Hostaria Osottoosopra, Venice

Friends had recommended Hostaria Osottoosopra to us and finally we were going to check this place out for a very late lunch. Tripadvisor (#26 of 1,323 Restaurants in Venice, certificate of excellence) seemed to agree with our friends’ opinion. The slightly odd-looking name is pidgeon Italian for “Below and Above,” referring to the two floors. Osottoosopra is just across the Canale Grande from Palazzina Grassi (even though a fair walking distance, unless you hop on a boat), where we had enjoyed brunch the previous day (blog post here). This is where the three neighbourhoods of San Marco, San Polo, and Dorsoduro touch. It is one of our favourite parts of Venice. Despite the physical proximity to San Marco you might find yourself walking along canals and down crooked alleyways for several minutes without spotting other human beings. Quite the opposite of super-busy San Marco. There are other quiet areas such […]

Continue Reading

You may also like

Bistro Mirey might be for you, if you love French breakfast with baked beans

UPDATE – Bistro Mirey permanently closed on 31st October 2019. We’ve just come back from a catch-up with good old friends, fellow food blogger Karen (The Veggie and I) and her husband at Bistro Mirey. Mirey is a Franco-Japanese bistro, which was opened in Fulham early last year by the professionally trained chef Gerald Mirey and former supper club originator Ko Ito. The restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside. It was empty when we arrived and slowly filled up to about one-third capacity while we were there. We liked the bright, friendly, relaxing vibes with a lot of wood. As a tall person, I have to say, that the legroom at all the tables is tiny (even though in some cases, you might be able to move the table away from the wall respectively the chairs away from the table). The service was very friendly, welcoming, and generally […]

Continue Reading

You may also like

Rick Stein Sandbanks – Delicious Seafood in a Great Atmosphere

During our recent visit to Sandbanks/Poole we enjoyed a lovely meal at Rick Stein Sandbanks. We had been to several of the dozen big and small places Christopher Richard Stein, CBE, owns in “Padstein” (i.e. Padstow in Cornwall). Our expectations were relatively manageable. But it turned out to be a very pleasant late lunch for a very reasonable price. Sandbanks is very expensive, local residents include several A-listers, formerly also the Beckhams. We ended up paying £54.30 for the two of us, including a bottle of sparkling water. We thoroughly enjoyed the casual, relaxed, friendly, bright, warm, stylish atmosphere and vibes of the main dining hall. It was very windy, so we were glad to be seated inside, even though on a calmer day the outside terrace would have been perfect. After short deliberation, Ms B opted for clams with XO sauce and fish & chips, I went for “fish […]

Continue Reading

You may also like

M Grill Victoria

One of my major client contracts in my day job as regulatory consultant had just been extended for another year a few days ago after 6 weeks of relative limbo and just a few days’ work here and there. So Ms B & I decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal at M Victoria’s Grill, or “M Grill.” We had visited (and blogged about) it before, so we knew that we’d enjoy it. Former thespian and current CEO of M Restaurant London, Martin Williams, founded the group in November 2014 with the opening of the first M restaurant in Threadneedle Street (followed by M Victoria in December 2015 and shortly after by M Twickenham), after having been Gaucho’s Managing Director for nine years. (He has just returned as part-time advisor to Gaucho besides his day job at M to help save the embattled steakhouse chain that has recently been […]

Continue Reading

You may also like

The Queen’s Head in Stow-on-the-Wold

During our recent trip to the Cotswolds Ms B and I stopped at the Queen’s Head Inn in Stow-on-the-Wold to grab a quick bite. The pub, located in a beautiful old building on the Square, is owned by the Donnington Brewery, ranked #9 out of 30 Stow restaurants on Tripadvisor, with a Certificate of Excellence thrown in on top for good measure.      We ordered fish of the week (£13.95), pan-fried salmon with boiled potatoes in this case, and an 8oz Ribeye Steak with chips (£16). We enjoyed our meals in the yard outside on the back of the building. Both the salmon and the steak were decent, nothing out of the ordinary, but pleasant enough. We loved the old building and the quirky way in which it is decorated inside, including, among others a massive porcelain Queen’s head statue. Service was quick and friendly.    Looking for more […]

Continue Reading

You may also like

1 2 3 15