Barbra Austin

I almost didn’t go to this restaurant. And then I went twice.

When I thought about what I might eat in Hong Kong, I thought about street food, noodles, dumplings, BBQ pork, and dim sum. Michelin stars, many-course menus and molecular gastronomy were not at the top of my list.

Martha Sherpa runs a tight ship.

I initially impressed her when I produced some properly sliced ginger. She held up my translucent pieces to the other students and nodded approvingly in my direction. But then it was time to de-bone chickens.

La Dolce Vita, indeed.

In Paris there is an endless quest to find the perfect bistro or classic brasserie, but in Lyon there’s another B-word: Bouchon.

Anyone with a sweet tooth would do well to head to Lyon tout de suite.

Heaven.

…It’s (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and) Saturday night.

There aren’t any foods that I particularly miss when I’m in France, but I do miss certain restaurants: Barbuto, of course, and also The Little Owl where, at lunch, a glorious bacon cheeseburger can be had.

Memorial Day weekend is considered the unofficial start of summer, but if anything is clear after a walk around the Greenmarket this morning, it is that spring has sprung.

One look at La Bergamote’s shiny glazed fruit tarts, tall dark chocolate cakes, glittering pates de fruits, piles of crisp meringue clouds, plump religieuses and golden brioches, and I am transported.