Bites of Pleasure

No Reservations in Croatia

I’m a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and his show No Reservations. On one of his recent episodes he visited Croatia and I was amazed at the unique and traditional food he got to try. Croatia is one of my favourite countries in the world but I’ve often been disappointed with the meals I’ve had. Not that the food has been bad, fresh fish and grilled chicken and salad have been my go to meals and I love them but I always found the variety on menus to be lacking. Of course the way to get the best food is to get off the … [Continue...]

Taps Cakes from Cadaques

The sleepy seaside village of Cadaques in the Catalan region of Spain is an adorable little village worth visiting for a day or two. The old town has narrow, winding streets you can easily get lost in and the waterfront area is lined with pretty white washed houses. I love little towns like this and Cadaques will always have a special place in my stomach heart due to the wonderful bite-sized taps cakes which are a specialty of the town. Taps are little sponge cakes made in the shape of a champagne cork and dipped in … [Continue...]

Making Seafood Paella in Besalu

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Catalonia was staying in a restored villa in Besalu where a private chef joined us to explain the finer details of making seafood paella. I’ve made vegetarian paella before which, while delicious, was perhaps not that ‘authentic’. This seafood paella recipe however is definitely the real thing made by a local Catalan. It’s up to you what ingredients you use in your seafood paella but it’s best to pick whatever is freshest in your local market. A typical seafood paella … [Continue...]

Estaminet Lunch in Lille

What does carbonnades Flamandes, coq à la bière and Welsh au maroilles all have in common? They are all traditional meals which you’ll find in the north of France and they all include beer as an ingredient. It’s not surprising they like to cook with beer up north as that is their drink of choice and the local estaminet’s are like mini breweries, brewing their own unique beers which they serve in-house. At least that’s how it was in the past, these days many of the beers are now produced off-site but the … [Continue...]

Eating with the Locals in Makarska

As one of the most popular resort towns in Croatia, Makarska has bus loads of tourists and streets full of tourist restaurants. It’s hard to pass up eating at one of the seaside restaurants as the view overlooking the turquoise water is hard to resist. But the food here is often mediocre, prepared without care and the service brusque. I’m sure there are exceptions but if you’re looking for a relaxing atmosphere with great food and friendly service then you might want to head away from the beautiful beach front. We … [Continue...]

Fantastic Foodie Market in Lille

Lille would have to be one of the best foodie locations I’ve ever visited in France. There are loads of fantastic restaurants cooking traditional and modern cuisine, the bakeries and patisseries are exceptional and you can even find locally brewed beers. I wouldn’t mind spending a couple of weeks in Lille just to sample more of the food. There’s a good number of food markets too and my favourite is the Wazemmes open air market held every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The fruit and vegetables at Wazemmes looked so much … [Continue...]