Europe

Con-fusion, Postjesweg 107 1057 DT Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Con-fusion, Postjesweg 107  1057 DT Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Postjesweg 107 1057 DT Amsterdam

Oh you have to be so careful when choosing a name for your restaurant; it can so easily become a hostage to fortune. It was obviously considered quite a witty name for a restaurant/bar serving fusion food, but the joke soon wears thin. We hadn’t booked and they were full, so we agreed to sit and wait for a table. After about 20 minutes one became free, we got the menu and ordered some drinks. About 5 minutes after we’d ordered our food, the waiter came back and said the monkfish was sold out, so L ordered something else. After another 5 minutes the waiter came back and said, no, the monkfish was on again. So we sat and waited.

TV Tower Restaurant, Tower Praha, a.s., Mahlerovy sady 1, Prague 3, Czech Republic

TV Tower Restaurant, Tower Praha, a.s., Mahlerovy sady 1, Prague 3, Czech Republic

Tower Praha, a.s., Mahlerovy sady 1, Prague 3, Czech Republic

The TV tower is pretty cool. It stopped transmitting in 1992 and the cabins that jut out at the top have been converted into a sightseeing deck, a cafe and a restaurant. It looks a little odd - currently even more so as there are huge babies crawling up the side of the tower as part of an art installation - but does offer some truly spectacular views of Prague.

I didn´t even know there were wines from the Czech Republic but they have a similar climate to Germany and produce similar sort of wines. We had a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon which had plenty of nose but not quite as bold as you might have expected (probably erring on the side of caution. Probably wisely).

Emmet Hotel, Emmet Square, Clonakilty, County Cork, Eire


Emmet Square, Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland

Clonakilty is an Irish town in County Cork. It was home to Michael Collins, who lived in Emmet Square with his sister for a time, and since 1785 there has been a rather agreeable hotel here. We were staying for a bit and ate every night in the restaurant. The service was hit and miss: an accomplished head waiter, a charming Molly Malone-type waitress, a large smiley guiness-filled lady, and a frowning, lemon-faced young Germanic misery who bore a striking resemblance in many ways to Eva Braun.

Buffallo Grill, 9 Boulevard De Denain, Paris, France


9 Boulevard De Denain, Paris, France

I know, I know. If you visit Paris, quality cuisine capital of the continent, it seems faintly perverse to go to an American theme restaurant but it was late on a wet Sunday afternoon and no where else was serving lunch. As it happened, we struck lucky. Despite the slightly bizarre Cowboys and Indians decor and low quality country music in the background ("The last thing that I gave her was the bird".

Alle Carrette, Via della Madonna dei Monti, 95 00184 Roma, Italy


Via della Madonna dei Monti, 95 00184 Roma, Italy

We ate here twice, because we were so hungry the first time we ordered very quickly, and did not look at the whole menu. While enjoying our starter of sottolio, (olives, mushrooms, artichokes and sundried tomatoes in olive oil) we saw all this lovely looking fried fish and deep fried courgette flowers stuffed with cream cheese on their way to other tables. Bugger. But our pizzas were first class - and of course Madam has to have the Tiramisu, doesn't she? "well this is the home of Tiramisu, isn't it?" Yes, and it was fine, but honestly no better than the average London version.

Tosca, Largo dei Chiavari 85-86 Roma, Italy


Largo dei Chiavari 85-86 Roma, Italy

It was hot, we sat outside, pleasant, very quick service, very reasonable prices. We each had a salad, I had Caprese - tomato, basil, mozarella, L had Lido: fresh tuna, lettuce, onion, mozarella. Good bread and oil, beer and espresso. After slogging round the Pantheon, The Forum and the outside of St Peters and the Colliseum, this was exactly what we needed to restore us. It wasn't till we got up that we realised we were right next to a place recommended to us by a friend - Insalata Ricca - which we tried a few days later.

Perraudin, 157 rue St Jacques, 75005 Paris France


157 rue St Jacques, 75005 Paris France

This is the kind of place which Café Rouge aspires to be. It's a family run place which appears not to have changed in a century; the menu features most of the Parisian classics and a few regional surprises. L started with a classic: pickled herrings with potatoes. They were sweet and juicy, not at all salty, and I had something called Flamiche which was basically a simple, home made pizza with extremely smelly cheese. It looked like nothing - just melted cheese on bread - yet tasted fabulous. How do they do that? There was an odd French couple at the next table (he was enormous, with long hair and a beard, she was dressed as a nun - white robes, crucifix, but no head dress, just long grey hair and a nicotine habit) and she asked me what I was eating. My French is very limited, but I understood.

La Lanterna, Via San Giacomo 10. Marina, Riomaggiore, Italy


Via San Giacomo 10. Marina, Riomaggiore, Italy

Without doubt the best place for eating in Rio, acknowledged as such by the locals, and if you make a reservation you can book one of the few tables outside overlooking the harbour. This is particularly spectacular in the evening as the sun goes down. After your meal you can take a long lingering stroll around the harbour and sit dipping your feet in the dark cool waters of the Med by the light of the moon.

Le Drakkar, 77 rue Eugene Colas, Deauville, Normandy, France


77 rue Eugene Colas, Deauville, Normandy, France

Deauville is a snooty place. The streets are full of people dressed expensively and badly: fur coats, quilted handbags on chains, permatans. We saw a pram - remember those coach built vehicles mothers used to wheel babies around in? In time warped Deauville they still exist. It was Wednesday, and all the restaurants in Deauville except one were closed, so we had no choice. The Patron was jolly, welcoming and spoke good English, but he disappeared soon after we arrived.

Bilachus, Via Serbelloni, Bellagio (Como), Italy


Via Serbelloni, Bellagio (Como), Italy

Austere and up the hill in the centre of Bellagio, Bilachus is clearly the upmarket restaurant in this pretty town on Lake Como. A thundering drizzly downpour - you know the ones with really wet rain - shoved us inside and pining for a seat. My beef in tomato and vodka (honest) sauce was scrummy and delicious, Q's grilled "trout of the river" (his explanation not ours) was succulent and fresh and the green salad crisp and beautifully dressed.
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