by Winning tip: Super fresh seafood in Athens
Hidden away in the main hall of Varvakios, Athens’ Agora market has seafood so fresh it smells like the sea air. At Hasapika, you can choose your fish and specify how you want it cooked: seared octopus, salmon ceviche, giant fried prawns – the choice is truly delicious. But the highlight is the whole Hasapika – handmade pasta in a decadent tomato broth overloaded with lobster, mussels and prawns. It can serve three, but two of us fought for every last scrap, cleaning the pan with warm bread, soaked in olive oil. My Italian friend declared that it had some of the best pasta he had ever tasted. It’s worth €28 for two.
Suriya Bala
Meat and mustard rolls, Bucharest
At the Obor market, a few miles northwest of Bucharest’s old town, Terasa Obor is an outdoor barbecue spot known for its mickey (also known as “meech” and miitei). Literally “little heads”, these are small meat rolls made of beef or lamb, similar to koftas, and a popular street food in Romania, with variations of the dish popular throughout the Balkans. In the middle of a bustling market, this is a great spot for people watching and a favorite with the locals. Micí’s are five lei each (just under £1), and fresh bread is one lei, and they are served with mustard.
Josh Rault
Briny bites, Norfolk
The food at the Crab Hut, a cabin food stall that sits quietly in the marshes of Brancaster Staithe, is as simple as it gets – small bowls of whelks (£2), roe (£2.50), and lobster (£3), and generous rolls filled with local crab (£4.50). There’s honesty and brightness in every bite, and yet a certain saltiness that makes you feel like you’re tasting the north Norfolk landscape. There are no indoor seats. I suggest you grab a picnic bench nearby or walk through the marshes and on to the dunes.
Thiefane
Tips from Guardian Travel readers
Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will appear online and may be printed. To enter the latest competition visit the readers’ tips homepage
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Sicilian punk tunes, Valencia
A soft warm Valencian evening is completed perfectly and inexpensively by the time spent in a small Sicilian punk-inspired bar in Cabanyal: the Officina Meccanica Work in Progress. The magic mushroom burrata might as well be hallucinatory, as the melting rosemary-infused mushrooms accompany the creamy richness perfectly. A bowl of fresh panel (Sicilian fritters made from chickpea flour and other ingredients) add just the right amount of crunch to balance the flavors, which is further enhanced by a glass of crisp Insolia (Sicilian white wine). The meal blends with the easygoing surroundings that foster a sense of well-being that will resonate for months to come.
Jane
fiery soup, Iceland
During a recent trip to Iceland, after a long drive on the icy roads, we reached the village of Vík í Mýrdal on Route 1, close to the southernmost point of the island and the beautiful black sand basalt beach town of Reynisfjara. (The village is about 120 miles east of the currently active volcanic zone around Grindavík). Here we discovered the wonderful Soup Company. The menu is simple: soups to choose from – with free refills – and bread and butter. We had the aptly named lava soup, a spicy red soup (main ingredients beef, black beans, red wine, onion, tomato, bay leaves and red lentils) in a black bread bowl, with yogurt on the side. It was as delicious as it was photogenic. Each spoonful revealed a harmonious blend of flavors, creating a culinary experience that matched the vast landscapes.
Gabriel
Perfect pierogi, Kraków
Kraków was beautiful but very cold when we visited in January last year. Sheltered from the icy wind, we stole down an alley in the historic heart of the town to No Bones, a vegan restaurant three minutes’ walk from the main square. For the equivalent of £6.50, we ordered a slippery plate pierogi, each delicate yet substantial dumpling, each a peppery umami parcel of cabbage and mushroom. Restored and warmed, we headed out again into the Polish winter to explore further. A perfect and delicious lunch if you were in Kraków, especially when the wind is blowing and the snow is crunching underfoot.
Phoebe
Sealed tuna, guaranteeing the memory in Madeira
Nestled under the ramparts of a medieval fort, overlooking a rocky shore, Santiago Beach Bar in Funchal is nowhere to expect “Oh my God, that’s good” food… especially outside, in a storm. But, order tuna bolo after a local beer, or three (just so you don’t feel like you’re breeding the table, and the view) and what do you get? You get a thinly sliced tuna steak, safe, as fresh as the wild sea you’re sitting on. You get a picture in your mind, a taste in your mouth, a memory you will always treasure.
Simon
Burnt spaghetti Bari, Italy
Spaghetti all assassinsalso known as spaghetti burn (burnt spaghetti), the most amazing pasta we had in Bari; you can order it in most restaurants but we had it first at Via Massaua in the docks. It gets specially ordered. This is perhaps the most famous traditional dish in Puglia and has appeared on TV shows such as Gino’s Italy: Secrets of the South. It also appears in Gabriella Genisi’s Lolita Lobosco detective novels – the fifth book in the series was called Spaghetti all’Assassina – and the accompanying TV drama. The secret is in the tomato sauce and also in the preparation which turns part of it into crispy, part burnt spaghetti. Very spicy, one taste explodes like a moon rocket booster to leave you gasping for air. People came up to see how we got on – we found the people of Bari to be so friendly!
David Innes-Wilkin
Georgian deals, Berlin
On my most recent trip to Berlin, I found my favorite restaurant yet, Der blaue Fuchs (The Blue Fox), a Georgian restaurant with wall art, patterned tablecloths and outdoor tables overlooking the green Kollwitzplatz on Knaackstraße. This vegan-friendly place serves home-cooked Georgian classics, such as the iconic boat khachapuri (cheese-filled bread). We had an appetizer plate with grilled aubergine and vegetable scraps flavored with walnuts, pomegranate and regional herbs, including blue fenugreek, so characteristic and unique to Georgian cuisine. We then enjoyed bean stew in earthenware pots, washed down with Georgian wine from one of the oldest wine traditions in the world.
Adrienne
When in Rome join the queue
A queue is a good sign. Queuing in Rome for pizza in the rain? It’s worth the wait. L’Antico Forno Roscioli on Via dei Chiavari is the pizza joint to end all pizza joints. When you enter, fresh bread and pastry will greet you on the left, before the counter contour tempts you A wooden board full of pizza options (thin slices and focaccia) is your last stop. If they have porchetta (slow roasted pork belly roll), get it. The potato and rosemary flatbread (without sauce) was exquisite, and the suppli (think svelte arancini) best in class. Be prepared to eat standing outside, whatever the weather.
Caroline Glendinning
