GOOD KAI

Bonj Les Bain, Hvar, Hvar Island It's a heck of a lot easier to get to Hvar now there are plenty of direct flights from the UK to Split (the mainland city - an hour ferry ride from Hvar Island). Just a few years ago we had to go via Germany and our luggage was misplaced somewhere in Frankfurt (I discovered later that luggage often goes missing when passing through Germany) and spending days in the same clothes and having to arrange to get our luggage to an Island on the Dalmation Coast was quite the task. Alas, there was no problem, and the ferry crossing from Split to Hvar Island was quite pleasant, before it was uncomfortably rammed of people with barely room to sit and no air conditioning in 35+ degree heat. Hvar Island, Croatia All of these positives do have a down side though.... there a far more people going to Hvar now and I was glad we headed over later in the season, September, when the crowds have mostly gone and the weather is still fabulous - around 30 de...

Sicilian Salami Platter, Mosaico - Whitton UPDATE: Since writing this blog Mosaico have updated their pizza menu and unfortunately the size of their pizzas have now halved without a price reduction. I'm not sure if this is a mistake but I will be trying to contact them to find out more and if what we experienced was just a once off error. I've been popping in to Mosaico for sometime now, an Italian cafe/restaurant located across from the station on Whitton High Street, and while I enjoy their food, it appears to be taking sometime for the Whitton folk to appreciate how good and genuinely Italian the food is at Mosaico. Despite this, they are now gaining more adopters and hopefully more momentum because as I have discovered, the food is different and worth checking out. At Mosaico, you can get Sicilian salami served simply, with olive oil, a few cherry tomatoes, a few greens and a delicious pizza bread.  They have a nice beetroot salad - also quite simple, and if I...

Main Stage, Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire Boy were there a lot of blurry eyed folk on Monday morning after the last night of festivities at this years Wilderness festival. It is no wonder. The people behind the festival tout it as a weekend of revelry and rest - equal amounts of outdoor leisure with late night partying, seems legitimate. Although what attracted me to this particular festival was the line-up of literary art, theatre, talks and debates, culinary experiences and so much more and topped up with headline, act Robert Plant. David Bowie Tribute, Wilderness Festival The festival is positioned next to a landscape of small lakes and valleys, all contained within 1700 acres of land, forest and family home of the Rotherwick family also known as The Cornbury Estate in Oxfordshire. It certainly made for interesting camping as a lot of the sites were sloping and I battled gravity most nights, just trying to prevent myself from sliding out the tent door. Great wea...

The Lobster Shack, Whitstable This is my second visit to Whitstable after more or less writing off any chance of getting haute oysters in the UK, (being from NZ home of the world re-noun Bluff Oysters) but thankfully after trying these earlier in the year I've been a fan of Whitstable oysters ever since. They're just how I like them, white meaty flesh with oodles of liquor. Whitstable Oysters from The Lobster Shack, Whitstable It's particularly busy on the occasion as it is during Whistable's oyster fest, an annual event celebrating their coveted oysters. I however, still make my way to the best spot to enjoy oysters - The Lobster Shack. It is tucked away behind most of the main thoroughfare, and despite this, it still manages to pull a sizeable crowd. Lobster Shack has a no thrills approach, they have shared bench seating as well as outdoor eating with lovely views out to the water. That's because its all about fresh seafood.  Enjoying bubbles a...

Pinchos Galore, Nagusia Lav Bar, San Sebastian One of the best things about San Sebastian apart from the huge beach-front, is their small bites or Pintxos (Pinchos) Bars throughout the Old Town. San Sebastian itself has had quite a destructive history with most of the city destroyed in battle around the early 1800's. As a result a lot of the reconstructed stone architecture is relatively young compared to other European towns. The folk in San Sebastian pride themselves on their culinary skills, and boast to have around eight michelin star restaurants - although you wont find many in the town itself, its still pretty good numbers for a small city. Outside one of many bars, Nagusia Bar, San Sebastian So with eating Pinchos, the idea is that you have 1-3 Pinchos preferably with a small glass of wine at each bar and repeat this process until your heart is content (well actually it was supposed to be a light snack in between meals) - sounds great right?  It is, and I did ...

Hotel Marquez De Riscal, Elciego, Spain This stunning and venturesome hotel building is home to Marquez De Riscal Hotel & Winery and was designed by distinguished Canadian architect, Frank Gehry - the same chap behind the world's architecturally celebrated Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. We had travelled from London to Hotel Marquez de Riscal for a wedding that same afternoon. After what most brits have described an abysmal start to the UK summer, we were excited for the sun, celebrations and Marquez de Riscal's very own wine and food (their main restaurant currently holds one michelin star).  Lunch from the wine bar, Marquez De Riscal, Elciego It is quite a magnificent and honestly obtrusive structure, situated at the foot of a small town bordering the Rioja wine country, yet despite this - it doesn't feel out of place. It's truly awesome when you approach the Hotel and once arrived, there are spaces everywhere where you can enjoy vistas across to the m...

Caribbean Restaurant, Turtle Bay in Staines Upon Thames The chap behind successful restaurant chain Las Iguana's is opening a new Caribbean styled restaurant just a few train stops from Twickenham, in Staines (Upon Thames). This was a fantastic opportunity to check out eats on the other side of my normal route, and on this occasion with fellow foodie blogger msfoodblogger.com. The restaurant's food takes influences from all around the Caribbean so there is a real eclectic element to their menu. Central Bar, Shack Dining Area - Turtle Bay Restaurant, Staines After a wee trek around staines High St, ok we got lost, but we made it in plenty time to enjoy a few cocktails before tucking into a banquet of their dauntlessly spiced food.  It really blows me away at how these folk set up these restaurants, hire and train staff in record time and above all manage to fit out the restaurants with fun atmosphere and great food at reasonable prices (Turtle Bay reackon you can get ...