Follow in the footsteps of foodies …
PETER HOGAN & JUMOKE AKINTOLA, co-owners and chef (Jumoke), Fish Shop, Dublin and The Beach House, Tramore “We used to live in London and go there to eat a few times a year. Every trip includes a visit to the French House in Soho. On the last trip we ate at Anna Tobias’ Café Deco in Bloomsbury. For fine dining we love The Clove Club in Shoreditch (two Michelin stars) and The River Café is still the place for the best food in London. London is brilliant for Turkish, Vietnamese, Indian and African food. In Venice recently, Alle Testiere was amazing. Money no object? Tokyo is next on the list for the honeymoon we never had. Realistically? Paris.”
CUAN GREENE, chef “I was in Valencia recently and embraced the custom of almuerzo – a second breakfast/early lunch, served from around 10am which might include wine or beer but often features a huge calamari sandwich, followed by coffee, perhaps laced with something. Valencia is where paella was invented and the soccaret is the best there is. For high-end fine dining, I would pick the Faroe Islands. The landscape is like something out of Jurassic Park and the population of just 50,000 live in tiny hamlets. Koks is a Faviken-style Michelin two-star restaurant where the menu features fermented whale and airdried lamb. It’s really good.”
GRAINNE O’KEEFFE, chef-proprietor, Mae, Dublin 4 “Paris is the go-to for me when I’m looking for great food. An ideal trip would start at Bistrot Paul Bert for classic, great quality food, usually a steak tartare and a side of girolles laced with garlic butter. Next on to Clamato for a fish sandwich and the treacle tart. My favourite wine bar in Paris is Chez Nous, with its incredible selection of wines and some very lovely grower champagnes. There are a lot of restaurants in Paris that I have yet to try. I’m usually there Sunday/Monday – a lot of restaurants close on those days. I’d like to try Hélène Darroze and L’Ambroisie. I recommend using the Michelin guide to find some great value Bib Gourmand restaurants, often better value than the starred restaurants.”
MICHELLE AND GREG BOWE, The Greedy Couple website “We always made food central to our holidays pre-children and saw no reason to change once we had Amy and Emma. We recently planned a trip to Copenhagen around a booking at Noma. We got a babysitter for the girls for that meal, but brought them to all the others. We love fine dining, so we always fit in one ‘experience’. Each day we do one proper meal which we book in advance, and the rest of the time it’s snacks or pizza. We’ve been to San Sebastian six or seven times – you can eat tapas and pintxos all day for nothing, and there are also serious Michelin-starred restaurants. The kids loved the grilled fish at Elkano in Getaria. Even if they don’t love the food, they love being waited upon!”
LOVETHEGLOSS.IE?
Sign up to our MAILING LIST now for a roundup of the latest fashion, beauty, interiors and entertaining news from THE GLOSS MAGAZINE’s daily dispatches.