Sep
15 Hidden Wonders For Food Lovers Around The World
Are you a foodie? Or just someone who enjoys good food in great surroundings? Yep, us too.
Over the past 18 months of location independent living, our taste buds have experienced a whole gamut of tastes…from so-hot-you-can-barely-breath curries in Thailand to melt-in-your-mouth beef in Argentina.
If you ever get the chance, here are some of our favourite places to eat from our travels so far…
#1 Kalkys (Kalk Bay, South Africa)
For some of the freshest, crispiest, most delicious fish and chips ever (and this is from a Brit), head here. It’s far from salubrious (think wooden hut with wooden tables and benches), but the chips are served on a silver platter with plastic knives and forks, in the fresh sea air of Kalk Bay harbour.
#2 San Telmo market (San Telmo, Buenos Aires)
The Sunday market at San Telmo is huge. Take a stroll down the stall-laden streets and when you’re hungry, take your pick from the street food vendors. Don’t worry too much about the fact that nothing is refrigerated, as long as there are others eating the food too (but do use your common sense).
#3 The Royal Phuket Marina (Phuket, Thailand)
Whilst you swoon at the luxury lifestyle residents probably lead here (we think we could live here which says something for us), you can enjoy afternoon tea at Les Anges with cucumber sandwiches, pastries and handmade chocolates - for a quarter of the price you’d pay in London or other big city hotels.
#4 Prickly Bay Marina (Prickly Bay, Grenada)
Authentic Italian pizza? In the Caribbean? This super-casual place is a favourite of the yachties and has the laid-back vibe that is only found in the Caribbean. Friday nights with the reggae band is the perfect way to start the weekend - and the pizzas are great, despite not being cooked in a wood-fired oven.
Photo by wEnDaLicious
# 5 TGI Fridays (Amador Causeway, Panama)
Not something you’d usually find on a list of culinary delights, it’s the setting of this TGI Fridays which stands out. At the start of the Amador Causeway, the terrace at TGI’s overlooks the entrance to the Panama Canal from the ocean - sipping an ice cold beer as the sun goes down is one of our fondest memories of the past 2 years. And it’s not like the food at TGI’s is completely inedible either 
#6 Wellbeing Natural Medicine Tea House (Muizenberg, South Africa)
This was our ‘local’ for 3 months the first time we came to South Africa and it is a gem of a place. It’s the place to head when you’re feeling stressed and want an oasis of calm - and Hassan (the Australian owner) makes organic artisan breads (which seem to be really taking off). Come for breakfast and have the scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms and onions on toast with organic coffee or speciality green teas.
#7 La Sagesse (Grenada, West Indies)
With a view to die for, La Sagesse is slightly off the beaten track but well worth the visit. Try the fish sandwich which oozes garlic butter - don’t bother washing your hands though, just head straight for a dip in the sea.
#8 Caffe Accademia (Citta di Castello, Italy)
For authentic, Italian in Tuscany, try Caffe Academia which has live music on Thursday evenings. As my Dad lives in this area, we’ve tried plenty of ‘authentic’ trattorias and restaurants and this is one of the best.
#9 Olsen (Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires)
If you get tired of the world’s best beef whilst in Buenos Aires, go to Olsen’s for something completely different. Scandinavian-style and seafood-based, it makes a nice change from beef, pizza and ice cream.
#10 La Vecchia Osteria (Monterchi, Italy)
Another authentic (real) Italian trattoria with a small outdoor terrace for balmy summer evenings. The food is plentiful and served on large platters - which is why I like it!
Photo by benjieordonez
#11 Rockfish (Phuket, Thailand)
Yet another restaurant with a fabulous view - but this time overlooking Kamala Beach on Phuket. The food is a funny sort of East/West fusion but very tasty and it’s yet another great place for a sun-downer.
#12 Ile de Pain (Knysna, South Africa)
Great coffee, great breads. This is the perfect place for a brunch, a snack or light lunch in another beautiful location perfect for a post-prandial walk.
Photo by Caro Wallis
#13 Mem Saab (Nottingham, UK)
We love curries and have tried numerous Indian restaurants around the world which all claim to be “the best outside of India”. Strangely, the best one we’ve tried and always go back to happens to be in our home town of Nottingham. It reaches a perfect middle-ground between haute Indian cuisine and hot-but-no-subtle-flavour curry houses.
#14 Firefly (Knysna, South Africa)
This is probably the 2nd best curry restaurant we’ve eaten at. Firefly is the cutest restaurant ever. It’s like eating in the front room of someone’s house and the real log fire is perfect for a cosy, winter’s evening.
The dishes are ranked by a heat scale - although despite usually being complete wimps in this area, a month in Thailand had obviously trained (numbed) our taste buds and the level 8 dish we tried was surprisingly bearable - and totally delicious. As with many restaurants in South Africa, one of the best aspects is the price - world class food and wine for almost a third of what you’d pay in the US or UK.
Photo by avlyxz
#15 Leaves Tea Lounge (Grosvenor House Hotel, Dubai)
Afternoon tea is available at all the big hotels in Dubai - it’s just one of those things. As with almost everything there right now, demand exceeds supply and prices are rising ridiculously. The afternoon tea at the Leaves Tea Lounge however is still very reasonably priced and far lower than many hotels in Dubai. Whilst there’s not much of a view to look at yet, you can see the trunk of the famous Palm if you sit outside on the terrace - although if you’re not enthused by building sites and cranes, stay inside the comfortable lounge.
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Hi
This is so interesting as I live in Knysna. ile de pain and Firefly are also MY favourite restaurants, but next time you are in Knysna, please try Zachary’s at Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa which is fine dining but the chef is a slow food fan and uses organic ingredients wherever possible.
Thanks Jeannine - glad you approve of Ile de Pain & Firefly!! Will def try Zachary’s next time we’re that way…I know who did the interior design for that so would be great to see it too!!
the brunch @ olsen in BsAs is delicious (http://tinyurl.com/6q9sko
) - never been there for dinner tho!
thank you for including us in your funky list of places to eat. love the way you do “business”. markus
What a different post in this blog — I really enjoyed it since I’m a foodie, too.
Food is a big part of travelling and I, too, delight in finding unexpected gems.
thank you, Lea & Jonathan! we are glad you had a lekker time. happy eating and discoveries wherever you go.yum!
Yu Ming Lui - glad you liked it; it is a slightly different post for us but good to mix it up sometimes!
Markus & Liezie (Ile de Pain), Dell & Sanchia (Firefly) - did Jeannine tell you that you were on here? How did you find out?!? However it was, thanks for stopping by and thanks for the delicious food!
Hi Lea and Jonathan!
You are pretty dead on about the street vendors in San Telmo, Buenos Aires! One of my favorite restaurants is in that same market area: Let me know what you think about the blog I wrote on it: http://igobuenosaires.wordpress.com/category/restaurants/
Cheers!