancy and extra fancy. It’s a veritable hodgepodge of highbrow, lowbrow, cheap, expensive, dive-y and upscale and Extra Fancy is a bar/restaurant nodding its head to this wonderful characteristic of Williamsburg. Don’t let … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Dimes
DIMES NYC, LOWER EAST SIDE Newcomers to the downtown restaurant scene like Dimes (and Skal around the corner) make the once desolate intersection of Chinatown and the Lower East Side the area for cool new restaurant watching. The arrival of Dimes makes me a happy bruncher, luncher, and all day breakfaster. I’m happy because of … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken
BROMBERG BROS. BLUE RIBBON FRIED CHICKEN, EAST VILLAGE NYC’s cult fried chicken favourite now has its own outpost where hungry Manhattanites can indulge in deliciously crispy birds in the bright, low-key, cafeteria-style space. If you’ve not tried Blue Ribbon’s fried chicken before, expect umami galore when you feast on the Chicken Dinner with chips and … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: Pearl & Ash
PEARL & ASH, NOLITA When you dine in a restaurant with an inch-thick wine list you’d expect to be dropping some serious cash. You could go either way at Pearl & Ash, a progressive downtown wine bar serving up globally inspired small plates with a plenty of wow factor. For 10-15 bucks a plate and … Continue reading
NYC Hotspot Find: The 303 at Louie and Chan
THE 303 AT LOUIE AND CHAN, LOWER EAST SIDE This brand-new restaurant and basement bar/music room concept is exactly what discerning New Yorkers have been looking for. I for one am celebrating its arrival to the downtown Manhattan scene. Here’s how your night at Louie and Chan is going to play out – a pre-dinner … Continue reading
melting butter 