Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau
Set in the heart of Lisbon on the famous Comercio Square, a small door leads to an unexpected journey through Portugal’s most secret vineyards where small producers work their sunny lands to produce beautiful wines. Gathered at Vini Portugal, a non-profit governmental organisation promoting the native grapes of Portuguese varieties, these gems are waiting to be tasted.
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Text: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
With its vibrant markets, plentiful food stalls and world-famous umami, the food culture of Thailand is not to be missed! Follow us on a food tour in Chiang Mai and dig into the wide variety of Thai (or are they?) dishes, authentic family recipes and wide assortments of exotic fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs!
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Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau
It is still morning when Chef Sara Verissimo takes us for a stroll to the 31st of January market, far away from touristy Lisbon. Locals have been shopping here for their fresh vegetables, cheese, meat and fish since 1878, and so do we on this sunny day to get the best ingredients for some typical Portuguese dishes.
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Text & Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Keep tasting!The excellent the food scene of the Mother City has been consistently ranking high on the lists of world’s best restaurants. If South Africa attracts for its safari game reserves, beautiful Cape Town and the very well-marketed Garden Route, make sure to not miss out on these gems when you are in town…
Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau
Sommelier Jan Roche leads us down the stairs through an unsuspected 18th century wine cellar, just below the Trudon mansion in the heart of Paris by the royal palace of Le Louvre. Back then, barrels were stored to age for royal consumption by one of the few wine merchants to the king, simply rolled to the royal residence once ready. If the wine story of these historic cellars has been interrupted by the piercing of the 1900 subway tunnels ending the royal connection, today, the dimly lit and stylish cellars have found their original function back. At Les Caves du Louvre, the underground is a paradise for wine lovers where we are about to learn all about wine aromas, grape varieties and ultimately blend our own wine!
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Text & Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
It is underneath the Hotel de Trudon mansion in the heart of Paris where we are exploring the secret 18-century wine cellars which used to connect to the nearby royal palace of Le Louvre. Once a busy storage space where the wine was aging until ready for royal consumption and then its barrels rolled underground to the palace, today, the 600 square meters (6,460 square feet) of stylishly renovated historic cellars house some of Paris’ tastiest workshops! Enter the unexpected world of Les Caves du Louvre to explore the best terroirs of France in an in-depth wine and cheese pairing experience – a during any trip to France!
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Article updated on December 30, 2022
Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Over a few years, Cape Town has become a foodies’ paradise. If the city developed thanks to its ideal conditions to resupply passing ships, today its food scene thrives thanks to its organic green grocers, ethical fisheries, free range cattle farmers, excellent wine regions and inventive chefs putting it all together. From fine dining to casual eateries, do yourself a favour and taste the best of Cape Town! Here is our cherry-picked selection of casual eateries…
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Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Marcella van Alphen
Tromsø, nicknamed the gateway to the Arctic, is the largest urban area in Northern Norway (and the third largest in the world North of the Arctic Circle) where one can tick off probably all the northernmost bucket list items one can think of from the northernmost brewery to the northernmost botanical garden and many more.
With the city centre located on the Tromsø Island, surrounded by the Norwegian Sea and snowy mountain peaks, the weather can be tricky at times. In this article, activities are sorted out by indoor and outdoor settings in order to easily fill up a three-day stay, with a special section about the Northern Lights that are often the reason to visit.
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Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Keep travelling!It is only thanks to the fish! Mastering the drying of cod, fished in the winter off the coast of Lofoten, transformed this fish into a sought-after and profitable commodity exported all over the world. Without the nutritious stockfish with no expiration date, the Vikings would not have been able to survive their long journeys to Greenland or America; the Hanseatic merchants would not have established profitable businesses in Bergen; Norway would have missed out on one of its most important sources of revenue; and Lofoten would have never seen its cute and colourful fishermen’s cabins pop along its shores attracting so many today and in which it is so enjoyable to stay.
Text: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Keep travelling!Barely an hour north of Trondheim, the lovely Inherred region is the ideal place to slow down and follow a food path between local farms and historical landmarks through fields of gold, rolling hills and scenic fjords… Here is your perfect four-day itinerary in Norway’s food basket through Trøndelag starting from Trondheim.
Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
A trip to Cape Town seems to systematically include at least a day in the vineyards, very often on exclusive wine estates around Stellenbosch or Franschhoek, about an hour away from the city. It is true that the quality of the wines combined to the beauty of the vineyards calls for an exploration. Stellenbosch can be overwhelming with its hundreds of wine farms. Franschhoek tends to oversell luxurious vineyard experiences rather than high quality wine tastings. Our favourite wine route is much closer, right in one of the most beautiful suburbs of Cape Town, in the cradle of South Africa’s wine making. Only a twenty-minute drive via Victoria Road lining the stunning Atlantic coastline, cooler climate award-winning wines are produced on about 400 hectares. Let’s explore this intimate wine route…
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Article updated on April 30, 2022
Text: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
South Africa attracts for its safari game reserves, varied landscapes, surfing spots, beautiful Cape Town and the very well-marketed Garden Route. A day in the vineyards of Stellenbosch or Franschhoek is often part of the trip, but the rainbow nation is not necessarily renowned for its gastronomy. However, for the past 15 years, the food scene in Cape Town has gone from non-remarkable to exquisite. If there are no restaurants rewarded with Michelin stars in the country, it is simply because the prestigious French guide does not operate on the African continent. Nevertheless, Capetonian restaurants have become used to hitting competing lists of world’s best restaurants such as the Test Kitchen in Woodstock, or La Colombe in Constantia. If it has become quite noticeable, and has also hit the top of these lists, there is still a little gem for the ones in the know… The Chefs Warehouse… Started as one location in the city centre in 2014 by chef Liam Tomlin, and expanded since, the dish-sharing restaurant concept combines delicious food artistically plated in remarkable locations with a fantastic service and a great attention to details.
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Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Belgium’s reputation of producing high quality beer is a reason for many to visit, and if it is not your reason, this is the perfect opportunity to learn how to appreciate better this millennium-old drink that has become more and more fashionable lately with the wave of microbreweries all over the world.
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Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Strolling the streets of the picturesque city of Lucca in the heart of Tuscany, we follow the passionate chef Giuseppe Mazzocchi while he leads the way through a maze of narrow alleys bustling with liveliness. A few tourists take in the richly-adorned façades of some of its 100 churches, as it is nicknamed. Others look up at one of Lucca’s characteristic towers contrasting with the deep blue Tuscan sky. Some opera lovers seem to walk towards the birth house of the world-famous composer Giacomo Puccini. Some locals enjoy window-shopping: the city of Lucca flourished thanks to the high-end production of silk textiles, closely collaborating with Genoa, and still today quality shops line its streets. However, the shopping that we are about to do with Giuseppe will have us explore Lucca from another perspective: the palate…
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Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Tagliatelle, spaghetti, pappardelle, ravioli, tortellini, trofie, pici… who has ever travelled to Italy knows there are many different varieties of pastas which almost all have their traditional accompanying sauces. It is in Siena that we are about to uncover the secrets of pasta-making, with the passionate chef Marta Ciappi, owner of Marta’s Cooking Classes.
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Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Cinque Terre is so much more than just five instagrammable colourful medieval villages dominating the crystal-clear Ligurian Sea. First of all, it is more like a dozen other tiny villages including the ones that are high up overlooking the five most famous Italian villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore (from North to South). It is also a National Park, including a large marine reserve, and it is an agricultural land where vineyards have been cultivated on narrow terraces supported by dry-stone walls for almost a millennium.
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Text & photographs: Marcella van Alphen & Claire Lessiau
In Cinque Terre, five tiny colourful villages cling to rocky spurs that plunge into the turquoise Ligurian Sea. This rugged landscape has been softened for centuries by hardworking winemakers who painstakingly carved and maintained terraces into the cliff faces to cultivate them. Most terraces were planted with vines. A few areas were devoted to olive trees, citruses and Keep travelling!
Text & photographs: Marcella van Alphen
Seated with my back against a century-old dry-stone wall, I am overlooking the small picturesque harbour of Manarola in Cinque Terre where a few fishing boats dance on choppy waves. Colourful houses built on the dark cliff above the turquoise blue Ligurian Sea in Italy set the backdrop. I contemplate the view when Keep travelling!
The freshly painted bright pink, green, yellow, and orange houses, lined up along the hilly cobble-stoned street contrast greatly with the deep blue South African sky. Signal Hill towers Bo-Kaap while the unmistakable shape of Table Mountain sets the background of this post-card perfect scenery. A filming crew Keep travelling!
Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau
Keep travelling!Greek food is one of the most characteristic gastronomies of the Mediterranean diet. Based on olive oil, nuts, vegetables, and fish, its traditional recipes are not only healthy but also simply delicious – and with the proper teacher, not that hard to prepare. Let’s pierce its secrets in the heart of Athens.
Take an exclusive tour of the Santa Lucia AVA (American Viticultural Area) vineyards, get up close and personal with the winemakers and experience their tasting rooms! Keep traveling!
Gastronomy in Reunion finds its inspiration mostly in Indian cuisine and around the top 5 spices used on the island that are onion, garlic, tomato, curcuma and ginger giving dishes an extra kick without pain! Add a pinch of Madagascar and a hint of Africa and you get a picture of the local dishes. Keep tasting!
Originally from Mexico, vanilla was imported to Europe and the colonies where it turned out to be only a beautiful orchid. Today world’s second most expensive spice (after saffron), its saga expanded globally thanks to a 12-year old slave from Réunion Island in 1848, and the paradisiac island still produces one of the best in the world…
Oman is a nation of seafarers and desert dwellers where influences from far away countries mix to the Bedouin hospitality, and the land and the sea prepared with the best spices brought back from centuries of trading are the signature of the local cuisine. Today, with many influences from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, it can be tough to identify the authentic Omani cuisine: here is a short guide to help you make the most of your culinary discoveries in the sultanate.
How did poor people pay their hospital bills back in the 14th century? With what they had, and most unlikely with money… Here in Strasbourg in one of the leading hospitals of the time, patients used to settle their bills with their homemade wines! Keep traveling!
Article updated on May 15, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Andrés makes his way through the narrow streets of Madrid’s old town that he knows like the back of his hand. He points out to some interesting details on the façades of different buildings as we are making our way to one of his secret spots to taste some of the best food in town paired with some of the best Spanish wines. “Did you know this is Madrid’s oldest building?” he asks when he briefly explains its history before we pop into a 19th century tavern on a historical nearby square. Andrés is taking us out tonight, and we are starting the traditional way with a vermouth on tap and delicias de bacalao. The fried cod cooked to perfection and still crispy is enhanced by the sweet madroño jam made from the fruits of the tree of Madrid: the strawberry tree (go figure, this has absolutely nothing to do with strawberries!).
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Article updated on June 8, 2021
Text: Claire Lessiau
Photographs: Marcella van Alphen & Claire Lessiau
Keep travellingFranschhoek, or the “French corner” has a fascinating history. Because of the wars of religions in 17th century France, a small number of French Protestant refugees settled in South Africa establishing a successful farming and wine making industry still recognised today as one of world’s best. Get off the beaten path and discover not only the famous wines of Franschhoek but also its stunning outdoors, and favourite restaurants!
Text: Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau& Marcella van Alphen
Keep travelling!Do you know how to recognise a real paella from the ones that are sold to most tourists throughout Barcelona? Do you know that most of the olive oil in the world is produced in Spain and bottled in other countries to be sold as such? That there are 28 different protected Spanish cheeses recognized over the world? That gazpacho is traditionally a cold soup made by farmers with left over vegetables? That the delicious crema Catalana has a world-famous French twin sister? Join us for this tasty experience in the booming El Born district of Barcelona!
With world-renowned Thai gastronomy often in the spotlight, Cambodian cuisine tends to be overlooked. If Cambodian restaurants are not that common abroad, traveling through this country opened our taste buds to the specificities of its cuisine that deserves more attention. Keep reading
With Thailand ranking high up in the list of world’s best cuisines, neighbouring Laos remains in its shadow. Because of the thaification that has been going on since 1933, you may find out in this article that your favourite Thai dish may very well be a Laotian one! And more importantly, that Lao food deserves more credits… Keep savoring!
The Kampot pepper is famous in the best kitchens all around the world. Farmed since the 13th century in Cambodia, it is during the protectorate that the French realized the potential of the Kampot area, giving a subtle taste to the pepper that lingers on one’s tongue. The hills of Kampot along the Cambodian coast Keep reading!
Article updated on October 19, 2022
Text: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
I am savouring what must be the best pad Thais I have ever had: bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, sourness and spiciness are perfectly balanced. My taste buds are in awe as I dig into the nicely presented green curry. I look at Oay with a big smile of satisfaction as I slowly raise my head. Having fantastic food in Thailand is the norm, but what is all the more surprising is that I cooked these myself. My pride enhances my senses!
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Think: the Netherlands. What are the first few images popping up into your mind? Wooden clogs, tulips, windmills? Maybe gay-weddings, bicycles, the Amsterdam canals, or brown coffee shops? What about the yellow gold? No, not Heineken, I’m talking: cheese! Keep reading
The Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama is world-renowned for its stunning beaches, islands, surfing and snorkelling spots. And there is one more reason to go to Bocas: the mountainous forests on the mainland by the harbour town of El Almirante are home to one of the best organic cacao producers in the world! Keep traveling!
About 32°C and a bright sun, walking the streets of Panama City. I would kill for an ice-cream! But I must admit that the traditional Central American ice-creams sold in the streets, consisting of grated ice in a plastic cup topped off with a chemical colorant, or the industrial ones packed with sugar are really not tempting to me. That is precisely when I remember my discussion with Maria from Café Ruiz in Boquete and the fact that she supplies a high-end ice-cream store in Casco Viejo, the charming neighbourhood of the capital… Keep traveling!
“Position your nose inside the cup and inhale. Just close your eyes and smell thoroughly.” My hands are wrapped around a warm coffee cup while I am distinguishing the elegant flavours. “Now move your nostril along the ridge of the cup and smell again. What do you smell now?”
I am trying to recognize the different scents: honey, a trace of jasmine, a hint of fruits, an orange aftertaste. This coffee is not just a regular coffee: I am tasting the best coffee of the world! Indeed, the Geisha coffee from the mountains of Boquete, Panama, has been acclaimed by worldwide independent tasters as the best, with its price reaching up to $350 for a pound of its unprocessed green beans.
“Pupusas are the specialty of El Salvador! We eat pupusas all day. There is even the National Pupusa Day every November where the biggest pupusa was cooked reaching a diameter of 4.5 meters! And if you ever fly from San Salvador, you will see that Salvadorans buy pupusas before the flight to bring them abroad!” With this enthusiastic answer of our Salvadoran friend to our local specialty question, we had to try as many pupusas as possible while traveling through El Salvador! Keep tasting!
Beyond the ever present pupusas, El Salvador offers excellent seafood. With its 307 kilometres of coast on the Pacific, restaurants with Keep savoring!
Article updated on May 23, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
The Tokyo station is a crazy maze! Japanese people walk around like ants, workers in Keep savouring!
“Almond, Granny Smith, avocado, and a slight trace of pepper lingers in the throat”, says Mr. Thibault after smelling and Keep travelling
Article updated on May 26, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau
About 5 centimetres (2 inches) in length, 2 centimetres in width (a bit less than an inch), and roughly the same in heigth for just a few grams and 40 to 50 calories… They do not sound like much but sushi have conquered the world to the extent that many identify them with the whole of Japanese gastronomy (as you know by now if you have checked out our Japan food series, this is far from the truth!). Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 23, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Kaiseki-ryori is an art type, a true haute cuisine experience (comparable to Michelin-star restaurants) and the crème de la crème of Japanese gastronomy, serving and presentation. Kaiseki is a must for Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 22, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Tsunahachi in Shinjuku has been serving one of the finest tempura (天ぷら) in Tokyo for almost a century. In a country where excellence is the rule, that does mean something! Let’s explore the world of tempura in Japan! Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 25, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
It is dark outside when we arrive in front of the sliding doors of a tiny restaurant in the centre of Takayama in the Japanese Alps. Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 25, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Yakitori (やきとり) have become famous outside of Japan, and are often proposed in sushi restaurants all over the world. But in Japan, excelling is the norm, and Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 15, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau
Before visiting Japan, we had a hate & hate relationship with ramen (ラーメン) noodles! Associated to cheap student food, their instant version is the best-seller of Japanese convenience stores with 5.7 billion packages of instant ramen noodles sold in 2019 worldwide. Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 12, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen
Ryokan are traditional Japanese inns. More than a place to sleep, they convey a lifestyle and tradition that is a must to experience for any traveller to Japan. In this article, read about a typical ryokan experience and learn about the etiquette to make your stay a success!
Article updated on May 15, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau
While Asian noodles are often associated with cheap ramen, a wide variety of them can be savored in Japan. They come in three kinds: ramen (ラーメン) of course, but also Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 14, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau
Street food is not that common in Japan, and tends to disappear fast: yatai (屋台 – literally “food cart”) or food stalls popping up in the evening Keep savouring!
Article updated on May 11, 2020
Text & photos: Claire Lessiau
Literally, okonomi means “how you like it” and yaki, “fried”, otherwise known as the Japanese savory pancake: a delicious and cheap food served with no frills, around a hot griddle with toppings ranging from meat to vegetables or seafood.
Best regards from far, 