kerriar

Any recent updates on dining in Cape Town? Has anybody eaten in the Atlantic Grill restaurant at the Table Bay Hotel - this is now being run by Conrad Gallagher, ex Dublin, ex London, ex Brooklyn Federal Prison (who presumably don't have that many Michelin starred chefs on the guest list). Whatever about the more tempestuous aspects of his life (definitely a likeable larger than life character who was acquitted of any misdoing), he can produce great and inventive food. Elsewhere Table Bay Hotel is said to be expensive - what does that mean in SA today? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

bleudauvergne, This is a really interesting thread and makes me want to get to the Lille event. Could you say a little more about the . From your list I am assuming that these are growers/producers in the small to medium category or who are "indépendants" and who are (happily?) below the horizons of the larger guides, particularly the anglophone ones. How does the ranking system function?Are all the participants Dussert-Gerber rated? I can see that the list includes internationally known names like Daumas Gassac but for the most part these producers do not register with me. When you say you buy cases, these presumably are for delivery later. Bux is totally correct about the apple/cheese point and it's frequently quoted on wine tastings - much better to cleanse the pallet with bread and water but as an absolutely non-professional taster I find it difficult to "cracher" all day. Sooner or later you start thinking "this is far too good to spit out" and any objectivity soon disappears. It's time to put away the cheque book and just enjoy the tasting. It would be interesting to know what you eventually buy and whether its for laying down or for early drinking.

Sounds like you need something in a hurry so here are a few personal choices. A safe choice is La Gare which is just across the road from La Muette metro. It's an old railway station and makes an interesting conversion. It's crowded at lunch time but it always seems possible to get a table. It will be full of well heeled and stylish bourgeoisies who typify the 16th - athmosphere can be described as animée and your boss will feel like he's really in Paris. Food is standard enough but not bad – poulet de Bresse, carré d'agneau, etc – but they have memorable mashed potatoes. Wine list is short and safe. Cost should be not more than €35 to €40 a head and he'll be back in the office at a reasonable time. It's somewhere I go to regularly for exactly that reason. You could also have a look at Le Scheffer on rue Scheffer, just a few steps from Ave. Paul Doumer. This is smaller so you should book. The place is more traditional and also popular with locals. Prices are around the same.

Robb - I guess if you've written extensively about France you won't be in need of too much guidance but hopefully you won't mind a few observations. It may be beyond your agenda and the time you have but you might be able to add a trip to France's most intensive oyster production area. This is in the Etang de Thau on the Mediterranean cost between Sete and Agde, centred more or less on Bouzigues. The oysters are harvested aound the year from a vast network of oyster "tables". These are metal frames with cables suspended in the water - as far as I can make out the cables are "seeded" with immature oysters which are then taken in as they grow to full size. There is even an oyster museum (unvisited) in the area where I'm told all is explained. Prices whether from the growers or in the simple local restaurants and bars are a fraction of what you pay in Brussels or Paris. Much time can be usefully wasted sitting at the edge of the water with a large plateau and a bottle of chilled Picpoul de Pinet - no matter how many oysters and bottles of wine the company gets through, its difficult to spend more than €20 per head. Elsewhere on the site I picked up your mention of eating oysters in another of my favourite places - Moran's of the Weir near Galway. This is when I first started eating oysters around the time when Moses was still a boy and I never miss a chance to get back there. Economics doesn't always play a part in yielding to the urge to eat oysters but I have some curiosity about how the business side works. The same large plateau when ordered in Paris 16 obviously reflects distribution and storage costs, higher rents etc and you will pay the price you expect. What I have yet to figure out is why somewhere like Moran's, which is located almost on top of the oyster beds, is considerably more expensive than its French equivalent. Is is that the costs involved in harvesting and purifying native oysters are considerably higher than the "table" system mentioned above? Is this system not suited to the production of "natives" but only for Pacific types? I presume I'm not alone in thinking the natives taste better but are they more difficult to harvest? Robb, the notion of joining you for a glass of wine sounds great but it looks like you're in the wrong corners of Europe for this. Enjoy your trip anyway and I'd love to hear the results.

The covered market in Passy is a personal favourite - not particularly big but it's in the middle of the prosperous middle class 16th so you can expect quality to be high. It's ideal for picnic ingredients - whether for your hotel room or sitting under a tree in the nearby Ranelagh gardens. It's about half way along the rue de Passy between metros La Muette and Passy. This part of the city is mainly residential and does not seem to attract lots of tourists. There are plenty of restaurants around although none are particularly outstanding (by Paris standards). For lunch, La Gare is a dependable option - it's a large atmospheric converted railway station. Food is ok but people watching can be fun - just looking at the stylish BCBG types who fill the place confirms that there is really no place on earth like Paris. After lunch stroll over to the Musee Marmottan which has the largest collection of Monets anywhere in the world. Perhaps because it's a little off the beaten track this small museum is sometimes nearly empty and you can commune quietly with a room full of water lilies whilst digesting lunch.

This site is a gold mine of philosophical education. Apart from the joy of tapping into another's enthusiasms, it also answers my own unresolved questions. A couple of years ago I travelled the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port. Somewhere between Puenta de la Reina and Estella I found I was walking past fields of asparagus and started to think about what I might eat at the end of the day – slightly crunchy green stuff, picked just a few hours ago naturally. When I finally reached Estella, the food shops were indeed full of asparagus – all of which was in tins, proudly stacked in the window as the best of local produce. The restaurant also featured tinned local asparagus. Rather like the New York Times professor, I was horrified at first but was too hungry not to eat everything. Until I read the views in this thread, it never occurred to me that some people might like their asparagus that way – soft, cooked through and slightly flabby. Thanks MiguelCardoso and others for a fresh insight on this – although I think the French may dispute the origin of mayonnaise. Their books usually claim it comes from an old French word for the egg yolk – moyenne oeuf being the modern equivalent. But who cares anyway? – the Italians probably have another version.

You seem to be well set up but, for what it's worth, here are a couple of places - one in France, one in Spain - which I can recommend from personal experience. La Cucaracha Rue de l'Ouhabia 64210 Bidart Tel : 05.59.54.92.89 Good Basque seafood, good wine list - popular both for lunch and dinner, you need to book. If you are taking the coastal route east from Bilbao, try to stop in Leikeitio which is a lovely authentic Basque fishing village and draws few non-Spanish tourists. On the pier, the first restaurant (name escapes me for the moment) coming from the town is run by lovely people who cook fish in the most fantastic way - friends who live in Bilbao travel there to eat regularly.

The most frequent comment you hear about Belgaqueen usually revolves around the toilets! Apart from being unisex, there is a shock effect generated by what appears to be transparent glass which forms all the partitions and doors - the trick is that the walls and door of the stall become opaque when the door is locked. Result is mild shock and titillation for first time visitors. Food is so-so, the wine list's usp is that all the growers are Belgians - usually based in France. Good idea for home town patriots but there is not much else you can say about it. Chäteau Carignan is a good dependable Premiere Cotes de Bourdeaux with a high merlot content which makes it easy drinking - can't remember what they charge for it but it is not over expensive. Setting is good - an old 19th century banking hall well restored - but frankly you can eat much better in Brussels for the same outlay without too much effort. (See elsewhere in this thread) The night I was there it was full of noisy groups who were obviously enjoying themselves but not terribly interested in the food.

God doesn't come into it - you just need to jump quickly. If you try Alpage now, you'll get "Il n'y a pas de réponse pour François Simon dans le catalogue" Sounds like a great book - just have to try to find it at a brocante.

I'm not sure whether this can be applied to a chicken but when I tell my butcher that I want a gigot split open and boned for the barbacue, he describes the end result as "en papillon" (trans: as a butterfly) using the words as if they had general accceptance. Perhaps this applies only to lamb - I've never asked him to split a chicken. BTW - he's Irish and runs one of the best and most popular butcher's shops in Brussels - Jack O'Shea's on rue Le Titian (near Schumann).

Uzès is a lovely town with many enchanting Romanesque buildings and you are going there at a nice time of the year. Be sure not to miss the Saturday market which is one of the best in Southern France. The range and quality of the food is incredible. Even if you are not cooking for yourself, the visual images, the sounds and the fresh smells will stay with you when you go home. You'll find several stalls selling oysters which will have been harvested earlier that morning in the Etang de Thau. In the late morning, sit down at a bar, order a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet with a couple of glasses and ask one of the oyster sellers to bring you a plateau of two dozen fines de claires. Then just sit and watch the world go by. Both the bar and the oyster seller are at ease with this arrangement and it will cost you about a fifth of the price in Paris (or I dare say Washington DC). I haven't yet been to the restaurant you mention – so it would be great if you could post a report in due course. Did you read the report in Italian? Is there a URL – I can just about read Italian but would try to get an English translation if available. The Gambero Rosso website has a wealth of material but every time I follow a link saying something like "questa rivista e' in inglese", I find that it's still under construction.

Everybody seems to go to Au Pied de Cochon once but usually as a neophyte in Paris or in other exceptional circumstances. In our case, it was the only place around happy to take a midnight booking for 12 after a great Bruce Springsteen concert in Bercy. Admittedly we had a memorable night but I think food had little to do with it - what you get is fairly run of the mill bistro stuff and some indifferent wines. An Italian friend insisted on ordering pied de cochon which proved to be inedible. By all means go there if you're with a lively group needing some basic if pricey late night sustenance but if you want some great memories of eating in Paris, try some of the other recommendations. Paris is really a compact city with good communications and you really don't need to travel far. Les Halles has more than its share of tourist traps - there are several threads on this ite which will lead you to better choices whatever your budget and tastes may be.

Sometimes written as the omble chevalier, it is actually a char which is a member of the trout/salmon family and is native to some of the larger alpine lakes. It tastes rather like a more delicate version of fresh water trout and has a paler colour. The artic char which often features on a Canadian menu is similar but I'm not sure if it is the same fish as I was told that it comes from Atlantic waters off the North West Territories. Perhaps somebody else know s a little more about this. If you have one to cook, any trout recipe will probably work.

Pace much of the above, Lalitha's question may be significant as I have a niggling feeling that the VAT rate reduction is for the moment simply an aspiration and no firm decision has been taken although I may have missed something in the summer newspapers. French restaurateurs have long been complaining about the very high rate they live with and the effect that this has on their customers (many other EU countries have a reduced rate) and have said that an increase in demand and employment will result from a tax break. If the reduction comes to pass - and we all hope sincerely that this will be the case - it would be scandalous if the customer is not the ultimate beneficiary

Le Loir dans la théière on the rue des Rosiers (near Place des Vosges) should be on anybodies list of places to drop into at any time of the day – you'll find cluttered collections of mismatched furniture, good coffee and teas and cakes which risk departing from conformist tendency which sometimes afflicts even the greatest of French patisserie. Also serves light lunches although the sagging couches are better suited to tea and lemon cake. (The earliest edition of Patricia Well's "Food Lover's Paris" has the recipe for the latter but there is I think no reference to either the cake or the café in later editions – can't see why it's been dropped as the place hasn't changed in twenty years.) If you want to eat in one of the city's most authentic Italian restaurants, then I can advise L'Osteria which is nearby at 10 rue de Sevigné. In this instance the street number is vital as there is no sign outside and in fact you may be hard put to determine that there is a restaurant there at all unless the door is open. The place is small and intimate in many senses – most railway carriages will seem like tennis courts in comparison – but the food will not disappoint. Service is unpretentious, portions are moderate but the quality of the food is beyond reproach and flavours are deep and authentic. We had a risotto with truffles and pasta with sea urchins (the French word oursin also means hedgehog I think) and there is a good selection of Italian wine. It's by no means cheap – and that's before you start ordering truffles – but seems to attract small groups of sophisticated Parisians who have the air of people who eat there regularly. The chef will come and talk at the table – he doesn't have far to come – and is at ease in either French or Italian. Try also Le Rouge Gorge in nearby rue St Paul – again this restaurant is small, food is reasonably priced and influences tends towards rural France but you go here for the wine. The patron is a wine merchant but there is almost no wine list – instead you can go down to the cellar, pick a bottle and it will be served at retail price plus a small corkage. Again you should reserve here, at least in the evening.

The choice you make will depend to a great extent on where you stay – do you want to spend a night in this most distinctive French city or is the Alsace countryside that attracts? Sarreguemines is probably 100 km from Strasbourg – about an hour by motorway with I think just one péage. Sarreguemines is an industrial city and I'm not sure if you'll want to spend any more time there than you need to. It certainly has no reputation as a tourist destination but you will be fairly near some of the most attractive countryside and towns of eastern France. If you want something which is typical of Alsace and Strasbourg, then go to a winestub of which there are plenty. Top of any list will be the inevitable Chez Yvonne (the name over the door is S'Burjerstuewel, but nobody ever uses it – and yes, there is a real Yvonne but I think she has now retired), near the cathedral in Strasbourg. It is always lively and charming and the slightly kitschy veneer only enhances the athmosphere. The food is very definitely a "cuisine de terroir" and you will be hard pressed to find anything more Alsatian. The menu is fairly short and never seems to change – baeckeoffe, choucrout, quenelles de foie, etc. There is a selection of about 12 or 15 good Alsace wines by the glass or pichet. The choice of bottled wines is limited but quality and prices are way above average – e.g. Ostertag, Zind-Humbrecht at something close to shop prices. If you are there during the weeks when the European Parliament is sitting, a reservation is essential. Anybody who eats there frequently must have interesting arteries. For a more classic French style, Beurehiesel and Au Crocodile no doubt deserve their stars and I have eaten well and enjoyably in the latter on several occasions. They are both favoured spots for well heeled political lobbyists – this will give you some indication of the style to expect. They are also expensive – the bill will be a multiple of what you pay in Yvonne's and I don't recall seeing any authentic baeckeoffe on the menu. Outside Strasbourg, I really know the southern Vosges much better than the northern area where you are heading. I drive through this area a few times a year and have generally not stopped north of Strasbourg. Perhaps it's time to change this habit - Cheval Blanc and l'Arnsbourg both sound worth visiting so thanks to 42390 and jamiemaw for widening the horizon. I can't finish off without a word about l'Auberge de l'Ill at Illhaeusern between Strasbourg and Colmar. For me, it must rank as one of the great dining experiences not just of France, but of Europe. It is stylish, luxurious, relaxed – go there with someone you really care about and you will have a memory for life. The food, - I took no notes but look, it's been reviewed many times and by better hands than mine (but strangely, not on eGullet as far as I can see) – for instance see http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...,807508,00.html but you will find many more. It's probably given me the most expensive bills I have ever paid – but I can't wait to go back again.

Agree strongly with Adam Balic about Fino as a companion for sushi - or alternatively a Manzanilla whose dry, refreshing and mildly bitter character works well.

For most visitors to Bilbao, the most memorable thing they eat will probably be pintxos (Basque tapas), a wide choice of which will be available in nearly every bar. Any list simply reflects personal experience but one which I have returned to constantly is the Cafe Iruña in the Calle Berastegui with interesting decor and lively athmosphere – it seems to be a popular after-work meeting place but perhaps rather quiet later at night. But in reality you will get good pintxos everywhere. Like the rest of Spain, meals are late and this gives you a good excuse to snack and drink. I haven't really eaten that much in proper restaurants in the centre of Bilbao itself but can recommend one called Casa Rufo. I don't have the address but it is close to the Abando railway station. It's popular and you should book - ask for the phone number from the hotel reception and they will book in advance. Food is a mixture of modern Basque and more traditional Spanish. I have no contemporaneous notes and have difficulty in recalling what we eat except that, unusually for the area, we eat mainly steak – the house red was a young Rioja which was served chilled. (Memo to self – start taking notes for your eGullet postings and don't depend on recollections – in the words of Tom Waits "memory is like a train, you can see it getting smaller day by day") The building was once a food shop and still has some of the traces. The restaurant in the Guggenheim has a very good local reputation – it's run by Martí Berasategui one of the Basque masters of modern cooking - I think I've seen a report on his San Sebastian place alsewhere. There was always a queue for lunch and I'm not sure if they take reservations. From what I saw of the food, it looks extremely interesting and is on my list for a future visit – any experiences would be appreciated. Bilbao has a great public transport network which runs late and means you are not restricted to the centre of the city. The Puente Colgante (metro Las Arenas) is a landmark bridge near the mouth of the river and if you have a head for heights you can cross on foot via the upper gantry with a tremendous view of the city and the coastline. Nearby on the west bank in the Portugalete quarter is a restaurant which I have been to several times called the Abra (tel 944.95.68.08). It is beside the big hotel on the street which runs behind the waterfront buildings. Good fish, nice people and they even speak English. The restaurant is just at the rear of a street front bar and ahs a simple formal elegance which is matched by the food. In the past we've eaten hake and monkfish as well as the regional speciality which is bacalao pil-pil. On one occasion last year when a starter of langoustines had run out they were replaced with percebes, the delicious Galician specialities which are usually described as goose barnacles. The night was the first delivery of percebes since the Prestige disaster had closed the fisheries the previous winter. They are expensive at the best of time but, generously, there was no supplement on the bill. Also on the west bank nearby is a fishing village called Santurtxi - it is still within the urban area and a very popular place to eat is the Cofradía de Pescadores. This is simply the fishermen's cooperative where they grill fresh fish – sardines or whatever they catch - on the quay and serve it at simple tables (get a bottle of wine at the bar). You can arrive there by suburban train or alternatively there is a boat service (called Pil-Pil) which goes by river from the Guggenheim to Santurtxi and beyond. Well-worth a visit if weather is good. You can also walk from the Puente Colgante or take a bus cooking starts around 20:30 or 21:00. Very informal - I doubt if they have ever heard the word "reservation". On the other bank, towards the end of the metro line (station Areeta or Gobela, about 15 minutes from the centre) is the seaside residential area of Getxo/Las Arenas where my friends live - there are restaurants of all types in the Puerto Deportivo with views of the sea - one I can recommend is called Cubita Kaia. Nearby is the old fishing port with bars serving fried squid on Sundays (but strangely only on Sundays!). I think that place that Paco mentions is just above the hermitage of San Juan at Gaztelgatxe – if it is, I can confirm his recommendation. There also is a very pleasant beer garden outside with more simple food and views over the cliffs. It is a long climb down (and even longer back) to the church but worth the effort - when you complete it, you have deserved something good on your table. I was also taken there by colleagues who live in Bilbao - but Paco, a question – 25 minutes from Bilbao, - what the hell do you drive?

You could try Bruneau - they probably close during August but should be open by the dates you mentioned including I think Sundays. Comparable in most ways with Comme Chez Soi - perhaps it lacks the particular intimate athmosphere and typical Bruxelloise ambience which makes CCS so special. On the other hand, the food at Bruneau is slightly more inventive - CCS is firmly grounded in the classic dishes which are the basis of its reputation over several generations. Another possibility in the same area (Basilique) is Claude Dupont - also has two Michelin stars but I've never eaten there. The Sea Grill in the SAS Hotel is certainly open on Mondays - don't be put off by a hotel restaurant, this is a serious and fine operation run by a team whose ambition is to get a third star. I also think you should not worry about a Monday night problem - sourcing fresh fish does not seem to be a problem. La Maison du Boeuf in the Hilton is also worth considering - food reflects the name and as with all of these places, the wine list can empty your pocket. Some weeks ago we drank a Grange des Peres 1998 here - it's listed at €110 which is probably reasonable (oops!) when the same wine is retailing for something around €100 on the shelf at Lavinia in Paris. For Bruneau in particular, you may need to reserve as far in advance as possible. Weather in Brussels in September is variable but you can be lucky and chance on a balmy late summer night when eating out of doors is an option. In which case, you could take a look at Barbizon in Jesus-Eik - it's in an exquisite villa which looks like it belongs in Deauville and is on the edge of the forest about 15 minutes by taxi from down town. The restaurant has one star and the food and service are correct but not adventurous - the overall impression veers towards haute bourgeoisie but that's not necessarily a bad thing. John Helion, the experienced and dependable reviewer who writes in the Bulletin was here a few weeks ago and wrote a good report but I don't think his comumn is available on-line.

We will be spending a week in a friend's house near the market village of Saramon, about 20km south-east of Auch in early September. It is a first time visit to the region, apart from a few rugby related trips to Toulouse over the years. Any guidance would be appreciated on: - local restaurants, including table d'hotes, for reasonably priced authentic regional foods, also local markets for eating at home, - anything slightly more formal - I see that Michelin gives a star to Puits St Jacques in Pujaudran - has anybody any experience here or any where else local? - all are to some extent foodies and one of the group does not drink and happy to act as driver - we would consider driving a little further (say up to two hours) if there is somewhere that somebody thinks might fall into the "not to be missed" catergory, - trip will include at least one day in Toulouse. - any information about smaller wine producers or other specialist food producers who are worth a visit? This is something of a last minute trip, hence the "catch-all" appeal. I'm not convinced that a week of cassoulet and good rough gascon red will meet the needs of the three women in the group - so some helpful research is needed. Will happily report back.

The last time I was in Lisbon, when a stop off in Belem to try the tarts was suggested, a French woman in the group threw her eyes to heaven saying "aaah, les bombes calorifiques". Every Portuguese bakery in the world makes a version, but these are simply the best and are worth going to the source if nearby. Slightly lower in calories, but not much, are the delicious Ameixas D'Elvas. These are sugar coated plums supposedly made only by an enclosed order of nuns somewhere in Portugal. I'm not sure if this story about the nuns is true or just a good marketing line - in any event, these things are delicious. The sugary coated surface is cut by the slight bitterness of the plums (which are a bit like greengages) and are a pleasant way to end a dinner party if served with coffee instead of more predictable petites fours. They are hard to source unless you live near a Portuguese shop and are rather expensive - I seem to recall about €25 to €30 for a stylish box containing about 12 or 16 individually wrapped fruits. Perhaps they are cheaper in Portugal - anybody else tried them?

I think the meal included some mezes, several plates of small fried fish which arrived together and the main course was a dorade (sea bream). What I recall more clearly was the professionalism of the place and the stylish yet unpretentious little ceremony (I know it's common to most Greek restaurants) of bring the customer to the cold room to choose from a good selection of the freshest fish. The wine we left to an enthusiastic wine waiter who gave us a viognier and then a chardonnay - both were locally produced, unexceptional and perhaps a little expensive. The restaurant seemed to be in a residential area. At the end of October it was already dark when we arrived - we eat indoors but perhaps there is a terrace in summer. I think the place is well known locally - both our hotel and taxi driver knew it as "the best restaurant in Thessaloniki" and told us we would eat well and we were not disappointed. My daughter is going to Thessaloniki later this month and I would like to give her at least one recommendation - although I suspect she may take it up only if I offer to pay. Work involves me in a certain amount of travel and some local information is always good if you want to eat well - keeping some notes is a good remedy for a failing memory but eGullet is a great source and much more dependable.

Brussels doesn't always receive its due credit as one of the great eating cities of Europe. I've found that over the years recommendations all too often concentrate on either "les monstres sacrés" (Comme Chez Soi etc.) or places near the Grande Place or the European institutions, many of which are either tourist traps or carry the athmosphere of too many working lunches. This is nevertheless a city where you generally eat well without too much effort but to encourage people to venture away from the guide book favourites, here – in no particular order - are a few personal choices where I have eaten regularly over the years and continue to revisit. It's difficult to give firm prices – it really depend on choices, particularly for wine but in most of the examples which follow, a bill of around €100 for 2 people, taking three courses ands a reasonable bottle of wine would not be unexpected. Clientele will generally be mixed local/international bourgeoisies (what else would you expect?) who are there to eat food they like and to socialise with friends. The city is not very large and although generally in residential areas, none of these are more than 10 minutes by taxi from the main hotels – in some cases you might think of walking. They are the kind of places you can generally walk into without reservations although on busy nights it is better to phone ahead - some are small and all are popular. I'm afraid the lack of any contemporaneous notes means drawing on sometimes hazy recollections – the more precise references are from recent visits. • La Canne en Ville – rue de la Réforme 1, 02/3472926 on a recent visit we started with "Le demi homard rôti au beurre à la moutarde" and "La poêlée de coquilles Saint-Jacques au beurre Nantais, compotée de coeurs d'artichauts et de tomates séchées" both of which were €17 on the carte. This was followed by "Le chateaubriand rôti et sa garniture de légumes, sauce béarnaise et moutarde, gratin dauphinois ou pomme en chemise" (€50 pour 2 cvts.) The wine was a Bandol 2000 Moulin des Costes and cost €34 – it's a well structured powerful red, some tannins but with cherry and plum flavours - it was good value and went well with the beef. The wine list is short, well chosen and good value with little over €40. The only place I have ever found a recommendation for this very dependable restaurant is on the Economist website. • Toucan Brasserie – Ave Louis Lepoutre 1, 02/3453017 –short well chosen wine list, strong on magnums – Lynch Bages seems to be a particular favourite of the patron (but it also includes a few less expensive wines from associated properties with a dependable (if mundane) Michel Lynch at €22. Recent dinner included a great Cassolette de chipirons au piment d'Espelette which is a regular feature of the carte. Chef is a Breton but draws freely on other influences. The menu includes bistro classics like jambonneau roti but also originals like mille feuille de thon a la ventrèche et fondue de poireaux. • Aux Beaumes de Venise, rue Darwin 62, 02/3453017 – on a quiet street just off Place Brugmann, run by a pleasant North African couple who have created a calm, professional restaurant which always aims for correct standards. It has a sparkle which comes from application to detail – including table settings and general décor. The staff members are efficient, knowledgeable and unobtrusive. You can choose across 4 menus at around €40 which usually include foie gras en torchon or oysters – the overall style is refined modern French with a light hand. The sommelier is knowledgeable and helpful. This restaurant is slightly more formal than some of the other suggestions and would be suitable for a business lunch. • La Crèche des artistes, rue de al Crèche, 02/3438293 – some of the better Italian restaurants outside Italy are in Belgium. This one is small, on a scruffy back street near Ixelles town hall (Brussels has lots of scruffy back streets but sometimes that's were the best restaurants are) but as soon as you walk through the door you know you have not come to the wrong address. Specials of the day are on a blackboard and food is fresh and seasonal. The wine list is just an album of labels, well thumbed and particularly strong on Tuscans. Athmosphere is romantic and intimate – particularly if you go for the house dessert speciality. This is a zabaglione - prepared in a copper saucepan when is then placed on the table with two long spoons. Occasionally the service and food can be a little uneven but any lapses are balanced by the relaxed charm of the place. • La Table de Mamy, ave des Cerisiers, 02/7790096 – small, unpretentious place which draws inspiration from local domestic family cooking but with a slightly sophisticated veneer. "Le pain de veau de Laurent" is really a meat loaf, but like no other I have eaten – I'm not sure who Laurent is in this case but perhaps it's a reference to the eponymous Belgian crown price. The rest of the menu is in a similar vein and the short wine list is good on regional French wines, particularly Languedoc. The formula here is that of simple dishes prepared to a very high level – on the same evening, my entrée was fricassee de champignons a l'ail avec croutons. • Chez Marie, rue Alphonse de Witte 40, 02/6443031 – hidden away on a difficult to find street near Place Flagey. The area seems permanently disrupted by road works – if arriving by taxi, alight at the renovated Belgian Radio building (an interesting 1930's "steamship style" building which has recently been renovated and has a useful cultural programme) and walk by the left hand side of the church. Last year they justifiably received a star from Michelin but the lunch menu is still around €15 (is there a less expensive one star meal anywhere?). Carte is much more expensive and the wine list can easily seduce you into spending more than intended although in fairness even the more expensive wines are good value by usual restaurant standards. Alas, the decently priced Mas de Daumas Gassac seems to have disappeared for the moment. The charming sommelier, a very well informed French Canadian will however guide you through some of the less well known bottles and his advice is good – but he's not always on duty at lunch time. At least in this instance, Michelin has shown a willingness to recognise creativity and it's really worth going for some of the more surprising titles –"hamburger en hommage a McDonalds"! – which are not always exactly what you might expect. This restaurant is popular and rather intimate (for some this translates as overcrowded). Some might find the absence of a no-smoking area to be a drawback. • De la Vigne a l'Assiette, rue de la Longue Haie 51, 02/6476803 – from outside this looks rather basic, perhaps even severe but the simple decor hides a real gem. The quality of the food is high and the presentation is both unexpected and polished. A confit de canard came with what looked like a crème anglais but was more like a light savoury sabayon prepared with olive oil – although this sounds a little over rich, it worked well in practice. The wine list is however what makes a meal here memorable. The patron/sommelier has put together a list which includes many French regional wines which will be unknown to most –but he is happy to explain and guide. The name of the restaurant may possibly contain an element of tribute to Georges Blanc but I have never had the pleasure of eating at any of his tables, it's impossible to say if this is reflected in the food. • Senza Nome, rue Royale Sainte Marie 22, 02/2231617. Italian with a Michelin star, somewhat expensive (it was someone else's treat) but the Branzino alla Siciliana was sensational. • Others which could be added to this list of personal favourites are En Face du Parachute, Les Dames Tartines, Le Doux Wazoo, Bleu de Toi and Ciao. The latter is a serious Italian restaurant, considered by some to be the best in Brussels and can be rather expensive. Any comments, feedback or other recommendations would be welcome.

Have you tried Caviston's in Glasthule?

This may be a bit off the beaten track for most but may strike a cord with some. About four years ago I was in Thessaloniki for a conference and was taken to what a native described as the best fish restaurant in town - and it was very good. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name but it was in the eastern suburbs, about 20 minutes by taxi from the centre. Can anybody help - or offer any other suggestions in the area?