dines at Lasarte, Barcelona

Lasarte is the Barcelona outpost of the Basque chef Martín Berasategui, and the kitchen is run by Paolo Casagrande.  The restaurant is spaciously laid out, and the tiles on the walls replicate the Gaudi tiles on the Paseo de Gracia - a nice touch.

We were impressed by the ingenuity of the menu, and for the most part dishes were very well judged and delivered, both in terms of presentation, quality of ingredients and presentation.

dines at Moments, Barcelona

Moments, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, is the Barcelona outpost of Carme Ruscalleda's Sant Pau restaurant at Sant Pol del Mar.  The kitchen is run by Carme's son, Raül Balam, and serves Catlan food in a modern style.

dines at Enoteca, Barcelona

I'm in Barcelona, it's 20ºC on the terrace, and Femme D'Argent is blasting on my headphones - what's not to love?

Add to that an agenda that includes three 2* Michelin restaurants, and one 3*, and you know my mood is going to be relaxed, expansive, and happy...

lunches at le Champignon Sauvage...

We visited Cheltenham during a blizzard in January, and though our shooting ended up being cancelled, we were very happy to have the opportunity to visit le Champignon Sauvage.

David and Helen Everitt-Matthias first opened lCS in 1987, and have held two Michelin stars for thirteen years.  David has also won the National Chef of the Year competition, and has three excellent cookbooks to his name, all of which I adore, and which I dragged along to be signed by David.

dines at Midsummer House...

Midsummer House in Cambridge is the star attraction of Cambridge's growing food scene. Owned by Chef Patron Daniel Clifford, the restaurant has held two Michelin stars since 2005, and has recently undergone renovation.

dines at the Square...

I adore the Square - the staff are warm but the service impeccable; the food excellent; and I'm assured of a good evening. I haven't written about the Square before, but conscious of my posts on poorer experiences recently, I really wanted to share the restaurants I love.  It was lovely to return to familiar surroundings, to see Cesar the charming manager, and Reynaud, the sommelier.

lunches at The Hand & Flowers...

For absolute months now I've been looking forward to meeting up with fellow blogger ElizabethonFood at the Hand & Flowers.  Elizabeth and her lovely husband, Xavier, had been there before and we were all very excited to catch up in convivial surroundings!  Could the Hand & Flowers ever live up to those expectations?