Oka

Probably the best restaurant in Paris in terms of Brazilian fusion food and price for value. Oka is an absolute gem! The place is very small and cozy 20 people at the most. It will come as no surprise to you that the restaurant is always full and that you have to book well in advance. Staff is very friendly and the chef on top of serving you the most exciting dishes you have had in a while brings Brazilian warmth and joy to your meal. 

I have selected a few snapshots from the 6 course meal we had, they speak for themselves. Expect lime, manioc, mango, passion fruit, delicious meat and to my surprise powerful and warm Brazilian wine too. The price of the menu? A mear 35 euros. Bravo OKA ! 

Slice of heaven - Mas Lazuli

Standard room

The pictures speak for themselves so this is going to be a very short article. A few miles away from the crowded Coasta Brava, in Pau, there is a little slice of paradise. Mas lazuli is a 4 star boutique hotel offering comfortable rooms, furnished with taste, light oak wood, white and grey colours. The building resembles an old farm, it becomes one with the surrounding nature. The Mas lays in the middle if olive trees and vineyards. It will not come as a surprise to you that The hotel produces it's own olive oil and wine. 

Cuisine is a reason in itself to visit the Mas. Chef Jordi Dalmau from the 3 star restaurant Carme Ruscalleda has composed a refined menu sourcing his products from neighbouring producers. The restaurant is no doubt excellent, as for the included brunch menu I have rarely seen such quality, originality and profusion of food.

 On small regret, there is no real spa event if the magnificent pool and the cocktail providing pool house makes up for it! 

Bonzaï tree

The salted water pool

The restaurant terrasse

HOTEL MAS LAZULI
17494 PAU
COSTA BRAVA,
+34 872 222 220

www.hotelmaslazuli.es

Bilbao, te quiero!!!

When you bring up Bilbao in mondaine conversations you will often hear stereotypes. "Bilbao? Is there anything in that city worse seeing apart from the Guuggeheim? Its an old industrial town, not much else to see than the wonky building" Aw how wrong can people be!

To me Bilbao has it all. It's a very dynamic city, the modern architecture that started with the guggheiem has been flourishing around town, with world famous architects all wanting to leave there mark. Museums are what Bilbao is famous for but if you are more of a sports fan than an art lover you will not be disappointed. Lying in a region where hikes and water sports are all the rage The city centre and especially the riverside has been modernised to accommodate sports enthusiast wanting to stay in shape all year long. Perfect for a bike ride or in my case a nice morning jog, exercise and sight seeing all in one!

And yet that is not all the city has to offer. It is very distinct from its neighbouring rival San Sebastián. Bilbao is very authentic. 

We enjoyed the old town a lot. It offers a great contrast with the modern part of town. There you feel in Spain again sitting under large umbrellas on a plaza major looking at the typical built and the pastel colours of the buildings. The old town is also where you will find the best little places for pintxos (tapas in basque)! The bars are full of creative bites and know how to pair them with wine. Being a few miles from the Rioja region helps no doubt. Wanting to know where the delicious products where sourced from we went to the 'local' market! A visit in itself. A great Art Deco building with many shops and a lot of character.exausted at the perspective to do so many things?

Caravan Cinema Hotel

Don't worry I found the best place to relax! The caravan cinema hotel has just opened and is already very successfull. Why? It's simple, on top of a perfect location there where no compromises made on the quality of the furniture nor the beddings. Everything was tastefully decorated and carefully chosen. Swedish beds, Andalusian tiles, English bathroom and a hosting genius make it a perfect place to stay! 

CALLE CORREO 11 (POSTA KALEA),

 1ªPLANTA 

48005 BILBAO (BIZKAIA)

+34 688 860 907

INFO@CARAVAN-CINEMA.COM

http://www.caravan-cinema.com/

Lolo Bar Roses

The Costa Brava in the middle of August. Images of overcrowded beaches, of an aging but still growing urbanisation, of overpriced and underun restaurants might come to your mind at first. This can trigger a mass tourism aversion in all your senses. Do not be so harsh on the region, there are some lovely villages too such as Cadaquès or Castello de Empùries.

Under the fig tree

I would like to draw your attention to what I consider a hidden gem. Roses is a town with little character, full of diving schools, tourist shops and fatty tapas bars. Walk away from the crowed, away from the beach, grab a table at Lolo retrobar and let yourself be surprised. As you are lazily seated in the shadow of the fig tree, surrounded by its delicate smell, fresh dishes and cool drinks will keep arriving. I loved the retro atmosphere, the blue, the yellow the retro cool retro chic! A very relaxing and yet trendy atmosphere.

They have one rule: to source products locally and homecook. For example the olives are their own, they grow other vegetables too, deserts are homemade and so are the exquisit biscuits that go with your fresly grained expresso.

If you are unlucky with the weather (very unusual in that part of the world) don't worry. Lolo has one great bar! The best part? Lolo has its own little wine production and you can buy the bottles you enjoyed there. Not a wine fan? It's a shame but not a problem! The canas (glasses of bear) are 2 euros each!


www.loloroses.com

C/ Mairo,60
17480 Roses
Costa Brava

#loloroses

Noordzee la Mer du Nord

In Brussels they know how to create the seaside holiday mood!

On the Place Saint Catherine, the heart of the ecailliers (fisherman) district you can find excellent seafood restaurants. We stopped by Nordzee. Great concept! The fast sea food restaurant looks like a fishery, a corner of a street. Fish and shellfish are displayed on large ice stands, in a stove a fish soup is slowly cooking whilst marinated mussels and other fried treats are distributed around. Place your order, give your name to the staff, find a high table to eat on, and wait for your food to arrive whilst sipping a white Argentinian wine or champagne for the more frivolous! The food is extremely tasty, very Belgian and the atmosphere quiet unique!