There’s something magical about waking up in a new city or country and starting the day with an unforgettable—and ideally unfamiliar—breakfast. Whether buffet-style and casual with a cornucopia of local dishes to choose from or served à la carte on gleaming china by bowtied waiters, the best hotel breakfasts elevate the entire travel experience. Our far-reaching network of staff and contributors knows that better than anyone, so we asked them to share their most memorable morning meals at hotels around the globe. Next time you’re planning a trip to Istanbul, Dublin, Hong Kong, or elsewhere, let this list light the way to breakfasts that are well worth plodding downstairs for.

Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid – Madrid, Spain

If you’re lucky enough to stay at Madrid’s most historic luxury hotel, which in 2021 underwent a $115 million renovation, you’ll be pampered at all hours—including breakfast. Served in an all-white dining room beneath twinkling antique chandeliers, the dishes on offer satisfy any morning hankering, be it for eggs Benedict, chicken congee, tortilla española, or an all-out “Royal Breakfast” complete with osetra caviar and Moët et Chandon Brut Impérial Champagne. —Benjamin Kemper, Senior Editor

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Hotel Arbaso – San Sebastián, Spain

Every morning at dawn, while hotel guests are sound asleep, a Basque farmer named Jexux drops off the morning’s supply of eggs, gathered at his nearby caserío (traditional farmhouse). Like everything on the breakfast menu, the eggs are prepared à la carte and served by cheery waiters who flit around the white-tablecloth dining room. I always come back to the huevos Narru, accompanied by Ibérico pork head cheese and hollandaise. Homemade brownies, almond cake, and a range of lighter options (avocado toast, local Goenaga yogurt, etc.) are also on offer. —B.K.

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Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong – Hong Kong, China

When photographer and SAVEUR contributor Heami Lee was on assignment in Hong Kong, she became smitten with this luxury hotel chain’s breakfast menu. With American, continental, and Hong Kong-inspired dishes to choose from, there was never a dull moment in the culinary department. After all, who wouldn’t want to jump-start their day with a steaming basket of hand-pleated dim sum or a bowl of bouncy wok-fried noodles? —B.K.

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Rooms Hotel Batumi – Batumi, Georgia

The most buzzed-about hotel in Georgia, in the Black Sea resort of Batumi, has one of the country’s most memorable breakfast spreads. In the high-ceilinged, industrial-chic restaurant, outfitted with blond wood booths, swivel diner stools, and a wood-fire oven, choose from a smorgasbord of khachapuri, fresh salads and vegetables, seasonal fruit, smoked fish, and made-to-order coffee. Insider tip: Chatty waitstaff are quick to offer in-the-know recommendations on where to have your next meal. —B.K.

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Hotel Pacai – Vilnius, Lithuania

This stately property in the fairy-tale Old Town is a smoked meat mecca: There are ribbons of salty ham and a multitude of traditional Baltic-style sausages, all redolent of black pepper and alder wood. Those cold cuts, heaped onto buttered Lithuanian black bread and topped with pickles and grainy mustard, made for a palate-jolting breakfast I won’t soon forget. —B.K.

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The Shelbourne – Dublin, Ireland

Room service is one of life’s greatest pleasures, especially if you’re staying at The Shelbourne and sitting down to a full Irish breakfast in a plush hotel robe. All the classic fry-up components are expertly prepared at this 200-year-old Dublin hotel and delivered on a handsome silver tray: eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon, sausages, and both black and white pudding. Accompanied by toast with plenty of that famed Irish butter and washed down with a cup of strong black tea, it’s a hearty, satisfying way to start the morning—just the fuel you need as you look out the window at St. Stephen’s Green, the lush, leafy Victorian park across the street, and get ready for another idyllic day in Dublin. —Frances Kim, Digital Director

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The St. Regis Chicago – Chicago, Illinois

Japanese breakfasts are hard to come by at U.S. hotels these days, so I was thrilled to encounter such a well-executed one at the St. Regis Chicago’s Miru restaurant. Dubbed the Tokyo Breakfast, the colorful, well-balanced spread includes succulent grilled salmon, fluffy rice sprinkled with furikake, miso soup, nori, tsukemono (Japanese pickles), and for the pièce de résistance, a poached egg perched atop a bed of dashi-soaked ikura. The move is to slide the wobbly egg and glistening salmon roe on top of your rice, break the yolk, and go to town. Despite the abundance of flavors and textures on the table, the meal still manages to feel light and restorative. While I was tempted by the other Japanese-inflected dishes on the menu (think steak and eggs with shisho chimichurri and buttermilk pancakes with whipped yuzu ricotta), it’s the Tokyo Breakfast I could eat every day—or at the very least, on every visit to Chicago. –F.K.

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21c Museum Hotel St. Louis – St. Louis, Missouri

The 21c Museum Hotels might be best known for their extensive contemporary art collection, but I’m pleased to report that the St. Louis location is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, thanks to their Spain-meets-Midwest restaurant, Idol Wolf. While restaurants often treat brunch as an afterthought, executive chef Matthew Daughaday puts the same care into the menu in the morning that he does at night, staying true to traditional tapas such as pan con tomate and tortilla española while introducing new favorites like a dynamite smash burger loaded with Spanish blue cheese, fig jam, and smoked paprika aïoli. Since Idol Wolf is only open for brunch on the weekends—and often packed with locals and visitors alike—rest assured that there’s another excellent breakfast option on the same floor of the hotel: Good Press Café, where you can get smoothies or pastries on the go or linger over soft scrambled eggs with feta and mojo verde or French toast with apple butter and cider caramel. –F.K.

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Enchantment Resort – Sedona, Arizona

Talk about breakfast with a view! It doesn’t get more stunning than starting your day dining at Che Ah Chi, which feels like it’s carved into Sedona’s Boynton Canyon itself. Try to snag an outdoor table or a seat by the window so you can really take in the magnificent vistas of the red rock formations. Once you pick your jaw up off the floor, order the huevos rancheros with chorizo, Oaxaca cheese, black beans, and avocado, or the croissant breakfast sandwich with bacon, eggs, and prickly pear-jalapeño jam. All the dishes on the menu highlight local Arizona ingredients and are generously portioned, so you’ll have plenty of energy to explore the towering buttes and dramatic cliffs surrounding you after your meal. –F.K.

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The Fifth Avenue Hotel – Manhattan, New York

Breakfast at Manhattan’s opulent Fifth Avenue Hotel is served at Café Carmellini, and much like its downtown sister restaurant, Lafayette Grand Café & Bakery, Café Carmellini’s grand open dining room is ideal for celebratory brunches and posh weekday work meetups alike. The à la carte menu features elevated takes on crowd-pleasing classics—think brioche French toast, salmon Benedict with caviar, and steel-cut oatmeal with stewed cherries and Sicilian pistachios—and the over-the-top breakfast trolley, kitted out with housemade pastries, viennoiseries, cultured butter, and preserves, is a particular delight. —Kat Craddock, Editor-in-Chief/CEO

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Rixos Tersane Istanbul – Istanbul, Turkey

The Turks are famous for their elaborate breakfasts, but the buffet at this waterfront Istanbul property takes the morning meal to another level of opulence. Stations devoted to regional confections such as lokum and cevizli sucuk (walnut strands dipped in thickened grape juice), fresh and dried fruit, hot egg dishes like menemen and omelets, Turkish cheeses and charcuterie, honeycomb, olives, sushi, and pastries make tough work for the indecisive. In my fog of jet lag, I kept things simple, piling a plate with kaymak (Turkish clotted cream), local breads, and the biggest, jammiest medjool dates I’ve ever seen. —K.C.

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Château de Théoule – Théoule-sur-Mer, France

Last summer, I spent a few nights in this seaside charmer on the French Riviera’s Port de Théoule sur Mer. The elegant Bar du Château and several of the boutique hotel’s rooms are situated in a stone 17th-century soap factory, while the newer portion houses a hammam and Mareluna, the Château’s Mediterranean fine dining concept helmed by Ducasse-trained Italian chef Francesco Fezza. While you don’t want to miss Fezza’s exceptional bread program and artful cheese service, this time of year I crave only the quietly luxurious breakfast: dainty warm croissants, fresh fruit, and coffee—served along the bar’s sunny terrace overlooking the sea. —K.C.

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The Chanler at Cliff Walk – Newport, Rhode Island

After putting the finishing touches on SAVEUR’s first relaunch issue at our printer in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, I went straight to this recently renovated historic Newport property to catch up with my cousin Justine over sweets and champagne from matching canopied princess beds. When morning rolled around, we shuffled up to the hotel’s main building for breakfast and watched a snowstorm tumble into the Atlantic from inside Cara, the hotel’s stately cliffside restaurant. Cara’s dinner service is exclusively a six-course blind tasting from chef Jacob Jasinski, but breakfast is a more relaxed affair peppered with local and seasonal specialties like Kenyon’s Grist Mill Johnny cakes, house-cured salmon, black currant mimosas, cheese rösti, and winter crêpes. While the Chanler is typically booked solid in the warmer months, I’ll certainly be back this season for another quiet winter stay. —K.C.

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Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi – Hanoi, Vietnam

I recently stayed at this landmark Hanoi hotel built in 1901, and breakfast was one of the many highlights. It’s served in Le Club Bar, an open, inviting space with dark wood and Indochine details. While both the Western breakfast classics and Chinese dim sum were well-executed, I was really there for the Vietnamese breakfast. It was my first time encountering a pho and banh cuon station—I was mesmerized by the fresh rice roll batter being poured into a flat skillet and the air filled with wafts of star anise and charred onion from the simmering pho broth as I chose my protein and accompaniments for each dish. I also enjoyed two other Viet specialties, banh da lon (pandan and mung bean cakes) and banh it (sticky rice dumplings with savory beans and meat), the colorful array of freshly cut tropical fruits, and, of course, Hanoi’s famous egg coffee. —Kate Berry, Contributing Editor

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Passalacqua – Lake Como, Italy

At this 18th-century hotel on the shores of Lake Como, breakfast is served in the sumptuous main villa. While you can order à la carte, the lavish buffet beckons with not one but two whole rooms: The first boasts a large marble island brimming with pastries, muesli, granola, and fresh and poached fruits, plus a counter lined with smoked and tinned fish, and salads of all stripes. The second offers every type of cheese and charcuterie you can imagine and is complete with a cook standing by for your egg order. Whether you choose to dine on the terrace overlooking the lake or in one of the many jewel-box dining rooms (I can attest that they’re all magical in their own ways), you’ll be treated to beautiful white linens and Ginori 1735 china. Every table gets its own three-tiered dessert stand laden with tiramisù, cream puffs, and other Italian pastries (on more Ginori, too!). Best of all, the service is A+—I’ve been back for two seasons, and the server remembered me! —Kate Berry, Contributing Editor

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The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston – Houston, Texas

When in Texas, go for any dish that includes housemade tortillas. Happily, the migas at Bloom & Bee—in the luxurious Post Oak Hotel where we hosted our most recent issue launch party—did not disappoint. This is well-balanced Tex-Mex at its best: eggs scrambled with tortilla chips and diced green chiles, garnished with cojita cheese and pickled red onions, and served with a side of warm flour tortillas. On my last morning in Houston, I loved assembling my own breakfast tacos, topping each bite with generous spoonfuls of black bean and corn salsa. —Jessica Carbone, Books Editor

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The Hoxton, Williamsburg – Brooklyn, New York

Step below grade at The Hoxton in Williamsburg for a gorgeous morning start at K’Far, inspired by chef Mike Solomonov’s namesake hometown in Israel. This all-day café offers an alfresco atmosphere year-round. As the type of person who needs to ease into mornings, I found K’Far’s calming greenhouse-like solarium—with stacking glass doors open to the energy of the neighborhood above—a perfect pacesetter. Choosing between a chavita (omelet) with Tunisian-spiced mushrooms or shakshuka with crispy fried onions is my ideal daybreak decision. I went with the latter and savored every last bit of charred-tomato goodness with fluffy pita—and highly recommend you do the same. —Stephanie Pancratz, Managing Director, Editorial Operations

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Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel – Los Angeles, California

Caldo Verde, Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel’s flagship restaurant, led by the James Beard Award-winning duo chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne, is Californian cuisine at its finest. For breakfast, I opted for the piri-piri avocado toast, which comes topped with burrata, cherry tomatoes, and radishes on grilled pumpernickel bread, and I added a soft-boiled egg for good measure. It was perfect and plenty filling as is, but I have no regrets about ordering a side of grilled blueberry boule with lemon butter—and you shouldn’t, either. —Toni-Ann Gardiner, Brand Partnerships Lead

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Le Meurice – Paris, France

The oeufs bénédictine (eggs Benedict) at Le Meurice in Paris almost made me weep. Poached to runny perfection and bundled in a pink blanket of wet-cured jambon de Paris—sourced from one of the last purveyors in the city—they were presented at my table on toasted pain de mie blanc, and only then the waiter smothered them with lemony hollandaise à la minute from a tiny copper saucepan. I can’t ever go back to plain old sunny side up. —Shane Mitchell, Editor-at-Large

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The Beaumont Mayfair – London, England

The Colony Grill at The Beaumont is where I sit down to London’s classiest and full(ish) English breakfast (no beans, sorry). But the silky Mangalitza black pudding more than compensates, paired with fried Arlington White eggs, sausage, tomato, and mushrooms. And the eye-opening Pick-Me-Up D.R. Harris & Co. cocktail bitters slipped into a blend of orange and carrot juices is the best way to start a jet-lagged day. —S.M

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Post House – Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

At Post House in the Old Village neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where the live oaks are draped with Spanish moss and pathways lead out to piers on the water, breakfast is a European-style plate of meats and cheeses, fluffy croissants, glistening fruits, and a hard-boiled egg served in its shell. On the weekends, it’s all delivered to your room in a red gingham-lined basket, for ultimate enjoyment swaddled in a cozy duvet. Whether you enjoy the spread in bed or in Post House’s cozy, light-flooded dining room, it’s the ideal sustenance for a leisurely day in Charleston. —Ellen Fort, Contributing Editor

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Paradero Todos Santos – Todos Santos, Mexico

It may sound weird, but the French toast at Paradero—an oasis of organic agriculture and wellness in Todos Santos, Mexico—is literally the best I’ve ever eaten in my life. —Thomas Payne, Visuals Director

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On occasion, I have landed in the lobby of Claridge’s Hotel, en route home after weeks somewhere back of beyond, tired and grimy, with a suitcase that looks like it got kicked by an elephant. But the peerless staff has never blinked; instead, I am always whisked upstairs to a hot bath and a soothing bowl of “chicken elixir.” This consommé has settled my constitution after bumpy long haul flights and nourished after meager meals in less fortunate circumstances. Trust me, it is not soup from a can.

Like many of London’s other grand hotels—Savoy, Dorchester, Connaught, Brown’s—Claridge’s maintains a dining tradition once favored by titled aristocracy and Golden Age film stars. (Queen Victoria ate here in 1860. Everyone else who wanted to be treated like royalty soon followed.) In the hotel’s art deco Foyer restaurant, formally attired waiters still swirl between tables draped in the starchiest linens, remove polished cloches warming emerald green bone china, deliver tiered trays of raisin-studded scones, spoon Cumberland sauce from miniature copper pots, steer a trolley laden with a large joint of English beef.

Even at my scruffiest, I have been wooed by this throwback glamor in an era when the majority of my dining experiences qualify as fast casual. So I was equally charmed when the hotel recently published Claridge’s, The Cookbook, co-authored by Meredith Erickson and head chef Martyn Nail, which codifies the dining room’s classical repertoire of game pie, lobster Thermidor, sole meuniére, and Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding. A shy man in a proper toque blanche who has presided over Claridge’s kitchens and larder for more than 30 years, Nail keeps a portrait of Auguste Escoffier in his office. His staff includes a tourier from Dijon and a juicer nicknamed Vlad the Reviver. Butter is handmade by a pair of Swedes known as the Buttervikings on the Isle of Wight. Hunters deliver red grouse and woodcock to his door. His tea guru sources the most rare loose leaf. He shares all of these appetizing details with us.

Paging through the chapters, beginning with breakfast kippers and ending with petit fours, is almost as good as checking into one of the David Linley-designed suites. The glossy photographs highlight plated dishes as well as back-of-house prep for signature experiences, including room service, afternoon tea, a dinner party for 100. We discover the proper time to hang partridge. The formula for a perfect tea sandwich: two-thirds bread, one third filling. The ritual mixing of Christmas pudding. Why shortbread biscuits are served at elevenses. A centerfold of classic cocktails, along with a bowl of puffed gougères, made me nostalgic for an evening once spent at Table 4 in The Fumoir, sipping saffron-infused Sidecars prior to a Philip Treacy show during Fashion Week. (I don’t always inhabit questionable back alleys; only most of the time.)

Perhaps what best illustrates this as an essential text, not just for cooking its old-school comfort food, but also for mastering modern British hospitality, is this passage on the art of carving:

Yes, we all do.

And while my home kitchen is not equipped to attempt Nail’s recipes for salmon en croute, hay smoked venison loin, or blueberry crème fraiche mousse—it requires professional pastry molds—I am pleased to learn from this book how to make one of the 164-year-old hotel’s best-kept secrets. Who cares if it takes five days? (Two for the stock, three for the finished consommé.) That elixir is finally mine. ​

The post The Claridge’s Cookbook is an Homage to the London Hotel’s Inimitable Grace—and a Treasure Trove of its Delicious Secrets appeared first on Saveur.

Looking at the particularly nasty political landscape of today, it might be tough to imagine politicians of opposing parties convening for a carefree evening of eating, drinking, and merriment. But it was not always the case that political discourse prevented civil, intelligent conversation off the floor. At London’s famed Savoy Hotel, resident archivist Susan Scott tells SAVEUR that often times lawmakers who were enemies in Parliament may have been friends in private. Such was the premise of the non-partisan supper club founded just after Christmas 1910 by legendary British statesmen Winston Churchill along with his friend and fellow politician F.E. Smith, later known as Lord Birkenhead.

Dubbed “The Other Club”—Parliament’s home at the Palace of Westminster being the club—the group convened for supper at the Savoy’s private Pinafore Room every Thursday while Parliament was in session. At first, membership was exclusive to politicians so long as they followed a few simple rules, including “no speeches” and “no politics,” and respected that the primary mission of the club was simply “to dine.” In order to ensure an equilibrium of ideas, Churchill and Smith initially invited an equal number of lawmakers from the Liberal and Conservative parties. After World War I, membership opened up to include politicians from the rising Labour Party, and over time, it was also extended notable representatives from the fields of the art and science, barring only members of the Church.

Churchill continued to attend dinners with The Other Club through World War II, during which the government food rations affected even the meals served in the hotel. His final attendance, according to Scott, was on December 10, 1964, which is also believed to be the last time he left his Hyde Park Gate home before his passing on January 25, 1965 following years of gradually declining health. Today, a bronze bust of the former prime minister is housed in the room—watching over the meetings that continue there today.

Scott explains that though rich in history, most of the information on The Other Club remains a mystery, by the club’s request, and that the Savoy offers only the closed-door location, service, and food—she also notes that it is not the only private supper club, nor the oldest, that convenes within its walls. The hotel declines to confirm who is and has been a member, except for a wall of photographs of British prime ministers who have elected to join, including Gordon Brown and Tony Blair (though it’s known that invitations were later extended to women, noticeably absent is Margaret Thatcher, for unknown reasons). A list released in the 1997 issue of UK newspaper The Times also revealed a number of other members including Prince Charles, journalist Max Hastings, and Churchill’s grandson Winston Spencer-Churchill.

So, what did such esteemed members of Britain’s elite dine on? Scott explains that while there isn’t any archival information on the menus, The Savoy Food and Drink book contains the below recipe for Churchill’s favorite “Essence De Pot-au-Feu Churchill,” suggesting it may have been one of the dishes served during his time there (he also had his own suite during World War II, where he came to find rest from his duties). Known for his hearty appetite, Churchill also loved fine cheeses—he had a particular affinity for the stinkier Stilton and Roquefort varieties—as well as Indian curry. It was likely a better menu than what you’ll find at Bohemian Grove in Sonoma County, America’s antecedent to the Other Club that was founded in 1872, where the main culinary attraction seems to be a full bar in every building.

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Move aside, whiskey. This month, London’s Notting Hill district welcomes The Distillery, a hotel dedicated to the production, consumption, and history of gin. Brought to life by the team behind Portobello Road Gin, it will also be home to the company’s distillery, two bars, a museum, and the already popular gin-making experience The Ginstitute.

Consider it the next step of an interactive distillery tour. As spirits producers look to ways to bring consumers more into the booze-making process, sleeping and eating in one may be the next logical step. Visitors can look in on the 400-liter copper alembic still located on site, and following the design-centric approach of boutique hotels these days, the three guest rooms, each designed by one of the company’s founders, come fitted with handmade record players and a minibar that skips the standard bottles for a focus on local craft spirits.

The hotel’s ground-floor bar will have more than gin (though there will be plenty of limited edition blends). Think experimental spirits like avocado- and olive-oil-infused vodkas, and barrels for aging spirits hanging right over the bar. A second bar takes a Spanish approach “gin tonics” served in the typical balloon-shaped goblets and plenty of Spanish small plates.

Still thirsty? Gin veterans may be interested in The Ginstitute, the famed immersive experience that allows guests to make their own personal blend of gin. There’s also a museum, which will showcase artifacts like the first-ever English cocktail book, and an on-site shop selling gin-soaked memorabilia and, of course, bottles of the stuff.

The Distillery may be the most gin-focused hotel in the world, but it’s far from the only drinking-centric hotel concept. Across the Atlantic in Louisville, Kentucky, which is to bourbon as the city of London is to gin, there’s no shortage of bourbon-themed hotels and B&Bs for thirsty travelers. And in Uruguay, Francis Mallmann’s Bodega Garzon is a hotel and restaurant combo all about open-fire cooking and opening your mind to Uruguayan wine.

The Distillery opens on Friday, December 16th at 186 Portobello Road. You can join the mailing list for a chance to nab one of those three rooms ahead of time.

The post This New London Hotel is Basically a Gin Theme Park appeared first on Saveur.

At the edge of the Angkor Wat temples, on the roadsides of a little village called Preah De, a morning ritual comes to life: the pilgrimage for a breakfast soup called num banh chok. It attracts Cambodians living in Siem Reap as much as the Angkorian ruins attract thousands of barang, or foreigners, every morning. So much so that at 6 a.m. the two crowds diverge on the roads according to their intentions, darkened temples or roadside restaurants. Preah De is considered the unofficial temple of Cambodia’s national dish, and under its awnings are humid stalls with cauldrons of broth—usually made with fish, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass—from which customers create their soup. Into a bowl go noodles, cucumbers, chiles, limes, hard-boiled eggs, various meats, herbs, wild leaves (often presented in a large plastic bag, for diners to add themselves), and a few steaming ladles of the stock. Crisp and fresh, it’s like eating a salad and a soup combined. I love sitting under the awnings in the rain sweating with a num. I once lived in Cambodia—my most recent novel, Hunters in the Dark, is set in the country—and though I’ve since relocated to Bangkok, from time to time, when the mood moves me, I book a plane ticket and head back. I still miss qualities of Khmer life that are hard to quantify: the slow, sensual pace, the hovering presence of the past, the vast skies filled with terrifying and beautiful butts. And, of course, the food. Situated between Thailand and Vietnam, the country combines elements from both in the kitchen: the liberal use of wildflowers and herbs, galangal and ginger, lemongrass and mint, tropical fruits and palm sugar, nuts, coconut cream, noodles, chiles, fresh green pepper, and lime. It’s less spicy than Thai, as subtly herbal as Vietnamese—and there is a trace of the departed French in its pastries and breads. Modern Cambodian dishes are descended (or so it’s claimed) from those eaten in the early days of the Khmer Empire, the great Angkorian kingdom of the 9th to 15th centuries, making them probably the oldest in all of Southeast Asia. It’s fitting, then, to take your morning soup in the shadow of Prasat Sour Prat towers that have been abandoned for 600 years. The num banh chok might be as old.

But in the 1970s the country was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, and all links to the past, culinary and otherwise, were severed. The recovery has been slow. Only now have generations with little firsthand experience of those events—and older people who remember them all too well but want to reach back into an even more distant past—taken over the nation’s gradual cultural rebirth. This quiet revival can be seen and felt in Khmer restaurants, and Siem Reap has emerged as the center of contemporary Khmer cuisine. Many of the Khmer young go to Phnom Penh to make their careers, and once there, often want to eat Western food. In Siem Reap, young Khmer chefs have more leeway to experiment—to revisit and reinterpret the classic, powerful Khmer dishes that have been around for centuries, some from the royal family’s tables; to use the vibrant local ingredients as inspiration; to explore their own heritage.

New Zealander Bruce Dunnet and his Khmer wife, Kethana, opened The Sugar Palm in 2006 in Siem Reap. Kethana grew up in the capital in the ’60s. Her father was a high-ranking official in the Forestry Department, which marked him for death when the Khmer Rouge swept into the city in 1975. Her six brothers and two sisters also disappeared without a trace. It’s a common trauma among Khmers of her age. She herself went to school in New Zealand in 1968 and didn’t come back until 1995. It saved her life.

Old World Meets New: Scenes from Siem Reap

City Limits, Num Banh Chok; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Kimsan Sisters, Amok

Chanrey Tree; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Raffles Hotel; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Kethana Dunnet’s Cooking School/The Old Market; Siem Reap, Cambodia

I met her at the restaurant’s first-floor bar to eat while she reminisced about the prewar era.

“We had the best music in Asia,” she told me. “The best urban lifestyle. You can’t imagine it.”

On the table was a version of prahok, the pungent condiment made from fermented fish, similar to ancient Roman garum. I was shown how to ladle it onto rounds of green tomato and cucumber and then a mound of rice, the pungency of the fermented fish—it has a wild whiff of ripe Camembert—toned down by palm sugar, chiles, and fresh coconut. A little while later, a tangy fish salad, pleah tray, arrived, the mint, peanuts, palm sugar, and acidic lime making each bite fresh and crunchy.

“Do you know Ros Sereysothea?” she continued. “A great singer of the prewar. When I opened this place I wanted to go back to that time in some way—my mother’s kitchen fifty years ago. It was all forgotten. Those flavors even, gone.”

I did know Ros Sereysothea (her version of “Venus” is a ’60s Southeast Asian pop classic), but those flavors were indeed lost on me. I told her I didn’t know how a proper amok should be made—a quintessential Cambodian dish of fish steamed with coconut and egg inside a banana leaf. One was duly brought. How often this staple dish is botched in tourist restaurants, its steaming technique slightly off, rendering it too dry. Amok as it used to be and ought to be? You have to know how to tap the leaf and judge how the custard-like insides wobble. Kethana’s, reputed to be the best in Siem Reap, was as delicate as a Robuchon pudding, with the perfect balance of galangal and turmeric.

“Thai food is balanced too,” Kethana allowed, “but our balances are of a different kind. Gentler, less heat.”

Market Stall, Ke Ratana; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is still recognizably French, with its long, wide boulevards, flowering trees, open parks, and peeling villas rising above their defensive walls. It feels leisured and proud of its provincialism because at its edge is one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. Laid out by engineers to feel vaguely rational and spacious, the city has a sluggish, half-hearted but charming river running through it, with a few desultory bridges flung across. In the surrounding countryside, you’ll encounter extreme poverty—in the city, flush with tourism money, it’s more grand.

One night, I found myself at Raffles, Siem Reap’s loftiest colonial hotel, for the “Royal Dynasty” set menu. I usually expect the worst from hotel food, and wasn’t the word “royal” supposed to set off alarm bells? But here it was surprise after surprise. The chien sach chien, grilled lamb chops, were marinated in a ginger sauce, slightly tart and sweet at the same time. I had never had Cambodian lamb before—it’s hard to source in a region with no sheep—and yet these chops felt right at home in their sauce.

But it was across the city’s eponymous river at Embassy that I ate a dish that exemplified perhaps more than any other the new Khmer cooking that had attracted me to the city this time around: a bowl of green curry soup, made with crunchy, bamboo-like taro stems known as kdat.

Embassy was opened last year by Pol and Sok Kimsan, two young female chefs who carry the same last name (though the so-called “Kimsan twins” are not even sisters). Their restaurant is located in a white English-farmhouse-inspired building completely at odds with the typical aesthetic of Siem Reap eateries. No bamboo, no antiques, no view of Angkor Wat at dawn. I was alone there with two Japanese businessmen at a neighboring table who seemed extremely surprised at what they were eating.

Old Market — Siem Reap, Cambodia

“Oishii,” they kept crying, leaning back and staring at each other.

Sok Kimsan came by to explain this soup, a bright green concoction with a no doubt untraditional ingredient sprinkled on top: bacon.

“It’s Khmer, as you can taste, but just given a slightly different twist,” she said. The crisp cubes of kdat itself were nimble and delicate, with a citric tang and sour edge, one of the best things I had eaten in Cambodia to date. As I scraped the bowl, I thought back to the lone Cambodian restaurant I used to eat at in Fort Greene in Brooklyn and shuddered. What was that stewed dish packed with canned pineapples and coconut cream?

“I was inspired by Noma and the idea of foraging, because that’s what we did when I was young,” said Pola Siv, the young owner of tiny Mie Café, which is set in a renovated house on a small backstreet far from the tourist hordes of Pub Street.

“In rural Cambodia, foraging is normal. We use a lot of wild herbs and plants, but only old people know how to forage properly. During the war that was how they survived.” In lieu of foraging, Siv has a garden in front of the restaurant.

Siv was too poor to go to cooking school, so he left Cambodia to work as a barman, waiter, and beachboy in Bahrain and then the Cayman Islands to save up the money to send himself to the Culinary Arts Academy of Switzerland. Returning to Siem Reap after eight years, he finally set up his own restaurant.

He gave me a tuna tartare with mango, then a fresh carpaccio of snakehead fish bundled up with grapefruit and hazelnut oil and served with a poached egg fried in tempura batter. The latter dish was deliciously astringent, the herbs crunchy against the tender river fish. After that, ravioli stuffed with Khmer herbs.

I had heard that he cooked with red-ant eggs, popular in the Khmer countryside but a rarity in the city. I opted instead for the mango sombai, the fruit spread over a fried rice cake with a coconut sorbet. Just six or seven years ago, this kind of inventive, experimental food—traditionally, rice cakes are steamed and tacky, not crisp—was unimaginable in Siem Reap, or really anywhere in Cambodia.

Tibetan Monks on the streets of Phnom Penh; Siem Reap bartender — Cambodia

Cuisine Wat Damnak, one of my final stops, is perhaps the most famous of the new Khmer restaurants. It’s in a neighborhood dominated by Wat Damnak itself, an ancient temple compound, quieter than the more touristy parts of town, with streets of ragged palms and family-run shops. The restaurant is owned, surprisingly, by a Frenchman, Joannès Rivière, a transplant from the town of Roanne in the Loire who cooked for years in the United States but grew up with Asian-inflected food at home—his grandfather was a diplomat in Japan, and Joannès’ father enjoyed the cuisine. His dishes are celebrated today in Cambodia for their intelligent attention to Khmer tradition (remarkable in a foreigner) and seasonality. He serves pork, snakehead fish, herbs, flowers, and crudités all together with a generous helping of prahok, and beef shank curry and holy basil with eggplant and morning glory, each of which could have been lifted out of a royal cookbook from many centuries ago.

His fish comes from nearby Tonle Sap Lake—70 percent of the protein consumed in Cambodia comes from the lake, making it the nutritional and ecological heart of the country—and in my favorite presentation, it’s paired with soy milk skin, sesame, and aged salted lime.

“My father was a vegetable supplier for three-star Michelin restaurants in France,” Rivière told me. “So I know how good the produce in Cambodia is. The fish from the Tonle Sap Lake is among the greatest freshwater fish in the entire world.”

Cuisine Wat Damnak; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Rivière’s inspiration, though, has never been just the ingredients. A few years ago, he met the Australian chef David Thompson, who revived a certain kind of “royal” Thai cuisine at his revered Bangkok and London restaurants, Nahm. Thompson searched the cookbooks of the Thai royal family for inspiration, since the royal kitchens had become veritable archives of old recipes that the wider commercial restaurant culture could not always afford to maintain. In those venerable cookbooks you can easily find the most elaborate and complex versions of dishes that ordinary people make in very different, more simple ways now. Thompson encouraged Rivière to try the same with Khmer cuisine.

“It seemed to me then that one could use the traditional cuisine as a jumping-off point to create something fresh and modern without diluting it or making it into the dreaded fusion,” he told me. “It could be authentic and contemporary at the same time.”

A Taste of Cambodia

Green Curry and Taro Stem Soup with Bacon

Grilled Lamb Chops with Ginger Sauce

Curried Beef Stew with Fried Shallots and Peanuts

Crispy Calamari and Prawns with Pepper–Lime Sauce

Chicken and Green Mango Salad

Yellow Khmer Curry Paste (Kroeung)

Travel Guide: Siem Reap

Where to Eat

Chanrey Tree
Book ahead, as this restaurant has gained a following in recent years and is often packed. Specialties include seafood with Kampot pepper, a native plant, and braised frog legs.
Pokombor Avenue by Wat Preah Prom Rath

Cuisine Wat Damnak
Owned by French-born Joannès Rivière, this elegant, intimate restaurant serves light, sophisticated French-inflected Khmer cuisine. Don’t miss the excellent fish from nearby Tonle Sap Lake.
Wat Damnak Market Street

Embassy
Two female chefs run the innovative kitchen of this restaurant set in a mall. Make sure to order a bowl of the kdat soup, served with crispy bacon.
Street 27

Mie Café
In a renovated Khmer house, Mie Café, with its own herb garden in front, has an endearing simplicity in both decor and cuisine. For $24, enjoy its four-course set menu, which changes depending on available produce and seasonality.
0085, Phum Treng Khu Slorgram

The Sugar Palm
Traditionally home-cooked Khmer dishes, like fish amok and coconut soup, shine at this restaurant. Dine outside if you can.
Taphul Road

Where to Stay

Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
This is the grande dame of Cambodian colonial-era hotels, with a sweeping pool set with frangipani, a bar with dry martini flights, and an upscale restaurant.
1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Khum Svay Dang Kum

The Angkor Village Resort
A lovely garden oasis with a snaking pool that weaves through standalone cottages, this resort is located right next to the temples. The restaurant serves exquisite handmade pains au chocolat and will pack food for temple-goers.
Phum Traeng

The post The New Tastes of Old Siem Reap appeared first on Saveur.

There are a few indigenous words worth adding to your vocabulary before you go to the Dolomites—and really, unless you are anti-awe or Tyrolean-chalet-averse or just constitutionally unresponsive to the self-evident charms of stunning pink-hued sunsets and green pastures fragrant with edelweiss and speck, the ubiquitous local ham, you should positively, definitely, without hesitation go to the Dolomites.

None of these words relate directly to the act of skiing, though skiing is what brings a lot of folks up here where the powdery peaks of Trentino-Alto Adige overlook the Austrian border. The posh enclave of Cortina d’Ampezzo has been a skier’s destination since it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956. Twenty or so miles of twisty roads and a world away are the quieter villages that compose the Alta Badia: Corvara, Colfosco, and San Cassiano. This is the Dolomites unplugged. Here, skiing is simply a means of conveyance from one rifugio to another. Rifugio, noun: a high-elevation lodge where the food is much better than seems possible on the remote side of a mountain 6,700 feet above sea level and where it’s imperative to linger on the terrace sipping icy Aperol spritzes or downing hot Bombardinos—electric yellow, whipped-cream-topped brandy-spiked eggnog shots—while gaping at the craggy cliffs and vistas below and contemplating where to have dinner after a final sunset run.

Where the heck are the Dolomites!?

Dolomites, Italy

Word #2: Stube. Le Corbusier is said to have called the landscape of the Dolomites “the most beautiful work of architecture ever seen.” Local house builders did Mother Nature one better by adding a Stube, the wood-paneled dining room that serves as the warm snuggly heart of a typical Tyrolean home. The strong influence of the cozy, rustic aesthetic—hand-carved wooden chairs, taxidermy on the paneled walls, oversized plates of cured meats—is felt in dining rooms across these valleys, including more luxurious later incarnations like the one at St. Hubertus, a Michelin two-star restaurant situated within the Hotel Rosa Alpina, a charming, thoroughly updated 19th century inn. Here the chef, Norbert Niederkofler, practices a form of locavorism he calls “cook the mountain.”

“We use modern techniques,” Niederkofler says, “but really it’s an old-style approach. The idea is to bring people closer to the classic dishes of this region.” Some years ago I enjoyed a plate of one of the best of these classics—cajinci, a ravioli filled with sharp Graukäse or “gray cheese” made in the Aurina Valley—while the hotel’s owner, Hugo Pizzinini, recalled the heavy dumplings his grandmother made him every day growing up. His grandfather bought the hotel in 1940 and built the town’s first ski lift a decade or so later.

“The real food of this region is butter and cheese, pork and dumplings,” Pizzinini said. “It’s what you eat when you have to walk over a mountain to get home.” Which brings us to our final vocabulary word: The Pizzininis own a baita, or small hut, on one of the slopes high above the hotel. The baita is like a personal rifugio with the rustic warmth of a Stube in the sky. So when you’ve had your fill of pampering at the Rosa Alpina spa and elevated eating at St. Hubertus, Pizzinini will send you to the family hut for a night or two of blessed isolation.

The View from Up Top: Scenes from the Dolomites

“Most locals own a cabin like this. Now they’ve become places for picnics or barbecues, mainly used privately,” Pizzinini said. “Ours was built in 1872 by local farmers. They situated the cabins based on where they found groups of cattle huddling during thunderstorms. The thinking was that cattle instinctively choose a safe place, so while a lot of trees have fallen around it, the cabin itself has never been hit by lightning in all these years.”

Location, isolation, language: Each factors into the survival of the distinct culture of the Dolomites. Pizzinini, Niederkofler, and their neighbors are Ladins. In addition to Italian, German, and English, they speak Ladin, a distant descendant of Latin. “A century of living under the Austrian Empire, we became Italian after World War I,” Pizzinini said. “But whatever our passports, we have always been Ladino people.”

Cooking the dishes they’ve always cooked is another way of keeping Ladin tradition alive. “Ladin language is protected by laws,” Niederkofler says, “but its habits are protected by locals who want to make sure they are not lost. Foodwise, we started more Austro-Hungarian than German, and now we have lots of influence from Italian cuisine. You can’t really compare it to Austrian cuisine. We have our own style, not just of cooking but of living.”

Baita; St. Hubertus, Italy

For Pizzinini, the baita is a welcome retreat from the pressures of running the hotel and a nice reminder of time spent with family cooking and relaxing in the mountains. “In August my parents were busy at the hotel, so we kids were sent to the cabins with a babysitter. With no electricity and no hot water, we had the best time. Now I take every opportunity and excuse to get up here. There is a very good energy in these cabins because they are built in a safe place. The views are fantastic and when you close your eyes, you can smell all the flowers all around.”

The Recipes

Where to Eat and Stay in the Dolomites

Where to Stay

Hotel Rosa Alpina
An elegant base for exploring the Alta Badia by foot or on skis. Or you can just stay put and enjoy Norbert Niederkofler’s elevated take on Ladin cuisine at the Michelin two-star St. Hubertus. Book the Pizzinini family’s baita for a night of well-cared-for isolation.
20 Strada Micurá de Rü, San Cassiano

Hotel La Perla
There’s a lot to like about this glamorous Alta Badia classic, including the platonic ideal of a horseshoe bar (good for bollito misto and après-ski drinks), the wood-paneled restaurant Les Stües, and, not least, a loony and wonderfully well-stocked wine cellar complete with trick doors, dry ice, and a Frank Zappa soundtrack.
105 Strada Col Alt, Corvara

Berghoferin
Great Tyrolean-styled lodge in the northern Dolomites with a classic, intimate Stube and views that go on for miles.
54 Oberradein, Redagno

Where to Eat

Ütia de Börz
An exemplary rifugio with up-close terrace views of the towering Sas de Pütia peak, house-made speck, and stabilizing buttered dumplings.
26 Strada Börz, San Martino

Pretzhof
Cozy family-run hilltop restaurant with the fresh pork (and telltale smells) of a working farm.
259 Località Tulve, Tulve

Rifugi Scotoni
Hike up or ski into this little hut where the cook is busily working three cheeses into gooey-crispy polenta and serving it alongside great grilled pork sausages.
2 Alpe Lagazuoi, San Cassiano

Aga
The allure of this new restaurant southeast of Cortina d’Ampezzo is that it’s very small (just four tables) and very local (everything is sourced from the owner’s garden or hunted or collected from the surrounding hills). 6 Via Trieste, San Vito di Cadore

Get the recipe for Braised Leg of Lamb with Graukäse Polenta
Get the recipe for Pearl Barley Soup with Moscato d’Asti
Get the recipe for Ricotta, Potato, and Scallion Fritters
Get the recipe for Brown Butter Skillet Cake with Berry Compote (Kaiserschmarrn)

The post How to Eat the Dolomites appeared first on Saveur.

After New Orleans, there is, perhaps, no other American city as passionate in its love of food and drink as Louisville, Kentucky. This is a city that likes to celebrate—from mint julep-fueled Derby parties, to, well, any given Tuesday at a local bar. Yes, there’s bourbon—lots of bourbon. Embarking on a tour of the Bluegrass State’s distilleries should be on every red-blooded American’s bucket-list. And while Louisville is the perfect launching pad for such an expedition, it’s also worth a weekend—better yet, a week-long stay—since it’s home to some of the best restaurants you’ll find both south (and north) of the Mason-Dixon line. It also boasts two of the country’s most historic hotels, one of which inspired what many believe to be the greatest American novel ever written, and a growing craft beer movement, lots of fried fish, and some of the friendliest, funnest people you’ll ever meet.

Where to Eat

Check’s Café
Opened in 1944, Check’s is the quintessential neighborhood joint—the kind of place that makes you feel right at home, even if your home is Minneapolis or Munich. Located southeast of downtown in the city’s shotgun-shack-strewn Germantown—or “Schnitzelburg,” as the locals call it—Check’s serves baked ham sandwiches, bratwurst, and chili-strewn spaghetti topped with shredded cheese. But the best reasons to visit is their braunschweiger, a smoked, spreadable pork liver sausage on rye that’s a rarity these days, as well as the fried bologna sandwich and the fish sandwich: two golden fried strips of halibut barely be contained by the bun. While a recent renovation has toned down some of Check’s gritty neighborhood charm, the old-school Schnitzelburg vibe remains the same.

1101 E. Burnett Avenue
(502) 637-9515

Proof on Main
Opened in 2009 and located in the city’s 21c Museum Hotel, Proof on Main tops just about every Louisville resident’s list of the city’s best restaurants. While acclaimed executive chef Levon Wallace recently left to helm New Orleans’ chef Donald Link’s new Nashville location of Cochon Butcher, Proof is in good hands under his successor Mike Wajda, a veteran of Craigie on Main in Cambridge, Mass. The menu rotates seasonally, but offerings might include such delicacies as smoked Kentucky catfish dip, salt-roasted celeriac, or a locally sourced Woodland Farm hog chop served with sweet corn jus and buttermilk queso. The charred octopus, served with bagna cauda—a garlic-y anchovy dip—is a must, as are the Kentucky bourbon cocktails, including the Bulliet-Vardier (bourbon, aperol, port wine and old fashion bitters) as well as the Bare Minimum made with New Riff Kentucky Wild Gin.

702 W. Main Street
(502) 217-6360

Harvest
In an age when any restaurant that bills itself “farm-to-table” might evoke a drowsy roll of the eyes, Harvest reminds us of just how wonderful a concept it can be. The restaurant, located in the city’s New Louisville, or “NuLu” district, celebrates the relationships owner Igor Chodkowski, himself a farmer, has forged over the years with other Kentucky farmers and producers (as evidenced by the enormous portraits of them in his warmly lit dining room, along with repurposed church pews, mismatched chairs, and weathered tables). Sitting here you’ll be reminded of the simple pleasures of a great cheese plate—here made of black-pepper chevre and blue gouda served with a green tomato jam and chow chow (a pickled relish). You can also get burgoo, a Kentucky meat stew, or buttermilk fried chicken served with a hoecake and smoked peppercorn gravy.

624 E. Market Street
(502) 384-9090

Shirley Mae’s Café
Located in the heart of Louisville’s oldest African American neighborhood, this soul food paradise is housed in a 1880s clay brick house that was once home to a tobacco baron. In later years it served as a grocery, a dry good store, and a famous bar where the likes of Cassius Clay, Quincy Jones, and Redd Foxx once imbibed in their respective poisons. Shirley Mae Beard acquired the place in 1988, renamed it, and turned it into one of the best soul food destinations in the south. Customers flock here to watch her work her magic in the open kitchen, preparing dishes like Southern-fried jumbo chicken wings, first-come-first-serve chitterlings, and a meatloaf dish served with her famous hot-water cornbread (no matter what you order, be sure to get some on the side).

802 S. Clay Street
(502) 589-5295

Jack Fry’s
Jack Fry and his wife, Flossie, attracted quite a crowd when they opened this bistro-style restaurant and bar on Bardstown Road in the 1930s. Then, when Mr. Fry passed in 1987, a new owner reopened it (after having been rented to a Mexican restaurant during the 1970s and 1980s) with its original moniker. The spirit of Jack and Flossie has been dutifully restored with photos of boxers, jockeys, and baseball players dangling from the walls. Under the direction of executive chef McClain Brown, the menu combines upscale French and Italian cuisine with a healthy dose of Southern comfort: bone marrow is served with a grilled baguette, romaine hearts, quail egg, and truffle butter. An elegant heirloom chicken is prepared in a fanciful sweet tea brine and served with ricotta and gnocchi. This is the kind of place where you’ll want to linger for a while, just as Jack and Flossie intended.

1007 Bardstown Road
(502) 452-9244

Seviche
There’s a particular item on Seviche’s menu that can throw first-time patrons for a loop: the Tuna Old Fashioned. Sure, it sounds off-putting, but once you’ve tasted chef Anthony Lamas’ ingenious mash-up of tuna ceviche and pineapple, seasoned with Kentucky bourbon and soy sauce—and served in an old fashioned glass—you’ll wax poetic about it to anyone who’ll listen. Lamas, who is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, combines his love of Southern and Latin cuisine in dishes like roasted vegetable chimichangas with local gouda, ambrosia farm squash, and pepita rice. Be sure to try his delectable Kentucky bison empanadas, too.

1538 Bardstown Road
(502) 473-8560

MilkWood
Locals sure are happy chef Edward Lee fell in love with Louisville when he visited one fateful Derby weekend back in 2002. Otherwise, the city would be deprived of his now classic 610 Magnolia restaurant, with its upscale Southern dishes (steak and eggs served with vegetable hash, broccolini, summer squash, chimichurri, and squash bordelaise anyone?). Lee deftly combines the comforts of southern home cooking with the Asian flavors the chef, who is of Korean descent, grew up with in his native Brooklyn. And nowhere does he have more fun with the concept than at MilkWood, his newest Louisville endeavor, which is located in the basement of the city’s famed Actor’s Theatre. Here Lee, along with chef Kevin Ashworth, serve destination-worthy dishes like an organic pork burger topped with cracklins and kimchi; smoked chicken wings with chili lime sauce; smoke-braised octopus “bacon” with smashed potatoes; and fried chicken coated in Japanese ponzu sauce.

316 Main Street
(502) 584-6455

Lilly’s Bistro
If you ever see a list of Louisville’s best restaurants that doesn’t include Lilly’s Bistro, please do us a favor and disregard it. Like the aforementioned Edward Lee, the name Kathy Cary should be known throughout the land. She opened her beloved Lilly’s Bistro in 1988, sourcing all of her produce from local farmers and purveyors (whatever they couldn’t provide, she grew herself). Thanks to starters like a perfectly executed, locally sourced chicken liver pâté served with house-made bread, cornichons, and Dijon mustard, and entrees like a chile-rubbed pan-seared pork chop served with corn pudding, Cary has been nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southeast multiple times.

1147 Bardstown Road
(502) 451-0447

Decca
While the outside of this NuLu building is a little ramshackle, what you’ll find inside is anything but. Beautiful inlayed flooring, tufted leather banquets, and elegant modern light illuminate this historic 19th century building which is often filled with the music of Patsy Cline and Ernest Tubb, or Count Basie—artists from the Decca record label, which inspired the name. Chef Annie Pettry grew up fishing for trout with her parents, foraging mushrooms, and growing her own vegetables—experiences that, along with a degree from the French Culinary Institute and some time spent cooking in New York and San Francisco, helped inspire her ingredient-driven menu. Dishes include sharable items like wood-grilled broccoli and wilted greens, as well as milled tomato linguine with blistered cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata. After dinner, head down to the basement, where The Cellar Lounge offers cocktails and live music.

812 E. Market Street
(502) 749-8128

The Oakroom
Tucked inside the historic Seelbach Hilton Hotel, this early 1900s oak-paneled hotel was where Al Capone was known to chalk up his cue in the billiards room. While the dining room is distinctly old world, the menu reflects a more modern-day mania with all things seasonal. Chef Patrick Roney serves shrimp and grits—the grits locally sourced from the 19th-century Weisenberger Mill—with wild white prawns, red-eye gravy, and black garlic; oxtail potato gratin; and an unforgettable Kentucky-fried rabbit with flageolet beans, basil pistou, celery root, and rabbit confit. End your evening with a nightcap of Seelbach Select Single Barrel bourbon.

500 S. Fourth Street
(502) 807-3463

Where to Drink

The Silver Dollar
Cheery with its dangling Christmas lights and variety of Southern-style comfort foods, the Silver Dollar is a perfect mixture of low-key casual and top-notch Manhattan cocktail bar all rolled into one. Located in a decommissioned firehouse east of downtown, the Silver Dollar is modeled on the honky-tonk bars and diners of working-class Bakersfield, California, where many southerners fled to find work during the Dust Bowl years. There are about 60 native bourbons; cocktails like the Gold Rush, a mixture of Old Fitzgerald bourbon with honey syrup and lemon; and a damn fine mint julep, to boot. Silver Dollar also offers some of the best bar food this city has to offer, including beer-can hen, fried oysters, and an open-faced meatloaf sandwich served on Texas toast with mashed potatoes and smoked tomato gravy. 1761 Frankfort Avenue
(502) 259-9540

Proof Bar
A lot of people come to Louisville to do one thing and one thing only: drink Kentucky bourbon. And while there are plenty of places in town to do just that, one of the most locally beloved is Proof Bar. With 85 different bourbons—Both Pappy Van Winkle and Woodford Reserve provide special barrels just for them—and a perfect list of 100 wines, this is the place where bourbon-fueled memories are made (and occasionally lost). Cocktails range from the classic Old Fashioned to specialty drinks inspired by current exhibitions at the adjacent 21c Gallery Hotel.

702 W. Main Street
(502) 217-6360

Holy Grale
Nothing will lift your spirits quite like the beer selection at this repurposed 1905 Unitarian Church. Sure, the list features some predictable standbys by way of Victory Prima Pils and Chimay Permiere. But there are plenty of surprising selections to be had, too, like Prairie Eliza5beth, an Oklahoma-brewed farmhouse ale with hints of apricots and clove, and a smoky rauchbier from the HammerHeart brewery in Lino Lakes, Minnesota. Grale’s bar snacks are just as unexpected, and include a Scotch quail egg, spicy beer cheese served with fresh-baked pretzel bread, and escargot with parmesan cheese, chili, and herb butter. And if the stained-glass-lit bar is too crowded with beer worshipers, Holy Grale also has one of the best outdoor patios in town.

1034 Bardstown Rd
(502) 459-9939

The Lobby Bar at the Brown Hotel
To say this place is opulent is an understatement. Aside from the marble floors and glimmering gold chandeliers, its English Renaissance architectural credibility is firmly established by the lofty plaster-relief ceilings patrons often find themselves gazing at from a Victorian-style sofa as they nurse a highball of Buffalo Trace. Aside from bourbon, you can also indulge in this city’s most famous sandwich—the open-faced turkey, bacon, and Mornay sauce wonder known as the Hot Brown. Also recommended: The Kentucky Derby, an elixir of Four Roses sweetened with sorghum and pink grapefruit juice, and the Kentucky Cocktail made with Maker’s Mark and Kentucky’s own Ale-8-One ginger ale.

335 W. Broadway
(877) 926-7757

Haymarket Whiskey Bar
Located on the eastern end of Louisville’s Whiskey Row in what was once a pretty cool coffee shop, Haymarket is a dive bar with a dose of Kentucky class. Yes, there are pinball machines and a lot of neon beer signs on the wall. Some sort of punk rock band is booked here most every night, too. But there’s also a whisky, bourbon, and rye menu that is so wide ranging that it looks like the index at the back of a book on the history of bourbon.

331 E. Market Street
(502) 442-0523

Garage Bar
Located in a repurposed car repair shop outfitted with a wood-burning pizza oven, Garage Bar offers Kentucky bourbon and craft beer alongside some of the best pizzas in town (the fact that those pizzas are topped with locally sourced ingredients such as shaved country ham, sweet corn and milled tomato sauce makes them even better). Despite the grungy name, this dive bar in the gallery-strewn NuLu neighborhood has a decidedly artsy edge—a sculpture of two muscle cars that slowly, almost imperceptibly crash into one another called “The Death of American Muscle” is stationed out front. Garage Bar also hosts cooking competitions, and bourbon pairing dinners. Don’t feel like drinking? Order a triple-decker pimento cheese sandwich and a bottle of Cheerwine, instead.

700 E. Market Street (outdoor seating available)
(502) 749-7100

Doc Crow’s Smokehouse and Raw Bar
If you’re the kind of person who likes a big slab of baby back ribs served alongside a perfect Old Fashioned, Doc Crow’s is the place for you. Like so many other restaurants and bars in Louisville, Doc’s is located in a beautifully restored, historic distillery with all the requisite charms: exposed brick walls; burnished woodwork, and schoolhouse lights. Like most bars in Kentucky, it has a fine selection of bourbon; what you might not expect is an oyster bar of such high quality in the middle of the landlocked Bluegrass State, nor the authentic nature of its shrimp po’ boy, which is served on French bread imported straight from Louisiana.

127 W. Main Street
(502) 587-1626

The Nachbar
A hidden gem in Germantown, Nachbar—the German word for “neighbor”—has been around since the 1930s and pretty much looks that way. Divey but oh-so-merry, it’s the kind of place where you’ll find laid-back 20- and 30-somethings slumped in frumpy, thrift-store sofas, drinking alongside their canine companions at this dog-friendly bar.

969 Charles Street
(502) 637-4377
No website

Bourbon’s Bistro
At this bar, you’ll find a crowd of civilized and certifiable adults drinking from a selection of around 130 bourbons, both rare and de rigueur. And while it might resemble some other bar you’ve visited in, say, Brooklyn or Washington, D.C., “this is the bourbon bar that started bourbon bars,” according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. It was also named one of the top five bourbon bars in the country by The Bourbon Review. The food here is as decadent as the hooch, whether it’s the prime rib served with parmesan grits and wild mushroom ragout, or the Berkshire Pork Chop with bourbon smoked paprika.

2255 Franklin Avenue
(502) 894-8838

Louisville Beer Store
If you’re as into beer as you are to bourbon, this tiny NuLu tasting room and shop has you covered. Here you’ll find a standing bar with eight rotating taps featuring the likes of Indiana’s Three Floyds Gumballhead, a citrusy wheat beer from bordering Indiana, and Alvinne Phi, a Belgium sour—as well as more than 400 bottled beers, including expansive selections from Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

746 E. Market St.
(502) 569-2337

Kentucky-Inspired Cocktails

Kentucky Buck
The Black Derby
Seelbach
The Thousand-Dollar Mint Julep
The Kentucky Devil

Where to Stay

The Seelbach Hilton Louisville
As a rule, any hotel F. Scott Fitzgerald got kicked out of is a place worth checking yourself into. The fact that the Seelbach both inspired and provided some of the backdrop for The Great Gatsby makes a stay here even more imperative. Not just a hotel, but also an architectural gem, the 1903 Beaux Arts Baroque-style institution features imported marble, hardwoods from the West Indies, and the famous Rathskeller, a Bavarian-themed pub with vaulted ceilings clad in tile from Cincinnati’s renowned Rookwood Pottery. Its pool hall was used in the film version of Gatsby, as well as the Paul Newman classic The Hustler. And while the rooms here still evoke the decadence of the jazz age, there’s nothing stuffy about them, old sport.

500 Fourth Street
(502) 585-3200

The Brown Hotel
Two decades after the Seelbach opened its doors, a local entrepreneur named James Graham Brown stirred up some healthy competition by opening the opulent Brown Hotel just a few blocks away. The hotel closed its doors following Brown’s death in the early 1970s—for a time it was owned by the Louisville Public Schools system—but reopened in 1993. Today it’s owned by 1859 Historic Hotels LTD, which recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation. Georgian Revival opulence remains in The Brown’s ballrooms and lobbies, though the hotel offers all the modern-day amenities you could wish for. Its 293 guest rooms have classic furnishings, vintage wall coverings, and equestrian-themed paintings that exude plenty of Kentucky charm.

335 W. Broadway
(502) 583-1234

21c Hotel and Gallery
Not only does this hotel house a fine collection of contemporary art, it’s also home to both Proof on Main restaurant and Proof Bar, which means you don’t even have to leave the building to experience some of the finest food and bourbons that Louisville has to offer. Owners Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, both artists and preservationists, worked with architect Deborah Berke to transform several 19th century tobacco and bourbon warehouses into what is now one of the city’s premier hotels. Rooms feature huge windows, exposed brick walls, and original artwork.

700 W. Main Street
(502) 217-6300

The Galt House Hotel
At 128,000 square feet and 25 stories high, the Galt House is not what one would call a boutique hotel (in fact, it’s the largest hotel in Kentucky). Still this luxury behemoth has its charms, namely its well appointed rooms that provide dramatic views of the Ohio River. There are also seven in-house restaurants and lounges, including a seriously fine steakhouse, and a revolving restaurant with views of the river. There’s also a top-notch bar with more than 150 bourbons to choose from.

140 N. Fourth Street
(502) 589-5200

DuPont Mansion Bed & Breakfast
Located in a circa-1879 Italianate mansion in the Old Louisville Historic District neighborhood, this popular bed and breakfast offers the feel of a five-star hotel with added intimacy. Enjoy a multi-course breakfast in the dining room then walk it all off with a visit to Louisville’s sprawling 17-acre Central Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same guy who created New York City’s own Central Park.

1317 S. Fourth Street
(502) 638-0045

Louisville Marriott Downtown After a recent $6-million renovation, this downtown hotel is clean, classy, and convenient to pretty much everything Louisville has to offer. Each of the hotel’s 616 rooms is outfitted with plush furnishings, 42-inch HD televisions, and artwork reflecting the city’s heritage.

280 W. Jefferson Street
(502) 627-5045

What to Do

Blaze the Urban Bourbon Trail
If you’re looking for some method to apply to this city’s bourbon-swilling madness, look no further than the Urban Bourbon Trail. Trailblazers receive a passport booklet containing a guide to the city’s best bourbon bars and saloons. All you have to do is make a purchase (bourbon, beer, a hot brown, what have you) and have your book stamped by your friendly bartender. Collect at least six stamps and you’ll receive an Urban Bourbon Trailblazer t-shirt, as well as an official “Citizen of Bourbon Country” certificate. Pick up your passport at the Louisville Visitors Center at 4th and Jefferson Streets downtown. For information on how to obtain a digital passport, visit bourboncountry.com.

Hit Some Sweet Spots
Aside from bourbon and southern comfort food, the Louisville area is home to two of the country’s best old-fashioned candy stores. Start out at Muth’s (630 East Market Street), a century old candy shop in the city’s NuLu district. From cream-filled chocolates, to bourbon balls, to caramels and eight different kinds of brittle, all of their candies are handmade and delicious. We highly recommend the Modjeska, a caramel-covered marshmallow named after a famous Polish actress. Once you’ve stuffed yourself at Muth’s, head across the Ohio River to historic Jefferson, Indiana, and experience the unique pleasures of Schimpff’s Confectionary (347 Spring Street). In operation since 1891, the shop offers candy-making demonstrations, and is especially known for its red hots, as well as its curious hard-candy fish, which were originally made to represent the bounty of aquatic life that swam the Ohio River.

Pay Your Respects to the Colonel at Cave Hill Cemetery
A visit to this beautifully landscaped historic cemetery isn’t complete without a respectful stop at the grave of Kentucky’s own Colonel Harlan Sanders, who was interred here after his death in 1980. Like the hundreds of KFC signs that dot our nation’s highways and commercial strips, the Colonel’s grave cannot be missed with its four-columned pediment and a life-sized bust sculpted by his daughter Margaret.

701 Baxter Avenue
(502) 451-5630

The post Where to Eat, Drink, and Stay in Louisville appeared first on Saveur.

To get a taste of European culture in North America, head to the city of smoked meat, dense woodfire-baked bagels, and poutine: Montreal. Thanks to the French-Canadian city’s booming culinary scene, visitors these days can now expect a heaping helping of continental food and flair, as well as a generous sampling of what makes Quebec’s native cuisines worth a trip of their own. Maple syrup and game meats practically merit their own food group, while the city’s cocktail culture—though slow on the uptake compared to America’s imbibing revival—has matured at a brisk pace over the past five years or so. Meanwhile, Montrealers who prefer their own dining room tables to those in restaurants also take eating seriously, as demonstrated by the city’s many farmers’ markets, cooking-supply stores, and other must-see, food-minded destinations. From where to get the best foie gras-topped pancakes to the hotel with the cushiest beds, check out our guide below.

Where to Eat

Joe Beef
Dinner at this always-a-party eatery from buzzy restaurateur David McMillan that Momofuku founder David Chang calls “my favorite restaurant in the world” is worth the hype. The business, named after a legendary 19th-century barman, pays tribute to traditional French and Quebecois fare. For example, the restaurant is home to the over-the-top “foie gras double down,” which smooshes bacon, cheddar cheese, and maple syrup between two slabs of breaded and fried duck liver. With its insistence on hyper-local provisions and creative takes on rustic fare—pressed duck with seared foie gras! duck eggs with pommes frites! bacon-wrapped horse filet!—Joe Beef offers an over-the-top dining experience.

Joe Beef
2491 Notre-Dame West, Montreal, H3J 1N6
514-935-6504

Le Club Chasse et Peche
Montreal’s a meat lover’s town, and since 2004, its carnivorous epicenter has sat behind a nondescript stucco facade tucked in a cobblestone street at the edge of the tourist-laden Old Port neighborhood. Inside, dimly lit small rooms with a lounge-y feel provide the perfect covert setting for eating your fill without worrying about what your fellow patrons might think. The cheeky menu is chockablock with hybrid meat dishes: veal with lobster tail, partridge with Serrano ham, and the house-named Chasse et Peche (which translates to “hunting and fishing”), a surf-and-turf spread often featuring sweetbreads and lobster in multiple forms. Don’t miss the cocktails.

Le Club Chasse et Peche
423 rue Saint-Claude, Montreal, H2Y 3B6
514-861-1112

Au Pied de Cochon
Chef Martin Picard is the jovial-giant poster boy of traditional Quebecois cooking, and his signature restaurant’s menu is so larded up with syrup, fat, and foie gras, it almost reads like a dare. Foie gras, in fact, gets its very own section on the bill of fare; it’s available on top of a hamburger or a mess of poutine, pressed into a salted pie (tarte de fois gras cru au sel), or as part of the “plogue a Champlain”: a towering dish comprised of a buckwheat pancake, potatoes, a fried egg, Canadian bacon, and foie gras, drenched in a maple syrup reduction. The restaurant’s space is bistro-like, cozy, and narrow.

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Duluth East, Montreal, H2L 1A9
514-281-1114

Hotel Herman
Small plates, elegant cocktails, hipster-chic vibe: Partners Ariana Lacombe, Dominic Goyet, and Marc-Alexandre Mercier hit all the requisite cool points when they opened their soignée eatery in 2012. What’s great about Hotel Herman, though, is that along with its swankiness, it also knows how to have fun. A massive, rectangular bar stands in the center of the room, which keeps the on-goings airy and saloon-like, while exposed brick, tiled surfaces, and a pressed-tin ceiling boost the storefront space’s amiable din. And then there’s the menu, which is punctuated by idiosyncratic dishes like deer tartare, raw fluke, and blood sausage with button mushrooms and spaetzle—and for dessert, white chocolate with sea buckthorn and pine.

Hotel Herman
5171 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, H2T 1R9
514-278-7000

Park
Calling Park the best sushi restaurant in Montreal is an understatement because it’s probably one of the best sushi restaurants in all of North America. Chef Antonio Park’s globally inspired menu stems from his identity—a Korean Montrealer who grew up in South America—and he serves up dishes like nigiri with chimichurri, duck breast with a foie gras croquette, and Korean shaved ice dessert patbingsu. Thanks to several special permits obtained by the restaurant, customers can try truly unique seafood, such as snapper that’s given needle treatments by fishermen to lessen the bodily trauma of death. For the best experience, order omakase-style; or for something less formal, go for lunch and get a bento box or bibimbap.

Park
378 Victoria Avenue, Montreal, H3Z 2N4
514-750-7534

Maison Publique
Anglophilic food isn’t particularly common in French-speaking Quebec, but this inspired iteration of a classic British pub (which counts Jamie Oliver among its backers) has been warmly embraced by locals for its friendly vibe, smart cocktails, funky-meets-homey decor, and modernized comfort food. The kitchen is in full view behind the bar; from it come delicious dishes like Welsh rarebit, meat pies, crispy pig ear salad, baked oysters, and a ravishing T-bone steak for two. And in a city that loves brunch almost as much as it loves hockey, Maison Publique offers everything from pancakes, bacon, and eggs, to blood sausage and smoked sturgeon.

Maison Publique
4720 rue Marquette, Montreal, H2J 3Y6
514-507-0555

Au Kouign-Amann
The bakery culture of “la vraie France” can be found at this adorable, old-fashioned patisserie and boulangerie. Its namesake specialty is a traditional Breton sweet: Picture a croissant as big as a whole cake that’s been slathered with a mind-boggling amount of extra butter and sugar. Kouign-amann is served in triangular slices; with one of the bakery’s café drinks, it makes for an excellent midday stop while strolling the Plateau. Au Kouign-Amann also serves a Gallic lunch menu featuring croque monsieurs and quiches. If you’re lucky, you can snag a seat at one of three small tables and bask in the bakery’s weathered wood and exposed brick interior.

Au Kouign-Amann
322 Avenue du Mont-Royal East, Montreal, H2T 1P7
514-845-8813

Where to Drink

Le LAB
Fabien Maillard’s dark corner bar is easy to find but still feels like a speakeasy with its vested staff, clandestine vibe, and innovative takes on pre-Prohibition cocktails. Every month, a new crop of libations highlights different ingredients—anything from chiles to Canadian rye whiskey. But, perennial potables reign supreme, such as the Jerky Lab Jack, a Jack Daniel’s-based cocktail mixed with house-made bitters and syrup, served on the rocks and garnished with a strip of beef jerky pinned to a mini-clothesline. Also, LAB-tenders (as they prefer to be called) are renowned for their love of pyrotechnic bartending, so hunker down for a show.

Bar Le LAB
1351 rue Rachel East, Montreal, H2J 2K2
514-544-1333

Big in Japan
First, some helpful taxonomy: There’s Big in Japan the eatery, a greasy spoon-style izakaya featured on a 2011 episode of Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover; and then there’s Big in Japan the bar, the restaurant’s offspring, located a few blocks north. Open the nondescript door marked with miniscule Japanese lettering, and pass through a long, narrow corridor, and you’ll arrive at in a room with rococo-yet-minimalist candlelit bar tops with sake and Japanese whisky bottles hanging from the ceiling (high-rolling regulars purchase their own bottles and stash them there.) Funny enough, the cocktail menu steers toward Western-world staples: Manhattans, Negronis, Sidecars, and the like. Come on weeknights or early on the weekend to avoid the velvet-rope-and-bouncer treatment out front.

Big in Japan (no website)
4175 boulevard Saint Laurent, Montreal, H2W 1Y9
438-380-5658

Le Rouge Gorge
Le Plateau is a boho Montreal neighborhood made for people-watching, and since opening there this past spring, this wine bar has attracted the see-and-be-seen crowd in droves. When the warm weather arrives, Le Rouge Gorge’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer a breezy view of the area’s foot traffic, as does its cute sidewalk terrasse (a summer amenity to be enjoyed at many local bars and eateries, and one of Montrealers’ favorite things about the city). Designer Zebulon Perron renovated what was previously a divey pool hall into a provocative establishment with a trapezoidal, marble-topped bar and an apparatus suspended above that holds wine bottles and glasses. Don’t miss the charcuterie, cheeses, and pickled nibbles.

Le Rouge Gorge
1234 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montreal, H2J 1Y1
514-303-3869

Dieu du Ciel
This Montreal microbrewery is the Montreal microbrewery; hands down, the best brewpub for its selection, ambiance, price, and most importantly, taste. On any given visit, you’ll likely find 15 to 20 different beers handwritten on the chalkboard menus; the alcoholic content of each will be meticulously noted and everything can be ordered in tasting-sized pours, allowing you to smartly strategize your session drinking. There are too many great beers here to list (and the lineup rotates regularly), but try the Disco Soleil (IPA aged with kumquats), the Route des Epices (pepper-flavored Siegle ale), the Rosee d’Hibiscus (white beer infused with hibiscus flowers), or the Aphrodisiaque (cacao-and-vanilla-flavored stout).

Dieu du Ciel
29 Avenue Laurier Ouest, Montreal, H2T 2N2
514-490-9555

Le 4e Mur
Its name means “the fourth wall,” which is what you’ll pass through, seemingly, to reach this subterranean speakeasy. Located on a block of the Quartier Latin that’s run amok with college-kid hangouts, Le 4e Mur’s unmarked door is manned by a gentlemanly bouncer who will check your reservation on his smartphone, let you into the pitch-black vestibule, then leave you to figure out which brick (hint: it’s on your left) must be manipulated to magically open a second door leading to the basement bar itself. Once you’re there, you’ll be treated to smart takes on classic cocktails like Boulevardiers and Negronis. Since opening in July 2015, Le 4e Mur has scheduled free burlesque shows on the weekends. Enter your e-mail address at their website to make a reservation and find out the bar’s address.

Le 4e Mur
Address given out through the website
No phone number

Le Mal Necessaire
Montreal was late to the tiki-craze party but caught up big-time when Le Mal Necessaire finally debuted in the summer of 2014. Locate the bar’s neon-green pineapple along the streets of Chinatown and descend into a hip-yet-welcoming lounge serving tiki drinks that are as over-the-top as they are on point. Classic cocktails include mai tais, pina coladas, painkillers, and Singapore Slings, available in either monster-sized individual portions—many drinks here come served in hollowed-out pineapples or coconuts—or, in a few cases, by the group-friendy pitcher. Patrons can also order food from the Chinese eatery upstairs.

Le Mal Necessaire
1106B Boul St Laurent, Montreal, H2Z 1J5
514-439-9199

Where to Stay

Hotel de L’Institut
One of Montreal’s best accommodations is also a best-kept secret: The four-star Hotel de L’Institut, operated by Quebec’s government-run tourism and hotel management school, is located in the lower Plateau, where lodging can be hard to come by compared to Montreal’s tourist-heavy downtown. Every one of its 42 rooms comes equipped with its own balcony; other niceties include bamboo bath linens, goat’s-milk moisturizer, waffle-knit robes and a bounteous breakfast buffet. Guests and non-guests can make a reservation at the penthouse restaurant for an incredibly good and low-priced weekday lunch, while the ground-floor Restaurant de l’Institut holds its own among the city’s fine-dining standouts. L’Institut is also the rare Montreal hotel that provides underground parking for only a modest surcharge.

Hotel de L’Institut
3535 rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, H2X 3P1
514-282-5120

Hotel Le St-James
Housed in a restored bank building from 1870 (the hotel spa is located in what used to be the vault), Lucien Remillard’s boutique property features individually designed and decorated rooms outfitted with hand-ironed Frette bed linens, marble bathrooms, blackout window shades, and museum-quality curios that Remillard personally selects on his travels. The staff even helps guests tailor their accommodations by selecting their own musical playlists and room fragrances. Expect to see a few famous faces traipsing through the small, beautiful lobby; Le St-James is renowned as the celebrity hotel of Montreal.

Hotel Le St-James
355 rue Saint-Jacques, Montreal, H2Y 1N9
514-841-3111

Hotel Gault
Hotel Gault’s location—on a corner of Vieux-Port that borders the more modernized, centre-ville portion of downtown—serves as an allegory for its distinctively Old World-meets-New aesthetic. Housed in a five-story Beaux Arts warehouse from 1871, its 30 loft-like suites are furnished with floor-to-ceiling French windows (that you can actually open!), Flou beds, Mondrian custom cabinetry, flat-screen TVs, and heated bathroom floors. With work spaces provided in each room, a user-friendly lobby, library geared for meet-ups, and free use of the hotel’s iPads and Wi-Fi, Hotel Gault is also a great place to get some work done—but with a check-in desk that doubles as a bar, why would you?

Hotel Gault
449 rue Sainte-Helene, Montreal, H2Y 2K9
514-904-1616

What to Do

Marche Atwater
Montreal takes great pride in its system of public markets (which those in the U.S. would recognize as farmers’ markets, with a focus on locally grown and raised produce, meat, and dairy). Located along the banks of the Lachine Canal (a lovely spot to enjoy a market-purchased picnic), Atwater’s year-round set-up makes a visit worthwhile no matter the season. The indoor/outdoor facility boasts several gourmet specialty shops inside its circa 1932 Art Deco edifice. What really makes Atwater recommendable, however, is its unparalleled selection of ready-to-eat victuals, with stalls surrounding the building that sell everything from Reunionese cuisine to Singaporean street food.

Marche Atwater
138 Atwater Avenue, Montreal, H4C 2H6
514-937-7754

The Wandering Chew
This two-woman collective, founded by law student Sydney Warshaw and food writer Katherine Romanow, promotes and preserves Montreal’s Jewish food culture through two main endeavors. Their “Beyond the Bagel” walking tours focus on the culinary history of the adjoining Plateau and Mile-End neighborhoods, making pit stops at such landmarks as Schwartz’s (a Jewish deli beloved for its smoked meat), Wilensky’s Light Lunch (a luncheonette counter that’s barely changed since the 1930s) and rival bagel-makers Fairmount Bagels and St-Viatuer Bagels. The Wandering Chew also hosts dinners and other sit-down events like “Makhn A Piknik: A Yiddish Poet’s Feast,” “A Southern Jewish Thanksgiving,” and “Killer Cheese and Girl Power: A Chanukah Party.”

The Wandering Chew
No address
No phone number

Dante Hardware and Mezza Luna Cooking School
If you’d get a kick out of shopping for Laguiole knives and Le Crueset Dutch ovens in a store where firearms are wall-mounted behind the register, then this is the kitchen specialty shop for you. Since 1956, the family-run business has imported hard-to-find cooking and baking supplies from Europe; since 1994, Elena Faita-Vendittelli has run the Mezza Luna cooking school a few doors down to further impart her family’s love for old-world Italian eats. Students can take classes in everything from bûche de noël to sweet-and-salty apples, then head over to Dante to pick up the supplies they need to recreate those dishes at home.

Dante Hardware and Mezza Luna Cooking School
6851 St-Dominique Street and 57 rue Dante, Montreal
514-271-2057 and 514-272-5299

The post Foie Gras Pancakes and the Ultimate Poutine: How to Eat Montreal appeared first on Saveur.

After a week in Tofino I’ve pretty much adopted the diet of a sea otter.

Crustaceans and bivalves, naturally: gnarly gooseneck barnacles at Wolf in The Fog; decapods in the form of Dungeness crabs, sweet and simply boiled, devoured right on the beach beside The Wickaninnish Inn; and palm-sized beach oysters broiled beneath a toasty shell of miso mayonnaise and salmon bacon at Sobo. I’m getting my greens mainly from marine algae: slippery pickled bull kelp at Picnic washed down with Tofino Brewing Company‘s Kelp Stout. It’s all remarkably good, and my fur has never looked better.

Tofino is a tiny and remote place—the first road was built in 1959—on the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island. Sail west from here into the Pacific and there’s nothing but ocean until you hit Japan. The year-round population is around 1800, but that number swells by several times in the summer when tourists flock here for the picturesque marine beauty and wildlife, the surfing, and, more frequently, for the food.

Culinary tourism in Tofino is relatively recent; the story begins in 1996, when the Wickaninnish Inn opened the Pointe Restaurant and built their menu almost entirely around local ingredients—unusual for this time and place.

That local-first practice is still in place today, and a meal in the Pointe’s great octagonal dining room, preferably at a window table overlooking the sweep of Chesterman beach or nestled up beside the copper fireplace, doubles as a lesson in local flavor. Chef Warren Barr pairs plump, briny clams and soft Humboldt squid with horseradish yogurt and melons from the nearby Okanagan Valley. Potatoes are cooked in beeswax, imparting a mellow sweetness, while wild salal berries (a sweet little black berry that’s been a part of the local diet around here for 5000 years) do the same for a nutty brown butter cake.

While the Pointe is the most formal way to experience the best local ingredients it’s not the only. At Sobo, chef Lisa Ahier, a Texas import who moved here with her husband Artie a dozen years ago, cooks an idiosyncratic and delicious menu that makes use of local suppliers in dishes that lean from Spanish (halibut and scallop ceviche) to Asian (braised duck ramen) to West Coast (cedar-planked salmon) in spirit.

The most sought-after reservation in town right now, though, is the restaurant of former Pointe chef Nicholas Nutting. Wolf in the Fog opened in 2014 to almost immediate national acclaim for its playful but refined cooking. There, you can order an entire duck served with lasagna and blood oranges, while you watch couples sip punch from crystal bowls and sing along to old-school reggae.

So intense is the appetite for Tofino’s food right now that the town can barely contain it. Even a rather unlovely industrial park on the outskirts of town now houses Red Can Gourmet, the local fancy pizza joint, plus Picnic, a terrific little charcuterie and preserve shop, and the chilled-out tasting room at Tofino Brewing Company. The so-called “hippie mall” on the highway, home to Wildside Grill, an excellent fish and chip hut featuring fresh local salmon, ling cod, and halibut, and Tacofino, a colorful taco truck with a permanent lineup and Chocolate Tofino (purveyor of the chocolate starfish), is bursting at the seams.

There might not be a better small town to eat in anywhere right now for people or for otters.

Chris Johns is an award winning food and travel writer. After crossing Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland with friend Derek Dammann, owner of Montreal’s renowned Maison Publique, to meet with farmers, fishermen, winemakers and chefs (basically the people who make Canada so delicious) for a book project, he’s returning to his favorite places from that trip for SAVEUR—plus visiting a few he never got to—for a second helping of Canadiana.

The post Visit the Small Canadian Town That’s Putting Big Food Capitals to Shame appeared first on Saveur.

Good Taste Award Winner 2015: Sydney & Miami, New Hotel Dining Destinations

Among a growing class of hotels that are themselves dining destinations, The Old Clare Hotel, which opened in August in Sydney, may have one of the highest restaurant-to-room ratios, with three full restaurants and just 62 rooms. It will eventually house the tasting-menu-only restaurant Silvereye with Sam Miller, former executive sous chef of Noma; Automata, featuring Asian-inflected plates from Clayton Wells, former sous chef of Momofuku Seiobo; and British chef Jason Atherton‘s refined all-day diner Kensington Street Social. Halfway around the world, the 169-room Faena Hotel Miami Beach,a redevelopment of the historic Art Deco—style Saxony Hotel, will have a blockbuster culinary lineup for its November opening. In addition to the hotel’s executive chef Gabriel Ask, Argentinian grill maestro Francis Mallmann will helm the open-fire kitchen Los Fuegos in view of the ocean, and Austin’s Paul Qui will showcase his trademark mix of Filipino, French, and American flavors at a yet-to-be-named restaurant, his first project outside of Texas.

The post The Hotel Restaurant as Destination appeared first on Saveur.

Though it should come as no surprise that one can find every conceivable type of international eats in London, one of the most culturally diverse capitals, the pervasive myth that British food itself is terrible refuses to die. Divisive local customs such as jellied eel aside, its residents and regular visitors know that London’s food scene is one of the best. Even top French chef Joël Robuchon (in a move that, surprisingly, did not cost him his French citizenship) has stated that he “would argue that London is very possibly the gastronomic capital of the world.”

The truth is that British cuisine has been experiencing a renaissance for some time now. In addition to culinary pioneers such as Heston Blumenthal leading the way to the future with scientifically informed innovations, there’s been a strong push to revisit traditional dishes, in combination with the “Best of British” movement and its strong focus on top-quality seasonal produce, heritage meats and seafood, and artisan dairy products.

Even pub fare, once something to be tolerated rather than enjoyed, has been continuously elevated and upgraded since the Eagle in Clerkenwell launched the “gastropub” concept in 1991. And when The Harwood Arms become the city’s first Michelin-starred pub in 2010, the notion that pub food is an afterthought to the beer was forever laid to rest.

While it is surprising that most pubs still close at 11 p.m. in this cosmopolitan metropolis, that’s why Londoners start getting their drink on early. Cocktail lounges stay open later, though, and with eight London locales on the “World’s 50 Best Bars” list—more than any other city—the town is top of the heap for drinks as well.

Where to Eat

St. John
Fergus Henderson launched the nose-to-tail trend when, nearly 24 years ago, he opened this stark white restaurant in an old smokehouse near Smithfield meat market. Now Michelin-starred, it continues to turn out fresh takes on traditional British dishes, accompanied by excellent wines and house-baked breads. Roast bone marrow with parsley salad is a perennial favorite and baked-to-order madeleines for dessert are worth the wait.

St. John
26 St. John Street
London EC1M 4AY, United Kingdom
+44 20 7251 0848

Tayyab’s
This bustling, family-run Punjabi institution in Whitechapel has been in business for more than 40 years. Waiters whirl through modern rooms with lounge-like décor, delivering platter after steaming platter of the house specialty, sizzling grilled lamb chops. But the entire selection of spicy curries, vegetarian dishes and tandoor-baked breads is consistently excellent. It’s BYOB and booking ahead is highly recommended.

Tayyab’s
83-89 Fieldgate Street
London E1 1JU, United Kingdom
+44 20 7247 6400

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
One of the forerunners of cutting-edge molecular gastronomy has now turned his eye to the past. Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner, in Knightsbridge’s posh Mandarin Oriental hotel, produces artistic interpretations of historic British recipes dating back to 1390. Though it’s breathtakingly pricey, the dazzling presentations of dishes such as Meat Fruit (c. 1500), Salamagundy (1720), and Powdered Duck Breast (1670) are matched by the heady flavors.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge
London SW1X 7LA, United Kingdom
+44 20 7201 3833

The Wolseley
This glamorous Art Deco grand café in the Parisian or Viennese tradition, all black marble, gold accents, and soaring ceilings, was originally an automobile showroom when it opened in 1921. Antique Orientalist décor and mismatched silver-plated teapots are part of the Old World charm. It’s a fantastic choice for breakfast or afternoon tea, but an all-day menu of elegant European dishes is available till midnight.

The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly
London W1J 9EB, United Kingdom
+44 20 7499 6996

E. Pellicci
This compact East London greasy spoon has been run by the same Italian family since 1900. And how many greasy spoons are lined with lovely Art Deco wood paneling? It’s a particular favorite for a hearty “fry up” (full English breakfast) as well espresso drinks, an array of inexpensive sandwiches, and familiar Italian and British mains.

E. Pellicci
332 Bethnal Green Road
London, E2 0AG, United Kingdom
+44 20 7739 4873

Hunan Restaurant
This small, menu-less spot in Pimlico with understated ambiance has been quietly making magic for more than 30 years. Guests are simply asked what they can’t (or won’t) eat, and then the seemingly endless wave of bite-sized plates begins. Chef Mr. Pang revisits regional Chinese standards with top-of-the-line ingredients and a light touch, periodically popping out of the kitchen to admonish diners not to “waste the sauce.”

Hunan Restaurant
51 Pimlico Road
London SW1W 8NE, United Kingdom
+44 20 7730 5712

Caravan
This hip café in Farringdon’s Exmouth Market is also an independent coffee roaster, supplying beans to many other London locales. The menu is eclectic, featuring everything from massamun goat curry and Welsh lamb to Nepalese momos, all featuring “Best of British” ingredients. Breakfasts and brunches, with picks like a creamy banana-caramel porridge, really shine. The bar offers classic cocktails and a well-curated wine list.

Caravan
11-13 Exmouth Market
London EC1R 4QD, United Kingdom
+44 20 7833 8115

Ottolenghi
With five London restaurants and seven cookbooks, renowned Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s culinary empire continues to grow, but the down-to-earth ambiance and unwavering excellence of his modern Mediterranean small plates remain. The front window of the Islington location brims with tempting cakes and puddings, but the seasonal savory dishes and fantastic wine list—with unusual options such as orange wines—are the stars.

Ottolenghi
287 Upper Street
London N1 2TZ, United Kingdom
+44 20 7288 1454

Poppies
Decked out in memorabilia and staffed by girls in retro outfits, this chip shop looks like a nostalgic memory of what a post-war chippy might have been. Yet owner Pop Newland has in fact been doling out ample portions of fish and chips in East London since 1945. Quality is top: incredibly fresh, tender, and flaky fish in a light, crisp batter.

Poppies
6-8 Hanbury Street
London, E1 6QR, United Kingdom
+44 20 7247 0892

The Harwood Arms
London’s only Michelin-starred pub takes gastropub dining to new heights. Set in a relaxed, circa-1840 dining room in calm pastel tones, the Modern British menu focuses particularly on wild game and local produce—some sourced from their own rooftop garden. Also somewhat unusual for a pub is the serious wine list. Bookings are essential.

The Harwood Arms
Walham Grove
London, SW6 1QP, United Kingdom
+44 20 7386 1847

Lima
Chef Virgilio Martinez showcases indigenous Peruvian ingredients in gorgeous, refined small plates at his Michelin-starred Fitzrovia restaurant. Served in a bright, compact space, standouts include sea-bream ceviche with cancha (crunchy roast corn) and braised octopus with quinoa and Botija olive puree. Tasty cocktails are based on pisco and tropical fruits. His new branch, Lima Floral, has a downstairs pisco bar serving piqueos, Peruvian small plates.

Lima
31 Rathbone Place
London, W1T 1JH, United Kingdom
+44 20 3002 2640

Lima Floral
14 Garrick Street
London, WC2E 9BJ, United Kingdom
+44 20 7240 5778

Hawksmoor
Widely considered some of London’s best steakhouses, the five Hawksmoor restaurants all specialize in top-shelf cocktails and prime cuts of dry-aged beef sourced from grass-fed British heritage breeds. But in a chic Art Deco room at Piccadilly’s Air Street location, charcoal-grilled seafood from Brixham Fish Market in Devon gets equal billing. The Guildhall branch serves elevated full English breakfasts and all offer traditional Sunday roasts.

Hawksmoor
5 Air Street, Mayfair
London, W1J 0AD, United Kingdom
+44 20 7406 3980

Rasa Sayang
A no-frills, halal eatery in Chinatown preparing authentic Straits cuisine. Malaysian and Singaporean mainstays such as flaky roti canai dipped in curry, beef rendang, and satay skewers are on the more accessible end for the uninitiated, while the more adventurous can head for the menu’s “Heat Zone” and try spicy, pungent options such as stir-fried sambal petai (a.k.a., “stink beans”).

Rasa Sayang
5 Macclesfield Street
London W1D 6AY, United Kingdom
+44 20 7734 1382

Dub Jam
A ska, reggae, and dub playlist thumps from the wall of upcycled speakers in this tiny, colorful joint in Covent Garden. Jamaican-style jerk skewers and rum punch served in hand-painted tin cans (two-for-one during daily happy hours) add to the festive Caribbean beach-shack vibe. Also available are burgers, patties, veggie options and, of course, Red Stripe.

Dub Jam
20 Bedford Street
London WC2E 9HP, United Kingdom
+44 20 7836 5876

Fifteen
Jamie Oliver’s nonprofit restaurant on a quiet street in Shoreditch creates modern, globally inspired plates with a focus on seasonal British ingredients such as Lindisfarne oysters and samphire. Each year, its apprentice program takes on 15 unemployed young trainees, culminating in a week when they take over the kitchen. The chic bar crafts classic and modern cocktails.

Fifteen
15 Westland Place
London N1 7LP, United Kingdom
+44 20 3375 1515

Where to Drink

Nightjar
Live jazz and blues acts and lustrous Art Deco mirrors add to the Prohibition-era feel of this cozy, candlelit underground lounge. An extensive menu of consistently excellent and artfully presented cocktails is arranged by era, from “Pre-Prohibition” to “Post-War.” There’s a cover for the live music, but not on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. It’s table service-only, and popular, so it’s a good idea to book ahead.

Nightjar
129 City Road
London EC1V 1JB, United Kingdom
+44 20 7253 4101

Cahoots
In true speakeasy style, it’s not easy to find this hopping bar, but here’s a hint: Imagine there’s a disused underground station beneath Soho’s Kingly Court. Book ahead for tickets to 1940s London and seats in an air-raid shelter or vintage Tube car. Creative, quirky cocktails (“Give Peas a Chance” makes magic from the unlikely combo of garden peas and champagne), war ration-inspired snacks, and a swinging soundtrack guarantee good times.

Cahoots
Kingly Court
London, W1B 5PW
+44 20 7352 6200

The Spaniards Inn
Even for a town rife with historic pubs, The Spaniards, dating to 1585, has a venerable pedigree. Its wood-paneled rooms were frequented by Dickens and Keats allegedly wrote ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ in the spacious beer garden. Cask ales and ciders are paired with classic pub fare like Scotch eggs or pie and mash, as well as modern gastropub bites such as seasonal flatbreads.

The Spaniards Inn
Spaniards Road, Hampstead
London, NW3 7JJ, United Kingdom
+44 20 8731 8406

White Lyan
Cocktail geekery has reached its pinnacle in this sleek, black-on-black Hoxton nook. In the interest of consistency, the rules are: no ice, no perishables (including citrus zest and fruit juice), and pre-mixed house drinks only. Peculiar ingredients include beeswax, bone, dandelion soda, and ambergris. While it’s pretty high-concept, the atmosphere is low-key, lively, and unpretentious, and you can even buy bottled cocktails to take home.

White Lyan
153-155 Hoxton Street
London, N1 6PJ, United Kingdom
+44 20 3011 1153

Mother Kelly’s
In an airy, tranquil space under a railway arch in Bethnal Green, this modern tap room and bottle shop has a colorful graffiti wall and indoor/outdoor seating at long wooden tables. A daily changing cast of 19 craft beers is on draft, with a focus on London breweries. Four taps are reserved for ciders, perries, prosecco and wine, while six refrigerators are packed with bottles from around the world.

Mother Kelly’s
251 Paradise Row
London, E2 9LE, United Kingdom
+44 20 7012 1244

Where to Stay

The Hoxton
This pair of trendy hotels feature rooms with funky décor (One of Shoreditch’s eight East London concept rooms was inspired by the famed Beigel Bake), hip diner-style restaurants, and daily delivered breakfast. The High Holborn outpost also has room-size options ranging from “Shoebox” to “Roomy,” an espresso bar, and a nail salon. In-house events include art shows, DJs, film screenings, and technophile classes.

The Hoxton, Shoreditch
81 Great Eastern Street
London, EC2A 3HU, United Kingdom
+44 20 7550 1000

The Hoxton, Holborn
199-206 High Holborn
London, WC1V 7BD, United Kingdom
+44 20 7661 3000

citizenM

citizenM
The Bankside branch of this Dutch hotel chain offers stylish, affordable lodgings. The high-tech rooms are compact and minimalist, with a touchscreen tablet for all controls. The spacious lounge and work space, wrapped around a garden atrium, features iconic modern furniture and art and a pop-up store of design books. There’s also a 24-hour bar and self-service canteen stocked with light eats.

citizenM
20 Lavington Street
London, SE1 0NZ, United Kingdom
+44 20 3519 1680

Artist Residence
A 10-room Regency-era townhouse in genteel Pimlico has been transformed into a stylish, intimate boutique hotel. Each comfy room is different, but all have eclectic furnishings with retro touches, irreverent artwork, and high-end fixtures. The two suites also have sitting areas and freestanding claw-foot bathtubs. On the ground floor, there’s a cozy, boho guest lounge and a private dining room.

Artist Residence
52 Cambridge Street
London, SW1V 4QQ, United Kingdom
+44 20 7828 6684

What to Do

Borough Market
The city’s oldest market, sprawling under the railway lines near London Bridge, is a food-lover’s paradise. Beneath the 19th-century glass-and-steel roof, nearly 100 stalls sell produce, cheese, bread, meat, wine and groceries from around the world. Many, such as Roast To Go (an offshoot of Iqbal Wahhab’s celebrated Roast restaurant, upstairs), also sell sandwiches or hot dishes, making Borough a great option for a breakfast butty, quick lunch, or stocking up on picnic provisions.

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street
London, SE1 1TL, United Kingdom
+44 20 7407 1002

Neal’s Yard Dairy
Stop into one of their three handsome shops (at Borough Market, Covent Garden and Bermondsey) to sample a large, carefully curated selection of artisan cheeses from dairy farms around the British Isles. Or sign up for one of their cheese-pairing or cheese-history classes. For the truly cheese-obsessed, they can even create custom celebration or wedding “cakes” from stacks of cheese wheels.

Neal’s Yard Dairy
6 Park Street
London, SE1 9AB, United Kingdom
+44 20 7367 0799

Tour a Distillery…
Learn about the history and production of one of London’s favorite tipples at COLD, the first gin distillery within the city limits in nearly 200 years. It offers regular tastings and guided tours (including a G&T), or for a more hands-on experience, Gin Lab classes offer the chance to create a custom botanical blend and distill your very own bottle of “mother’s ruin.”

City of London Distillery (COLD)
22-24 Bride Lane
London, EC4Y 8DT, United Kingdom
+44 20 7936 3636

…or a Brewery
Explore the making of the city’s other favorite beverage at this independent craft brewery built under converted Victorian railway arches, offering both drop-in and pre-booked tours. Or taste the house beers—including lagers, stouts and Gentleman’s Wit, a bergamot-flavored white beer—at The Brewery Bar, which hosts a rotating cast of food trucks on weekends.

Camden Town Brewery
55 Wilkin Street Mews
London, NW5 3NN, United Kingdom
+44 20 7485 1671

Take Time for Tea
The ultra-British ritual of taking afternoon tea can be performed in any number of posh hotels, but advance reservations—and deep pockets—are usually required. For a more spontaneous pause, savor classic scones and tea cakes at the self-service V&A Café at the Victoria and Albert Museum (admission is free), with three truly opulent 19th-century rooms (one designed by William Morris) and live piano music on weekends. For a more formal service, try The Wolseley or the 18th-century Orangery in Kensington Palace Gardens: genteel options for traditional cream teas or towers of dainty sandwiches and pastries.

V&A Café
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London, SW7 2RL, United Kingdom
+44 20 7942 2000

The Orangery
Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens
London, W8 4PX, United Kingdom
+44 20 3166 6113

Picnic in a Park
Take advantage of a sunny day by picking up a picnic hamper at luxury emporium Fortnum & Mason’s hallowed Food Hall and heading for the lush lawns of Green, Hyde, or Regent’s Park. On a budget? Take your pick from rows of vintage picnic baskets at Notting Hill’s Portobello Road antiques market and stock it yourself with goodies from Borough Market.

Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly
London, W1A 1ER, United Kingdom
+44 20 7734 8040

Portobello Road Antiques Market
London, W10 5TA, United Kingdom
+44 20 7727 7684

Join a Pop-Up Dinner
For an out-of-the-ordinary dining experience, the GrubClub website proposes pop-up dinners in unique settings such as the St. Pancras Clock Tower, on a double-decker bus, or in a vintage Underground car. More intimate events include themed tea parties, international family-style meals, private garden supper clubs or BYOB dinners in the homes of Michelin-trained chefs.

GrubClub

Dine Outdoors
Every Friday and Saturday night from May through September, Dalston Yard comes alive with Street Feast, an international mish-mash of street-food hawkers and pop-up bars with a block-party vibe. More than 20 stalls and food trucks sell bites ranging from burgers and Taiwanese buns to Indian tapas and Korean tacos. Starting June 12, Dinerama in Shoreditch features open-air dining and rooftop bars five days a week.

Street Feast
Dalston Yard, Hartwell Street
London, E8 3DU, United Kingdom

Dinerama
Shoreditch Yard, 19 Great Eastern Street
London, EC2A 3EJ, United Kingdom

Late-Night Nosh
Suited businessmen and drunken revelers alike line up for the soft, chewy bagels at this 24-hour Brick Lane institution that has been turning out thousands daily since 1977. At just 25 pence each, they give lie to the belief that bargain bites do not exist in London. A popular option is a sandwich heaped with slabs of steaming-hot salt beef, mustard and pickles.

Beigel Bake
159 Brick Lane
London, E1 6SB, United Kingdom
+44 20 7729 0616

Futuristic Frozen Treats
Tucked in a corner of teeming Camden Market, this tiny shop outfitted with vintage lab equipment churns ice cream to order amid billowing clouds of liquid-nitrogen fog. Aside from the thrill factor, the super-fast freezing ensures that even dairy-free flavors have an astonishingly smooth texture. Top-quality chocolate and vanilla are mainstays, with imaginative guest stars such as “Strawberry and Hay” or “Scones, Jam, and Tea.”

Chin Chin Labs
49-50 Camden Lock Place
London, NW1 8AF, United Kingdom
+44 7885 604284

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