Latest news with #gastronomy
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
These are North Jersey's top 7 new restaurants of 2025 (so far)
Opening a new restaurant in the summer — the region's notorious culinary "slow season" — would take some serious guts. Between June and August each year, New Jersey residents from Wayne to Saddle River pack their SUVs and head for the sandy beaches of the shore. Whether they set up their umbrellas at Lavallette, or unwind in front of the gentle Wildwood waves, there's no debate: they're not here. Or, at least, 40% of them aren't (and, the ones who stay are probably out enjoying the sun, having a picnic or ordering DoorDash because it's too damn hot to walk to the car). So, while I would normally be telling you about all the latest and greatest gastronomic hot spots to open on our local food scene, I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about some of the standouts that opened in the winter and spring. And you, of course, can take advantage of the fact that — for the next few months — you can actually get into them. From Essex County to Bergen, then, here are the seven best restaurants to have opened in North Jersey in 2025 (so far). **NOTE: Only restaurants with no pre-existing locations were considered for this story. All openings included are entirely new. Seasonal produce and locally-sourced ingredients drive the menu at Lula; Conor Browne's "elevated yet approachable" New American restaurant in Ridgewood. Using regional vegetables, meats and more, Browne and chef de cuisine Randall DeFalco have been impressing diners with fresh seasonal dishes since their farm-to-table passion project opened this past winter. When I first visited the spot in March, I indulged in a vibrantly-colored, crisp-coated pork chop Milanese alongside a fun appetizer of burrata and strawberries. Just a month later, however, the menu featured an entirely new set of dishes — of which the chamomile butter-smothered ricotta gnocchi became my all-time Browne and DeFalco favorite. Go: 28 Oak St., Ridgewood; 201-301-0301, Chef Giuseppe Agostino's Verana is one of Bergen County's most happening restaurants. Positioned just south of the New York border, the bustling Italian destination attracts some of the metro area's most picky palates — and generally pleases them all. I had high hopes, then, when I heard the Del Posto alum would be launching an upscale Greek restaurant, Mykos, a mile away. Upon visiting, my lofty expectations were surpassed. Sea bass drizzled with caper butter melted in my mouth, while house-made taramasalata was thick, salty and subtly tangy. From flawless pita to pristine digs, everything about the place was exceptional. Go: 416 Tappan Road, Northvale; 201-300-4596, Just over a year ago, I named Kinjo (Jamie Knott and Bill Sander's "neighborhood Japanese spot") North Jersey's top new restaurant of 2023. In an unforeseen turn of events, though, weeks of severe power outages caused the trendy ramen hangout to close permanently. Luckily, the space didn't lie vacant for long, as — only months later — I received word of a Georgian-fusion project, Sihana Bistro, moving into empty storefront. With a team evidently not afraid of the same outcome, the upcoming restaurant would serve Eastern European staples alongside modern Mediterranean fare. Somewhere between nostalgic and intrigued, I booked a table for two. At the bistro, I sampled traditional khinkali (Georgian soup dumplings), creamy garlic chicken and crunchy fried mushrooms over seasonal greens, to name a few. The Adjaruli Khachapuri (a boat-shaped cheese bread showcasing two different cheeses and a drippy egg yolk), however, had me convinced that, even if it did experience similar technical difficulties to its predecessor, the one-of-a-kind restaurant could stay afloat. Go: 159 Washington St., Newark; 973-995-0040, Hidden on the lower level of a Bloomfield Ave. record store, Seoul Bistro might be the most unassuming star of Montclair's lively main strip. Specializing in classic, homestyle Korean fare and contemporary K-street food, the aptly-named hole-in-the-wall is a true secret gem. Or, at least, it was — until I raved about it on @northjerseyeats. On the menu are dishes like buldak (fiery ramen covered in cheese), seafood jeon (scallion pancakes filled with seafood) and various stone bowl rice creations. What ultimately motivated me to send the spot viral, though, was the team's innovative take on rose teokbokki (chewy rice cakes in savory cream sauce) that featured fried chicken, mini sausages, juicy mushrooms and more. Go: 537 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 201-499-5300, If you like pop art, mood lighting and, of course, cheese, then Bar Mutz — Robbie Felice's recently-opened mozzarella-themed trattoria — is your 2025 culinary must-try. With a menu that's practically a love letter to New Jersey's favorite dairy product, the chic spot offers a hot set of melty dishes with an even hotter side of #vibes. Though, right now, customers are most readily purchasing table-side fresh mozzarella (fed directly into their mouths by the restaurant's young staff), the king of Felice's current menu is the Short Rib Trottole; an entrée which showcases house-made pasta spirals drowning in meaty ragu and mozzarella whey. Go: 90 Center Ave., Westwood; Wagyu tataki, uni truffle rolls and mentaiko pasta with fish roe are just three of the chef's specialties that have skyrocketed Minoru to the top of this year's culinary openings list. From the team behind SLA Thai, the March-born restaurant has been full nearly every night since its opening, and positive word of mouth is sure to keep that trend alive. Now, before you rush to book your reservation at the fashionable Japanese spot (should you be able to snag one), I will warn you; a meal at Minoru is not cheap. Top-tier ingredients, inventive dishes and a beautiful dining room, nonetheless, justify the tall tab. Go: 608 Valley Road, Montclair; 908-275-1732, And, on the flip side of fine dining, we have Verona's thriving little burger joint. Because, as great as caviar is, it'll never be a smashburger. Go: 648 Bloomfield Ave., Verona; 973-433-7256, Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter. This article originally appeared on North Jersey's top 7 new restaurants of 2025 (so far)
Travel Weekly
3 days ago
- Travel Weekly
Savoring a visit to Lyon, France's capital of gastronomy
The city of Lyon hosts the Lyon Street Food Festival every June, the largest culinary festival in France. The good news for foodies like myself, though, is that you don't need to attend that annual event to indulge in great cuisine -- it's on the menu in the city year-round. I learned that on my visit in March, which coincided with the Rendezvous en France trade show. Atout France, the marketing arm of the French Government Tourist Office, hosts it every year in a different part of the country to give travel industry partners a chance to get to know the various regions of the country. In the case of Lyon, the city's reputation precedes it. Known as France's gastronomic capital, Lyon boasts a whopping 17 Michelin-starred restaurants out of some 5,300 eateries, including the traditional bouchon Lyonnais brasseries, where authentic fare is served in cozy, unpretentious settings. In short, bring your appetite. Bocuse, a legendary French chef who was based in Lyon, is venerated in this food-centric city. Photo Credit: Felicity Long I started my culinary exploration of the city at the Halles Paul Bocuse, named for the iconic chef for whom the Bocuse d'Or championship -- think of it as a Super Bowl for chefs -- is named. Technically an indoor food market, the Halles is a destination in its own right, with 60 or so merchants selling everything from cheeses, oysters, baked goods and charcuterie to specialty foods and wine. There are restaurants in the Halles, most with just a few tables -- reservations are strongly encouraged -- and tiny shops filled with high-end, food-related souvenirs. Back in city center, I took advantage of it being shoulder season by dining at various spots in the city without a reservation, including snagging a sunny outdoor table at L'Institution for a long lunch. For visitors looking to try a local bouchon -- probably not the best choice for vegans, since meats and cheese feature heavily in the cuisine -- there are so many that the local tourist office suggests making sure the one you choose has Les Bouchons Lyonnaise certification. The Lumiere Museum, a little outside of the city center, is an homage to the brothers who created what is arguably the first motion picture 130 years ago. Photo Credit: Felicity Long Step away from the table As the capital of France's Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, Lyon has so much more than great food to recommend it. Located at the junction of the Rhone and Saone rivers, the city's history stretches back more than two millennia, which is reflected in its art, culture and, most notably, its architecture. Probably the best way to explore it all is with the Lyon City Card, available for 24, 48, 72 or 96 hours and valid on virtually all modes of transportation and for entry to local museums and attractions. I used it on the funicular, which brought me to the ancient, hilltop Roman Amphitheater des Trois Gaules; on the easy-to-navigate metro, which took me from the medieval and Renaissance architecture of Old Town to the Confluence District, where the rivers meet; and on the bus for an exploration on the newly renovated Lumiere Museum. Film buffs will recognize the Lumiere brothers as the creators of what was arguably the first film 130 years ago this year. Called "Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory," the 1895 film simply shows a steady stream of people walking toward the camera; but for viewers of the day, the technology was revolutionary. For a completely different side of culture, the Museum of Confluences on the Presqu'ile, the peninsula formed by the confluence of the two rivers -- eye-popping as much for its crystal-like exterior as for its exhibitions -- is marking its 10th anniversary with four new exhibitions. Don't miss the giant mammoth of Choulans, discovered in 1859 and said to date from the ice age. The Roman amphitheater is a reminder that the city's history goes back more than 2,000 years. Photo Credit: Felicity Long Hit the pavement A key attraction for visitors who like to do their sightseeing on foot is the network of traboules, covered passageways between buildings in Vieux Lyon, La Croix-Rousse hill and Presqu'ile. There are some 500 such passageways in the city, about 80 of which are open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. despite being privately owned. You can tour some of the most picturesque with a guide or go on your own with an app, but either way, the traboules offer a unique look into the behind-the-scenes life of the city. The city's menu of walking tours also includes visits to the historical canut district in the La Croix-Rousse section of the city, where in the 19th century, silk workers plied their trade in workshops that supplied some of the great fashion houses of the day. The Maison des Canuts is open to visitors and offers guided tours and weaving demonstrations. The Basilica Notre-Dame of Fourviere is accessible via funicular and dominates the city's skyline. Photo Credit: Felicity Long Sleeping in history You can tour the Grand Hotel-Dieu, a former hospital that dates from the Middle Ages and managed to survive and serve the wounded in two world wars. And overnight guests will find that the InterContinental Lyon -- Hotel Dieu offers more than just luxurious accommodations. The five-star property has various room and suite categories to choose from, most of which offer views of either the Rhone, the historical courtyard or the gardens. The property features a tony Cinq Mondes spa and fitness center, the Epona restaurant and Le Dome bar, both helmed by chef Mathieu Charrois and set in ornate interiors, courtesy of one of the largest private restorations of a historically classified site in France that took from 2013 to 2019 to complete. The property also features a location convenient to both Bellecour Square, where the tourist office is located, and Tete d'Or Park, billed as France's largest urban park. Getting to Lyon Most travelers visiting Lyon will likely transit through Paris, and while connecting flights are available and fairly frequent, the TGV InOui rail service only adds about an hour to the trip and is a lot more convenient and less expensive. The train departs Lyon from the downtown station and deposits travelers at the Gare de Lyon railway station, right in the heart of Paris.
CNA
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Food stylist and influencer Sunny Han's house is inspired by holidays in the Italian countryside
One of the best tiramisus I had in my life was not in a restaurant. It was whilst perched on a high stool at Sunny Han's kitchen island. The tiramisu was so good that the next time I met up with another guest who was at that same dinner, we started our conversation dissecting what made Han's version of the Italian dessert just right. I had looked forward to that meal, as Han is a famous culinary virtuoso who documents her cooking on Instagram with sprezzatura aplenty. She diligently makes everything from scratch – risotto alla Milanese, tteokguk, soya sauce chicken rice, to name a few – spending hours in her kitchen with nary a hair out of place and ears adorned with vintage earrings – Chanel, no less. Han's impeccable style and gastronomic preoccupation is traced to a lineage of connoisseurs. Her grandmother was married to South Korea's first naval admiral and hosted many dignitaries, including President Park Chung Hee. Han's mother cooked in South Korea's first bistro before opening the country's first international interior design store. 'She would go to the Maison & Objet Paris fair twice a year to shop, and I would follow her when I was 10 to 15 years old,' shared Han, who studied hospitality management at Cornell University, New York, followed by two years at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. A meal by the seasoned host is always a thorough affair. Han recapped a recent Easter meal featuring a five-hour, slow-roasted leg of lamb 'cut very thin, soaked in its own pan drippings and served in a variety of condiments and sauces, including silky tahini sauce.' This was matched with a spring tablescape of a green-outlined, yellow vintage jacquard French linen tablecloth, emerald-green Marie Daage dinner plates Han hand-painted and parrot tulips arranged in a Japanese flower frog. 'I wore a vintage pink gingham Chanel shirt – a classic Easter colour and pattern to suit the occasion,' detailed Han. An aesthete through and through, she also puts her perceptive design sense to good use as creative director of Singapore's largest high-end co-work operator, The Work Project (TWP), which was founded by her husband Junny Lee. Both of them hail from South Korea but carved a life in Singapore running their business that has expanded to include locations in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and soon, London. The couple made a great pair of hosts during the dinner they invited me to – Lee, with his candidness and humour, and Han with her elegant meal of handmade pasta and beef. The setting was equal part homely and aesthetic, with candlelight saturating the room with atmosphere. The pair moved into this Bukit Timah detached house two years ago from their apartment in town for more space as well as a different pace of family life with two young boys. They were drawn to the site for the leafy park across the street with 'a handsome, grand-looking tree.' Han elaborated: 'We love living in this quiet and intimate neighbourhood. The park is such a versatile place for us, where the kids can play in the mornings and afternoons, where we do picnics, and where we can have a glass of wine as an aperitivo before dinner.' The Italian-inflected house was steered by their love for the country. 'We do a three-week-long summer trip to Tuscany, and some shorter trips over the year to other parts of Italy,' said Lee. These are dreamy days, of Han in her element, wandering into markets to buy fresh produce to whip up Italian dishes as the children play in fields against ombre sunsets. "I like to cook various cuisines – Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, Italian and more. However, if i were to choose one, it is Italian cooking that mesmerises me. I roll different shapes of pasta with different sauces based on what is available in the season. All the inspiration comes from the travels. Italian cooking looks simple but it can actually be very technical in order to do it correctly," said Han. Diego Molina and Maria Arango of ArMo Design Studio, formerly from ONG&ONG (the house's architect of record), helped design their dream house. Matthew Shang Design Office (MSDO), known for creating narrative-led dining destinations like Revolver and Atlas Bar, designed the interiors. Shang had also designed the couple's previous home as well as some TWP Singapore locations so this partnership was seamless. While neoclassical Italian villas provided the precedent, the house's expressions are contemporary. 'We incorporated materials like natural stone, timber and [red travertine tiles inspired by] terracotta that age gracefully and resonate with the Italian countryside inspiration. Architectural features such as arches and pergolas not only provide structural rhythm, but also pay homage to classical design principles,' explained Molina. In the entrance vestibule, a statement staircase finished in smooth stucco curls gracefully to one side like a side-swept skirt, carving a void for Han to welcome guests with seasonal floral displays – for example, large bursts of yellow mimosa in spring and branches of autumn leaves in fall, accessories by pumpkins. The other parts of the home embody a similar tempered elegance, with marble floors, walls of marmorino stucco (a material used in Venetian palaces of yore), spaces conceived as rooms from one to another, arched doorways of oak, and sun-tipped lemon and olive trees outside the windows. Symmetry, colour and proportion are carefully considered with features like teal- and artichoke-coloured silk panels, and dark green Verdi Alpi marble portals flanking a faux red travertine hearth in the living room. 'It is always difficult to do a 'fake' fireplace in the tropics but here, the marble accents and scale make it a wonderful focal point,' said Shang. Han also contributed vintage Murano glass Venetian sconces bought in an online auction. 'I have been adding small furniture and decor items everywhere in the house since we moved in. I think adding stories and layers to every corner of the house as you live in it is the real beauty of home decorating,' she said. Many special pieces came from the couple's travels. 'While the house was being built, I was pregnant with my second son, and we went on a long trip to Tuscany as a babymoon. We met so many local artisans in different parts of Tuscany, hand-making all sorts of things – from ceramic floor tiles to brass door handles and hand-carved wood appliques,' said Han. An artisan in Florence made one of these appliques – a vanilla-coloured piece now attached to her custom cooker hood as a centrepiece in the kitchen. This space sees constant addition not just of decor, but also of cooking apparatuses, other culinary paraphernalia and 'kitchen stories'. 'The kitchen is very much the heart of the home – not just in function, but in how it brings the family together,' Arango commented. The large island often sees family and friends gather around to chat with Han as she preps and cooks. The professional-grade kitchen incorporates a red La Cornue stove and everything that Han had always wanted in her workspace, including a rotisserie that works its magic every week for a regular Sunday roast. Events in this room segue into those in the backyard through large doors that are kept open in the late afternoons. 'The children truly love every part of the house. Yet, it is definitely the kitchen that they enjoy the most. Since our pool is connected to the kitchen, it has become a ritual [for them] to swim before mealtimes, and watch me cook and prepare meals. By appreciating these daily rituals and slow lifestyle, the children have gradually made the home their own,' Han reflected. Arango observed that this connection between the inside and outside spaces 'reinforces the open, relaxed spirit of the home, where boundaries between living, cooking and leisure are gently dissolved.' She and Molina had shifted the original driveway here to another side of the plot to allow for a bigger pool that they clad in the same red travertine as the kitchen floor in the style of Mediterranean kitchens. I asked Lee if he cooks and he chuckled: 'I used to quite a lot but my skills have been rendered useless. On the odd weekend, Sunny will let me do the poolside barbecue. But my job is to play with the boys, and get them really hungry and tired.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunny Han (@sunnyskitchen) The rustic kitchen is presided over by two grand conical Wastberg lamps that appear like abstracted upside-down chefs hats. Walls of oak storage include glass-fronted cabinets showcasing Han's collection of plates and crockery. 'These displays add a personal and lived-in character to the kitchen, making it not only a functional workspace but also a space that tells a story – one that is always evolving with the seasons, meals and memories made there,' said Arango. The dedication of Han's hosting is found in a 'party closet', accessed by a butler's corridor. Here, Han keeps her heirloom silverware (some have been used by past South Korean presidents), serve ware, piles of neatly folded linen, et cetera that take their turn to be admired at gatherings. 'I like to buy vintage and objects that looks used. A lot of them were inherited from my grandmother,' said Han. There are also vintage espresso cups belonging to her mother. Guests close enough for a tour upstairs often marvel at the peach-coloured walls tracing the round void of the stair core on the second storey. The shade was chosen to match the terracotta downstairs. 'Since it's the kids' area, I wanted it to be more vibrant, yet still in keeping with the Italian language. It was really hard to arrive at that colour,' said Han. The library and doors to bedrooms encircle this void. One of the doors leads to the couple's suite in the attic that has a dedicated bar area.. 'We spend a lot of time here in the evenings,' said Lee. For the space, Shang was inspired by Italian architect Piero Portaluppi's classic Milanese modernist interiors. Rather than downplay the quirk of the slanted ceiling, he celebrated it with rich polished green stucco plaster. I asked the couple what a normal day is like in this home after the children have returned from school. 'We have the kids at the playground, then have dinner, and then reading time in the library. Then they will go off and get ready for bed. Usually, I will do a little more work at home, a bit of reading, listening to music, then a nightcap and go to sleep early before 11pm,' narrated Lee. Han mused: 'We sound like old people.' Clearly, family life is given serious attention. But so too is fun with friends – such is the couple's joie de vivre attitude to life. 'When we entertain friends, we invite them to the living room first with a glass of champagne to start before dinner. Then we all move to the kitchen where I cook and entertain simultaneously,' shared Han. 'Afterwards, we continue to the upstairs bar with a digestif or two. It always ends up in a small house party with endless songs and drinks through the night.'
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Rodent never tasted so good': My 14-course meal at the world's best restaurant
The very first dish leaves me so baffled I have to ask the waiter which bits I am supposed to eat. The only edible part, it turns out, is the tiny blob of brown foam, made from Amazonian chorizo, perched on top of a spiky bed of desiccated scales from the arapaima, one of the world's largest freshwater fish. Each the size of a credit card, the scales vaguely resemble prawn crackers; it's a shame, I think ruefully, that they are there purely for decoration. This is the first mouthful of a 14-course tasting menu at Maido, a restaurant in Lima's touristy Miraflores district (just a short walk from my home of the past 15 years) that specialises in Peruvian-Japanese cuisine, known as Nikkei. Even by the stellar standards of Peru's gastronomic boom, Maido is not just another high-end eatery. After years of bouncing around the top 10, in June 2025 it finally achieved the number-one spot at the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards. Never mind Michelin (which has yet to include South America in its star system) – the 50 Best, voted on by more than 1,000 industry insiders, is arguably the gold standard for international culinary excellence. Maido, hidden behind a cluster of Eucalyptus trunks on an otherwise nondescript street corner, can thus claim to offer the most superlative gourmet experience on planet earth. Its chef-owner, Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura, is now the Leo Messi of gastronomy. And I am here to soak up his skills. The waiter recommends I pick up the hors d'oeuvre and down it in one. As I pop the foamy morsel into my mouth, it seems to simultaneously vaporise on my tongue and explode into improbably distinct flavours and textures. Seasoned with annatto (derived from the seeds of the achiote tree), Brazil nuts, the juice of a local mandarin-citron hybrid, sweet chilli peppers and yacón (a crisp tuber from the Andean foothills), the foam clearly delivers a porky flavour. But it also gives off subtle tones of smoke, citrus and fresh fruit, along with layers of umami and sweetness that feels familiar but which I cannot identify. Ethereally light, the jungle-inspired chorizo concoction somehow also manages to have a faint, satisfying crunch. What follows is a virtuoso voyage across Peru's dazzlingly diverse geography – without ever stepping out from beneath the forest of ropes that hangs over the dozen, highly-coveted tables in Maido's dining room. Although it is hard to make out, they portray the Hinomaru, the Japanese national flag. As new diners enter the dimly-lit space they are greeted by staff with a chorus of 'maido', meaning 'welcome' in the Osaka dialect of Tsumura's ancestors. Diners are then swept from the 1,500-mile Pacific coast over the soaring Andes and down into the endless rainforests of the Peruvian Amazon and their myriad exotic fruits. There are sea urchins and scallops served with basil oil, and a sauce made from another rare tuber – arracacia – blended with tumbo, an acidic fruit once used, before the Spanish brought citrus to the Americas, to make a precursor of ceviche. Then comes arapaima butifarra – slivers of a fishy cold cut in a diminutive bun, flavoured with an emulsion of sweet chilli peppers, karashi (a Japanese mustard) and honey. And Cuy San, or san guinea pig – Tsumura's haute-cuisine take on the fluffy (but, in this neck of the woods, very edible) Andean staple. A diminutive, delicately-battered leg is served with chilli peppers and greens; rodent never tasted so good. Towards the end of the marathon feast there is charqui, a kind of Andean beef jerky but made with wagyu and garnished with huacatay, a minty marigold used widely in Peruvian cooking. All of it is washed down with a New World wine pairing that runs from a semillon made from old vines in Argentine Patagonia, to two different sakes. The service is friendly and efficient but never fawning. Maido is actually the second Lima restaurant in three years to claim the top spot in the 50 Best, after Virgilio Martínez's Central in 2023 (now in the rankings's hall of fame and withdrawn from future consideration), also a 10-minute walk from my home, but in the other direction. The Nikkei emporium leads a cohort of four restaurants from the Peruvian capital in the 2025 list. London, by comparison, has just two in this year's 50 Best, the genre-defying Ikoyi at 15, and Kol, offering Mexican fusion, at 49. Like most top Peruvian restaurants, Maido achieves this at relatively competitive prices. My tasting menu with wine pairing came to 1880 Sols (roughly £390), including service. That's rather more than I am used to paying for lunch. But it's also hardly the arm and leg that many of Maido's international peers charge. The story of how Peru, a poster child for political corruption and underdevelopment, came to overshadow gastronomic powerhouses such as Paris, Tokyo and New York is rooted in a national food culture that is highly original and diverse, and genuinely includes Peruvians of all races and classes. That culture is itself the product of breathtaking geography as well as immigration from across the globe, and even, believe it or not, the brutal legacy of the Maoist terrorists of the Shining Path. Peru's natural pantry is unrivalled, thanks to its tropical location and the Andes's vast altitudinal variation. The country is home to just about every ecosystem, and therefore every crop, plant and game species on earth. Successive waves of immigrants, not all of them willing, from Spain, Italy, Africa, France, China and Japan, among others, have each left their stamp. So too distinct pre-Columbian traditions from the desert coast, mountains and jungle. No Peruvian kitchen, for example, would be complete without a wok or various uniquely local ajíes or chillies. Then a generation of young chefs, including Tsumura, trained in the 1990s at top culinary schools from San Francisco to Rome and Tokyo. Many did so to flee a national collapse partly triggered by the Shining Path's bloodletting. On their return, they began applying their new, cutting-edge techniques and ideas on Peru's extensive pantheon of home recipes. Adding some extra spice is the national propensity for breaking the rules. It's a trait that makes Peruvians both Latin America's worst drivers and best cooks. Mexico – whose wonderful food I do not underestimate, having lived there for four happy years – is a clear but distant second. Eventually, after three hours of what becomes a quickfire blur of dazzling delicacies, I emerge back into the grey light of Lima's overcast, southern winter. I'm satisfied full, there's no question, but it will take me days to fully process the experience, perhaps the way one might after visiting an exhibition by a truly great artist. The highlight dish? Tsumara's nuanced take on Peru's national dish, ceviche, titled Sea and Pistachios. Miniscule chunks of fortuno, a small local fish species, were served with diced squid and snails, floating with nuts and avocado pieces in a light, tangy chilled broth. And does Maido live up to its new reputation as the 'world's best restaurant'? I can't say. But the meal is one I will remember for the rest of my life – which is not a bad thing to say of your local.
The Independent
06-07-2025
- The Independent
The best holidays to book for August 2025, from Somerset staycations to Corfu beach breaks
If you haven't been able to get away during these past few weeks of hot weather, save yourself for some basking in the sun once August comes around. Have a lazy week feasting on Greek grills overlooking one of Corfu's best-known bays, or head to Spain 's lesser-known Galician coast and live like royalty in a historic noble house. Flop on Cuba 's sandy beaches and spend your days on the water, or treat yourself to the delicious cuisine of south-west France on a food-focused walking holiday. If you want to avoid flying, discover the quiet beauty of Somerset 's hilly interior, or base yourself on the Cornish coast and follow parts of the route featured in the new film of The Salt Path. Wherever you decide to go on holiday in August, you'll find some inspiration here. France Go on a gastronomic hiking adventure in the stupendous scenery of the Dordogne. Ramble Worldwide has a six-night self-guided walking holiday starting in Belvès, one of France's officially most beautiful villages. You'll meander past medieval towns and stop in classy hotels serving gorgeously rich périgourdine cuisine, before finishing in the bastide village of Monpazier. Prices in August start at £1,099pp and include breakfast, three dinners and guide notes. Flights to Bergerac or Toulouse are extra. Cornwall The sands of Porth Beach are within strolling distance of SeaSpace, a funky aparthotel just above Newquay with stylish apartments ranging from studios to three bedrooms. There's plenty to do here – including indoor pool, hot tub, padel courts, gym, restaurant, café – along with walks on the South West Coast Path. There's still availability in August, when studios start at £270 per night. Greece Perch yourself above one of Corfu 's prettiest bays, Kalami, in one of the airy apartments run by Sunvil and see why the Durrells loved it so much. Choose from studios and one-bedroom apartments, most with glorious sea views and all sharing a large outdoor pool. Take the path to Kalami for tavernas, bars, shops and lovely swimming. Seven nights' self-catering in August start at £1,089pp and include flights and transfers. Somerset Take to the hills – specifically the Quantock Hills – when you stay at Brookside Cottage. This cute thatched cottage near Nether Stowey is in the foothills of the Quantocks, sleeps four in two bedrooms and has a cosy country kitchen complete with a range cooker. You'll be within stumbling distance of a village pub, and the rockpools of Kilve Beach are only a couple of miles away. Available through Classic Cottages, it costs from £824 for a week's self-catering from 8 August. Cuba If the thought of waking up to wide sandy beaches and swimming in the Caribbean Sea appeals, then indulge in a seven-night break on Cuba's Varadero Beach. Love Cuba has a week's all-inclusive holiday at the four-star Iberostar Origin Bella Costa Varadero, which has outdoor pools, watersports and fitness to go with that wonderful beach. And you'll get sea views on both sides as the long, thin cape of Varadero curves around Cardenas Bay. Prices in August start at £1,099pp and include flights, transfers and all-inclusive accommodation. Spain It's not often you get to stay in a manor house belonging to a Spanish noble family, but Pazo de Ceilan in Galicia gives you the chance to do just that, along with 12 other friends. This handsome seven-bedroom house sleeps 13 and has an outdoor pool, warm beamed lounges, ornate fireplaces, patio barbecue and a pool table, and it's a half-hour drive from Santiago de Compostela. Vintage Travel has a week's self-catering at Pazo de Ceilan from 29 August for £1,630.
