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Why Mexico should be on top of your travel list

February 9, 2016 Alex beach, food, Mexico, North America, tips, travel No comments

Fabulous Mexico is a must visit destination for keen travellers and sun seekers alike. A beautiful country full of contrasts, Mexico is packed full of surprises from the ancient Mayan temples to the powder white beaches and crystal clear waters.

4 reasons why Mexico should be on top of your travel list:

Beaches

You can find beautiful beaches across the globe but Mexico’s sands are some of the most incredible in the world. The soft sandy beaches which covet the Mexican Riviera are literally paradise on earth. From out of this world five star resorts where you can sip cocktails and watch the sunsets to hammocks strung from the trees on deserted stretches of sand, there’s a gorgeous Mexican beach destination for you.

Adventure

If spending your days lazing on a beach isn’t for you, there certainly much more to Mexico. For the adventurers there are amazing monuments to see like the Chichen Itza which is the home of ceremonial Mexican antiquity. A trip there is a definite must for keen explorers. There are lots of other amazing adventures not to missed in Mexico from the pre-Columbian architecture to the Oaxaca in the south where there are stunning markets and amazing woven rugs.

Amazing food

Authentic Mexican food is one of a kind and some of the tastiest cuisine in the world. There’s great food to be experienced in whatever area of Mexico you choose to visit. Be sure to venture out of your comfort zone and try something a little more adventurous than the traditional burrito (but those are great too!). The street vendors do some of the best Mexican food that you have to try, think lashing of salsa, spicy beans and rice so full of flavour that you’ll forever be disappointed with basmati afterwards.

Culture

We all think of the stereotypical poncho and sombrero combination when Mexico comes to mind but once you visit you’ll be enthralled by the vibrancy of traditional Mexican culture. In Mexico City you’ll be able to find real Mexican music performances and enjoy a ranchera which is a traditional guitar song. Sit back with a margarita and soak up the amazing Latino vibes.

*Images courtesy of iStock

The best St. Kitts restaurants

January 27, 2014 Alex food, Nevis, St. Kitts, tips, Uncategorized No comments

Spending 9 days exploring the hidden gems of the paradise islands St. Kitts and Nevis, we were also making our way through them tasting both the local and the luxurious restaurants. I put up a list of the best ones when going all around St. Kitts.

The best St. Kitts restaurants:

El Fredo’s restaurant

Located on Bay Road in Basseterre is a locally owned restaurant with local specialties and local beer. If you are a fish lover, order the super tasty Creole Fish of the day. I had the famous Mahi Mahi for lunch with rice, beans, vegetables and a fresh fruit punch. We were served by the very friendly Jasmine, the tall owner of the restaurant and then had a chat with her husband Kenneth who just came by to check if everything was ok and we were enjoying the food. We randomly asked him about all the Welsh flags hanging on the walls of the restaurant, and found out a very interesting story behind it.

”I was born on St. Kitts but when I was 14, we moved to Wales. Later on, I met Jasmine there whose family was from St. Kitts but she was living in Wales. We married, moved to St. Kitts and opened this restaurant.” started with their family story Kenneth Francis.

Jasmine was able to visit her grandparents here on the island as they still lived there 30 years ago.

”We named the restaurant El Fredo’s after my auntie” continued Kenneth with a smile on his face which was not showing any wrinkles even though he was a father of 2 grown-up boys and 2 girls living all around the world now (in Wales, Vancouver, London and one on St. Kitts).

Kenneth, a cricket player years ago, was now very happy to serve delicious local dishes to both the locals and travelers. I took a quick snap of Kenneth and Jasmine for a memory.

Check out El Fredo’s Facebook page, they don’t have a website yet.

Spice Mill

I think this was my favorite dinner place on St. Kitts especially when it comes to its setting. Personally I would definitely make Spice Mill one of the top 2 St. Kitts restaurants. Situated at Cockleshell Beach with stunning views of Nevis island and Mount Nevis on the horizon during the day and then the lights far away make it very romantic too. You can also witness amazing sunsets from here just before your dinner!

When we came in, I was really in awe. Coconut wood-top, indigenous arts, natural material and all designed in a very original Amerindian way. The restaurant’s interior is actually a Kalinago dug out canoe, custom built by the Caribs of Dominica! Spice Mill is definitely the Kittitian restaurant with the nicest interior.

The food is very authentic too. You really feel like in the heart of the Caribbean. My friends also enjoyed some drinks and wine, I kept staring at the unique chandeliers when sipping on my juice.

There’s a lot to discover at Spice Mill, check out their website for more.

Carambola Beach Club restaurant

Opened since December 2011 in South Friar’s Bay where the general manager Chris Evelyn is making sure everything works fine. A local owns it, so it is locally managed too. 99% of all people having lunch here are the cruisers so they come here and mostly stay on the beach too after they have lunch.

I enjoyed the ambiance of Carambola Beach Club – we walked in, then spent some time at the very pretty beach, had some fun in the waves, enjoyed our fresh drinks and then head inside to cool down for lunch.

As soon as I saw sushi on the menu, I was sold. We could even watch the cooks preparing our sushi right there! There’s a European chef with Asian influence which makes up for an interesting menu.

Carambola Beach Club restaurant has an exotic feel to it, it’s a very open restaurant with a lot of fresh air coming in. You can eat both indoor or outdoor. Soon they are expanding to residences on the beach too where you will be able to stay for a night.

Check out Carambola Beach Club Facebook page for the menu and other news.

Reggae Beach Bar

I really loved its location. It was the first place where we had lunch so I was thrilled to get to the beach after a few winter months back in Europe. Reggae beach Bar is located right on the beach at Cockleshell Bay on the South East Peninsula just 9 miles from Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts.

The beach looks like heaven, there’s sun beds, you can swim and even watch cruises passing by on the horizon. Then just walk a few metres to get in the shade of the restaurant. Drinks and tasty fish were on our table very quickly.

I also enjoyed looking up to the ceiling reading the messages about love, life and happiness.

Check out Reggae Beach Bar website for more info.

Ottley’s Plantation Inn

Restored 18th century sugar plantation run by a family. Very laid back place and fun at the same time. The plantation stands out for its amazing swimming pool set in between historic plantation building walls. We spent a few hours there, first with drinks and then tasting fresh local food and drinks at The Royal Palm surrounded by palm trees with the view of the ocean. Fresh salads, Mexican dishes and even many special Caribbean meals were on the menu, yay! What a pleasant place to chill out!

Check out Ottley’s Plantation Inn website to find out more.

Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack

Situated in Frigate Bay just a few metres from Timothy beach resort where we were staying, it’s one of the most-known bars and restaurants on St. Kitts. I cannot say it was my favorite one though. It took ages to get a table, it was so busy! And then it took long again for our meals to arrive but with so many guests, it makes sense.

Thankfully, the sound of the sea waves and a show with local kids dancing and then a fireshow made it for an interesting time. I also liked sitting under the stars. And the name of the restaurant just always makes me smile.

Check out Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack Facebook.

Marshall’s Restaurant

Thumbs up for the very fine dining at this restaurant. I really enjoyed our round table as we finally could see each other very well when trying to chat in between the meals and not sticking around to talking just to those sitting next to us 🙂

The pool and all the lights around it were very nice. And the chef said hi to us when we were leaving, so thoughtful!

Ballahoo restaurant

The best thing about this restaurant is its location in the historic centre of Basseterre which makes up for really nice views of the area. At night time it’s very romantic with many different lights all around.

I enjoyed my mango smoothie and you can even order Mexican quesadillas! Or many local dishes such as fish of the day with veggies, chicken or sea food.

Check out more about Ballahoo restaurant.

Looking for Indian food on St. Kitts? Then check out Bombay Blues Restaurant. I am not the biggest fan of it as I do not like spicy meals and almost everything is spicy for me.

How about an afternoon tea with a rum tour at Fairview Great House?

Many thanks to St. Kitts Tourist Board and all the mentioned restaurants for treating me like a star. All the opinions in this article are my own as usual.

*** It took me more than 10 hours to write this post.

The best restaurants in San Francisco

January 20, 2014 Alex food, North America, USA No comments

10 days in San Francisco were really enough to fall in love with San Francisco so much, it became my second favorite city in the world. It is also because its delicious food at every corner.

The best restaurants in San Francisco:

B44 Catalan Bistro

Definitely one of my top restaurants because I love Catalan cuisine. I had dinner there twice, even had my own cute little table by the window and left with a full satisfied stomach. The owner is always there smiling and he even gave me the best CD with SF and Barcelona songs! Both cities are my top 2 places in the world so I see there is no coincidence in this world 🙂

I highly recommend trying:

starters:

salad Empedrat – bacalao, baby white beans, salad olivada

Escivada Tapas – warm roasted vegetables, cabrales, pine nuts, roasted garlic oil – a traditional vegetarian dish which denominates the process of grilling the food, BBQ usually done in Costa Brava from February to April. Here in the restaurant charcoal is added to olive oil to make it taste like grilled.

main dishes:

Paella hortelana – saf from rice, mushrooms, vegetables, red bell pepper, pine nuts, currants

Ahi tuna – a la plancha, avocado, baby lentil salad, soy and cava vinaigrette

desserts:

Lionesas del Penedes – cream puffs, ice cream, warm cocoa sauce, toasted almonds)

tarta de chocolate y platano – warm chocolate, black pepper and banana tart, creme anglaise, candied walnuts

Plouf

Just a few metres from B44. Very French and stylish with also some Italian desserts. I had 2 dinners in Plouf too. Fresh bread with butter and the lovely atmosphere (and if you drink a glass of delicious wine) are the best to start with. I really liked the lights and the candles on the tables and the energetic waiters. The owner is very professional too. And there’s a super guy working behind the bar 🙂

Out of many salads, sea food and meat Plouf specializes in, I chose my favorite quinoa with artichokes, also fish with a salad and very yummy dessert.

Trattoria Pinocchio

For sure my favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco. I was there twice as well, once for lunch and once for dinner with my friend Annette from Bucket List Journey. We also met with the owners Maria and Giovanni, they are both so cute! It reminded me of my days living in Brindisi, Italy – the atmosphere, the best meals ever, and just everything Italian. Hard to say no to it.

We had A LOT of food here! Starters, pasta, desserts … all delicious and home-made. Giovanni brought really great recipes from his homeland back in Europe. And when it comes to desserts, you can choose from home-made cannoli, tartufo, chocolate mousse, tiramisu, vanilla creme brule or poached pear al cioccolato.

Westfield San Francisco Centre

I ate in the Food Emporium (vegan food and Buckhorn were my favorite ones offering huge tasty salads), Cupola Italian restaurant (one of the Restaurant Collection Under the Dome) and drank as many healthy Jamba Juice as possible there. Buckhorn restaurant for huge portions of healthy salads in Westfield shopping mall. There is so much to choose from in Westfield, all the different cuisines from around the world and surprisingly, the Food Emporium is not expensive at all.

John’s Grill

This was the first restaurant I had dinner at in San Francisco, it’s also one of the oldest and most famous ones in the city. The walls inside are covered with photos of the city patrons, and furnishings from Old San Francisco. Many celebrities come to dine here. And of course me and my friend TJ from Mighty Travels had a yum dinner here too.

As the name suggests, John’s Grill offers mostly steaks and seafood but as I am not a fan of those, I picked fresh fish with veggies and potatoes. It was so tasty! And the heaven on Earth, the chocolate dessert with berries was just about to come!

Lovejoy’s Tea Room

There is no bigger tea fanatic in this world than me, trust me. So when I found out about Lovejoy’s Tea Room place, I was happier than a kid getting the favorite toy. I spent a few hours there with a friend of mine Monica I met at the hostel.

It already started as a lovely time when I saw our table – it said Reserved for the Queen. Yay! At least for a second I felt important 😀 But it was the name of the menu we ordered. We could choose tea, sandwiches, and a lot of sweet treats to go along with. Everything was finger-licking, trust me. Thank God for some fresh fruit and organic veggies too!

Tea Room is such a magical place with beautiful tea pots all around, lots of images and colorful tableclothes.

Godmother

The most famous restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf – if you have your City Sightseeing bus ticket, you will get a free dessert with the best fish and chips in town for less than $10. I haven’t visited it myself as I do not eat fish and chips but heard a lot of prayers about it.

Looking for some chocolate in San Francisco? Try TCHO chocolate tour where you can sample different kinds of chocolate, all yummy, I guarantee!

Or how about Food Tour in SF to find other great places to eat?

Also check out my list of 47 things to do in San Francisco.

Dinner at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

December 19, 2013 Alex Canada, food, North America No comments

After the massage at Spa du Verger at Hotel La Ferme, I was starving and really glad Les Labours restaurant was just a minute away in the main building.

Les Labours at Hotel La Ferme

Les Labours dinner menu

As soon as I walked up the steps and entered, I was welcomed by ”Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler, right? Miss Kovacova?” Obviously, it was an English way of pronouncing my surname which has nothing to do with the real Slovak pronunciation but as usual made me laugh and made it for a great conversation.

I sat down at the bar as I was alone and wanted to watch the cooks working from close (and maybe even learn something). I was served a slice of bread from a local bakery where they just buy seeds and make their own flour for bread. It was extremely identical to Slovak bread we have at home – brown bread with little holes in it. I was in shock because the waiter spent like a minute telling me how proud they are of the unique bread here. We had a laugh once I told him we have a very similar bread back home.

sat at the Les Labours bar

traditional bread in Charlevoix

beautiful modern design

I sat there and just looked. The cook was throwing food on the saucepans and making it all jump like in a circus. Believe it or not, it was a lot of fun to watch. Such a different experience when you develop a certain relationship with food and the cook himself when he looks at you and smiles!

When I was dining at Les Labours, there were all male cooks only.

I found myself wondering … Personally, I would not be comfy cooking myself with people watching me but they must be used to it. Even though the cook looked a bit nervous, maybe because of me and my camera … Or maybe it was because I spent some time staring at his veins too 🙂

observing the cook preparing my dinner

the cute cook in action

My first dish came very quickly – sweet potato soup and croutons without cream but a bit of milk turned out super yellow and yummy.

sweet potato soup at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

Then my main dish followed – gnocchi with fresh veggies – with amazing smell of herbs and fish (smoked spurgeon) and made of 3 colours. The fish was hidden under the veggies, such a tasty surprise with very exquisite taste of portobello mushrooms, radish and spinach and thus giving gnocchi more taste than simple ones I usually have.

gnocchi with fresh veggies

My cook came to me for the first time and his small eyes looked at me from behind the brownish hat … he was a bit shy and even came to apologize to me that he was too busy to talk to me more. I was not sure who was more shy at that moment, if him or me as he made me shy with his look 😀

Afterwards, I tried to look at him less to make him feel comfortable again.

I was recommended a dessert with different kinds of chocolate and nuts. It had the right amount of sweetness but not too much. Comparable to the cook, I’d say …

chocolate and nuts dessert at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

Well, as you can see, my time at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme was so worth it 🙂 So if you are visiting Canada, hop on Le Massif de Charlevoix train and visit Hotel La Ferme. They even have delicious healthy breakfast too.

my healthy breakfast at Les Labours

Where to eat in Costa Brava

April 11, 2013 Alex Europe, food, photo, Spain No comments

I will reveal one of my biggest secrets here.

I am in love!

I am in love with Costa Brava and also with its food. I usually don’t like the Mediterranean food that much, especially because I don’t eat seafood but the cuisine in Costa Brava got the best out of me.

My last time when staying in luxury villas in Costa Brava, we tried different kind of options when it comes to food – from healthy, to interesting flower meals, to traditional Catalan meals

Check out my favorite places where to eat in Costa Brava:

1. La Calendula

La Calendula in Girona with the owner and the main cook Iolanda who is very good on social media, expecially on Twitter and encourages the guests to tweet. She even has her own hashtag #gastroflors. Iolanda studied biology and all her meals are influenced by the nature. She uses flowers and herbs in all the meals and even picks them up herself in the forest.

The absolutely amazing menu I had there and will never forget:

Marigold tempura appetizer

cold tomato and strawberry soup with fresh cheese and flower petals starter

mint risotto with fresh broad beans with ecologic rice from Pals

Elderflower sorbet

forest herbs infusion tea

Gala de Flors – homemade beer of flowers ( I didn’t try it as I don’t drink alcohol but the oh-my-god faces my friends were making said it all)

cold tomato and strawberry soup in La Calendula restaurant

mint risotto with beans in La Calendula

dessert in La Calendula

2. Emporium

Emporium hotel and restaurant – run by 2 twins, one cooks and the other one serves, is a very special place. Situated in Castello d’Empuries so if you are visiting here, you just gotta have lunch/dinner at this restaurant. One of the best desserts I’ve ever tried (and I am a real dessert freak).

Our menu in Emporium hotel consisted of:

chocolate tender pinenuts

tomato biscuit with olive oil and romanin

beetroot cornet with anchovies and mustard – the smallest ”ice cream” I have ever had in my life

mackerel with vegetables and partridge

cod with Santa Pau beans

catalan custard with red fruit, cinnamon and moscovado – dessert

grue cacao truffle

beetroot cornet with anchovies and mustard in Emporium restaurant

catalan custard with red fruit, cinnamon and moscovado dessert in Emporium restaurant

3. private chef Jordi from I cook It

The great thing about Jordi and his wife Ana is that Jordi does cooking workshops and when cooking, he explains what he does and let you cook with him. Jordi is based in Figueres but he cooked for us in the third Charming Villas house.

Lola, Jordi and Leah cooking

We could taste typical Catalan dishes. We started with the simplest dish which sometimes is the best one – pan con tomate. Believe it or not, but it was there where I learned how to make it. Just make a toast, cut a tomato in half and rub the pulp it into the bread until only the tomato skin is left and then use a bit of olive oil and salt on top. Delicious! We accompanied the bread with anchovies and guys also with pork and sausages.

Why tomato bread is so famous in Catalunya? Tomato got to Spain only in the 15^th century from the American continent but it is said that the Catalan cuisine started using tomatoes during the Spanish Civil War when people had not much more than tomatoes to go with bread.

Then Jordi showed us how to make cold Spanish gazpacho soup but not only with tomatoes but also strawberries. Gazpacho is a summer dish to cool down your body, that’s why it is made cold and not hot.

tomato and strawberry gazpacho Jordi from I cook it prepared for us

Jordi also showed us quickly how to make suquet juicy seafood stew but as I don’t eat seafood, he prepared a special one for me with just fish. Liked the combination with the potatoes.

The funniest thing was to learn how to make a very traditional Spanish dessert Crema Catalana (Catalan Cream) that is widely offered in the restaurants all over Costa Brava and also other parts of Spain.

I never realized you have to burn the sugar on top of the cream to caramelize it. Jordi used a heated iron with a spiral shape. You learn something new every day, right?

burning the sugar on top of the crema catalana

4. Compartir

This new restaurant situated in the old tow of Cadaques was my favorite one when it comes to starters and then all the different cheese used in most of the dishes. Founded by three friends who initially worked together in the famous elBulli restaurant, now put all the magic together to create Compartir meals. Very young and friendly atmosphere, together with modern design and lovely staff is all you can find here. And then all the delicious meals, OMG!

I fell in love with this place already when we were served beetroot appetizer with cream. I swear to God this was the best appetizer I have ever had in my life and even containing one of my favorite ingredients ever – beetroot. I could eat this every day, true story! Fish, other pica-pica and the desserts (e.g. the cinnamon-berry ice cream) were of high quality and taste too.

beetroot specialty in Compartir restaurant in Cadaques

anchovies in Compartir restaurant

delicious ice cream in Compartir Cadaques

with the Mayor of Cadaques and the Compartir restaurant crew

5. MOS restaurant

Located just at the waterfront of Cadaques in a beautiful historic building with pretty ceiling, can be a great place to dine out if you are staying in Cadaques and would like something close by. I had fish, vegetables and tasty dessert – a home-made cake.

a cheese plate in MOS restaurant

fish I had in MOS restaurant in Cadaques

6. private chef Lee Pennington

Lee cooked dinner for us when we stayed in Sa Costa luxury villa in Cadaques the first night. I was pretty tired after all the traveling that day so I couldn’t enjoy the dinner as much as I would love to. But the spinach with chickpeas, potatoes and then apple pie with strawberries? I am sold!

Having dinner Lee Pennington cooked for us in Sa Cista luxury villa

spinach with chickpeas

7. El Celler de Can Roca

You won’t believe me but we did visit the second best restaurant in the world – El Celler de Can Roca! It was founded by three brothers, Jordi, Joan and Josep Roca and the restaurant was awarded the third star by the Michelin Guide. We had a little tour of it to see the behind the scenes, how busy everyone there is to make every experience there the best ever! We were also lucky enough to enter their wine cellar. OMG, so many wine bottles!

in El Celler de Can Roca

truffle balls in El Celler de Can Roca

8. La Barretina d’Orfes

This restaurant situated in the little village of Orfes. This restaurant doesn’t have a website and is pretty non-existent on social media too but if you find your way there, you should definitely pull over to get the most traditional Catalan food here. Very rustic, but so delicious. It is not the best place for the vegetarians though. But meat was pretty tasty (I had chicken and fish as I don’t eat red meat)!

one of the meat dishes in La Barretina d’Orfes in Orfes village

PS: If you want to taste the most delicious vegetarian paella ever, ask Joan 🙂 It was as finger-licking as big it was!

the biggest vegetarian paella we had in Sant Mori castle

PS 2: If you are staying in Cadaques, or anywhere close by, and would love to meet up with the most handsome guy of the whole town, go to Can Rafa and ask for Rafel 😀 He can really cook as he did cook for us in their wineyard Celler Martin Faixo. Loved the white beans and the tomato bread with anchovies, my favorite there (I mean after Rafel’s pretty face :)) And the whole family of Martin Faixo are sweethearts!

traditional Catalan dishes we had for lunch at wineyard Celler Martin Faixo

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