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Food

My top three places for brunch in Sydney

With extortionate wine prices at most Sydney’s restaurants (made worst by a weak British pound), brunch seems the perfect choice when in Australia. Almost all casual restaurants and coffee places offer an all-day breakfast and brunch menu. Perfect for all lifestyles. Below are three of my favourite ones.

Smoked trout salad at Toby’s Estate in Chippendale, Sydney.

Toby’s Estate prides itself to offer amazingly freshly brewed coffee at 32-36 City Road, Chippendale NSW 2008. They are well known for their coffee roasting techniques and serve coffee from Toby’s farm in Panama. Together with the best coffee, they offer a fine brunch menu. I loved their smoked trout salad

Avocado on sourdough bread with toasted kale and poached egg served at Paddock in Surrey Hills.

Paddock on Crown (@paddockoncrown) is another of my favourite breakfast spots. Not only do they have wifi, (far less common in Sydney then you would expect) it’s just great sitting on their small terrace on Crown Street and watch passers-by. I am a huge fan of their kale and avocado toast with eggs. Find Paddock on 509 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Brunch with kale and poached eggs at Brewtown in Newtown.

Another fun area to head for brunch in Sydney is Newtown. I love the village-like atmosphere and some of the shops there. My favourite place to hang out in Newtown is Brewtown on 6-8 O’Connell Street, Newtown, NSW 2042.

April 30, 2017 by Martina Bohn

Octopus dish with gnocchi at Oviedo restaurant

Food

My favourite three seafood restaurants in Buenos Aires

Despite Argentina’s fame for steaks, my favourite restaurants in Buenos Aires served amazing seafood dishes. Below are my top three.

Oviedo in Recoleta is a lovely neighbourhood restaurant, offering great service in an upmarket setting. I loved the octopus starter dish and their impressive selection of fish for mains. It feels a bit old fashioned but in a cute way. Find the restaurant at Antonio Beruti 2602, 1425 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.

Octopus dish with gnocchi

Hake fish with pak choi and tomatoes, a main dish at Oviedo restaurant

For the most hip atmosphere and superb dishes, Proper in Palermo gets my vote. From the outside it’s hidden when closed and looks more like a garage than a restaurant, but once open, it’s buzzing and quickly fills up around a large communal table. All food are prepared in the open-plan kitchen at the back of the restaurant. Everything is beautifully put together and served by cool staff. If you haven’t got a reservation, get there when it opens around 8pm. Find it at Aráoz 1676 in Palermo, for reservations call + 54 11 4831-0027.

Delicious squid dish at Proper restaurant

Delicious squid at Proper restaurant in Palermo

Dessert at Proper restaurant in Buenos Aires

Devine chocolate mousse served at Proper

Another restaurant with great ambience is La Mar in Palermo Soho offering several different ceviches. I loved their garden courtyard, which is a great evening spot to enjoy a pisco sour to start your meal. Find it at Arévalo 2024, cross road with Nicaragua.

Ceviche with mixed seafood at the La Mar restaurant in Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires

Oh and by the way, all of the above restaurants are also offering meat dishes. And of course, I had some amazing steaks in Argentina, the quality of the cuts are fantastic, but I was getting very frustrated by the lack of ‘rare’ done steaks. I am yet to discover rare cooked meat in Argentina. For now, my advice is, always order ‘rare’ or ‘raro’ and you might end up with a medium cooked piece of meat.

February 7, 2017 by Martina Bohn

Food

Top 3 places in London to eat grilled octopus

So I am a little obsessed in finding the best grilled octopus dishes. Some of the softest, most tender and delicious octopus I ate, is in Portugal, like at The Decadente in Lisbon or the Book in Porto, but short of jetting off to Portugal for a quick food fix, here are my top 3 places in London for grilled tender octopus.

At the Lurra restaurant near Marble Arch

The Lurra restaurant at 9 Seymour Place, London, W1H 5BA is a Spanish restaurant offering Basque dishes. Their soft grilled octopus comes with a piquillo sauce – spicy and divine. Try the courgette flowers too whilst you there.

At the Barbary restaurant in Covent Garden

At the Barbary restaurant at 16 Neal’s Yard, London, WC2H 9DP food is cooked right in front of you in their open kitchen. It’s a great intimate place, sadly like many other London restaurants, it takes no bookings, so be prepared to wait. If you manage to get a seat, the team behind the acclaimed Soho restaurant The Palomar, offer beautiful North African and Mediterranean dishes like grilled monkfish, kohlrabi salad and freshly baked Yemenite Kubaneh bread. Their octopus dish is served with chickpeas on a labneh base – delicious and so tender.

At the Oval Space Terrace in Hackney

Just opened the Summer Terrace at the Oval Space in Hackney, at 29-32 The Oval, London, E2 9DT, is serving Mediterranean food with an Israeli twist. Their Chef-In-Residence, Oded Oren, is serving several of my favourite Israeli dishes, like grilled cauliflower with labneh, smoked aubergine and tahini. If the sun is out, their open air summer terrace is a fantastic chill-out place.

Great summer hang-out if the sun is shining at the Oval Space in Hackney

Great summer hang-out, the Oval Space Terrace in Hackney

Looking out to this huge gasometer at the Oval Space Terrace

Looking out at this huge gasometer at the Oval Space Terrace

June 29, 2016 by Martina Bohn