MICHELIN Guide (December 13, 2023) – Situated near the Austrian and Italian borders, Milka boasts a superb location overlooking a crystal-clear lake surrounded by mountains in Slovenia.
The restaurant offers a fine gastronomic synthesis of its region and neighbours, all skillfully interpreted and prepared by chef David Žefran, who makes full use of local ingredients. The cuisine served at Milka is revolutionary: David Žefran has had a major influence here, creating tempting dishes in a delightful “boutique experience hotel” which occupies a restored building transformed into a charming and welcoming space where everything has been carefully designed down to the tiniest detail.
Guests eat well (very well!) at Milka, where seasonal produce is of the utmost importance and where much of the focus is on vegetables and freshwater fish. One of the restaurant’s key philosophies states that “engaging responsibly with society and the environment is much more than simply choosing our suppliers carefully – this philosophy underpins every aspect of our gastronomic experience”.
Bon Appétit (December 12, 2023) – “The po’boy’s important to the city of New Orleans because New Orleans made it.”
Today Bon Appétit spends the day with Justin Kennedy, general manager of Parkway Bakery and Tavern in New Orleans, preparing to serve the city’s famous poor boy (po’boy) sandwiches.
Filmed on Location at Parkway Bakery & Tavern | 538 Hagan Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119
MICHELIN Guide (November 14, 2023) – A local product par excellence, Maltese honey represents the country’s history and culinary riches – and no mention can be made of Maltese cuisine without it being referenced.
In this video, beekeepers Ray Sciberras and Jorge Spiteri take us back to the time of the Romans and tell us all about the Apis Mellifera Ruttneri – the Maltese honeybee. We also see how the honey they produce plays a key role at the Camilleri & Sons Bakery, where among the many delicacies, you’ll find delicate Zeppoli Ta’ San Guzepp pastries drizzled with honey.
But it doesn’t stop at pastry, as chef Robert Cassar of the MICHELIN-recommended restaurant Root 81 makes clear. “Honey, in my eyes, is like butter – you can use it with everything,” he says.
MICHELIN Guide (November 8, 2023) – The Beyoğlu Culture Route is a wonderful tribute to İstanbul’s identity through architecture, art, and culture.
An unmissable experience awaits starting from the newly developed Galataport, taking you through the depths of the narrow streets of Karaköy and beyond, through the charm and simplicity and sophistication of İstiklal Caddesi and gradually winding up to the innovative and newly transformed Taksim Square.
Take a walk in this diverse and authentic neighbourhood and feel the vibe of Beyoğlu through discovering 3 restaurants from the MICHELIN Guide selection İstanbul 2022. Let the Mikla’s view, Mürver’s fire and Nicole’s finesse be your guides on the Route and shape your unique perception of this City.
The Times and The Sunday Times (September 18, 2023) – They used to call it La Belle Endormie: a sleeping beauty choked with traffic and blackened with soot. But now Bordeaux has woken up. Its long parades of 18th-century architecture have been sandblasted clean and its streets equipped with trams, cycle lanes and pedestrianized zones. Navigation is quick, the atmosphere unhurried and the food uncommonly good. And if you fancy following in the footsteps of King Charles, who will visit Bordeaux during this week’s short French state visit, you can even get there by train — take the Eurostar and a high-speed TGV; the total journey time from London is six hours.
What to do
The Chartrons quarter
● First, a little history. See that modest cathedral by the Hôtel de Ville? It’s where Eleanor of Aquitaine married King Louis VII of France. Later, in 1152, this feisty daughter of the southwest married again, in Poitiers, to the man who became King Henry II. In doing so she began a Bordelais involvement with England that didn’t end until 1453, when the French captured the city. Sure, a lot of water has flowed under the city’s bridges since then, but to be reminded of the connection is like discovering an unexpected cousin.
● Bordeaux profited handsomely from this attachment thanks to the English thirst for its wines. So continue this 650-year tradition with a riveting, self-guided audio tour of La Cité du Vin. The decanter-shaped landmark explores every aspect of global winemaking and wine culture, with one amusing omission: intoxication. The best bit is a display that wafts key wine flavours up your nose (£19; laciteduvin.com).
Coolest neighborhood
The northern district of Chartrons starts with palatial mansions and merchant warehouses, but shrinks to more modest proportions the further you wander from the city centre. Along the Rue Notre Dame it finds its mojo. Here, half a mile of browsable tiny shops sell must-have crockery, hand-made brushes and £2.50 fruit-crumble tartlets. Clambering vines deepen the sense that you’ve found the perfect French provincial street.
The Times and The Sunday Times (September 11, 2023) – No exaggeration, Turkey’s rambling former capital, unspooling either side of the broad Bosphorus strait, is up there among the friendliest places you could visit for a long Euro-style weekend. Hospitality is in the Turks’ DNA, whatever you might think about the politics. The weather will always deliver too: midwinter has a snowy, Soviet chill that is super atmospheric, while spring and late summer into autumn turn the city into a giant urban resort, with bars, cafés and pool-trimmed hotels lining the endless waterfronts on Asian and European banks.
Karabatak
What to do
● What was founded as the Byzantine emperor Justinian’s 6th-century church has ballooned over aeons into the Hagia Sophia. Now a mosque, it’s a gargantuan spectacle. Enter and in the spiritual gloom a magnificence develops, daylight angling through windows in the galactic dome light years above. Remarkably there is even runic graffiti, carved by a mercenary from the Viking age (free; muze.gen.tr).
● Allocate a day to explore Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans built in 1459 by Mehmet the Conqueror, who grabbed Constantinople from the fading Byzantines. Chamber after chamber reveals military regalia and priceless gifts from dynasties as far away as China. The Bosphorus views are magnificent and the emerald lawns are made for lounging on (£20, includes harem access; muze.gen.tr).
● The Ecumenical Patriarch, spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, resides at the Patriarchate of Constantinople, a serene neoclassical complex in Fener district, above the waters of the Golden Horn creek. Join global pilgrims in the glittery cathedral aisles and witness, perhaps, the divine liturgy or, later, vespers — black-clad, scented and seductively mystic (free; ec-patr.org).
● We associate art nouveau with Paris and Budapest, but in the twilight years of the Ottomans it flourished in Istanbul. Casa Botter (originally Botter Apartmani), built on Istiklal Caddesi at the turn of the 20th century for a tailor to Sultan Abdul Hamid, was the city’s first example. After decades of neglect it’s now a must-visit art gallery and, façade-wise, a real kooky looker, chiselled and Viennese-ornate (free; Instagram @casabotter).
MICHELIN Guide (September 6, 2023) – Two days well spent in Athens where history beckons from the grand Acropolis, while the city’s vibrant districts – from the chic streets of Kolonaki to the alleyways of Plaka – invite you to visit each attractive spot with stunning views of this captivating city.
Indulge in delectable local food in restaurants celebrating the excellence of the country’s produce and stay at stylish boutique hotels infused with the enthusiasm oy Greek hospitality. Enjoy the city with this itinerary that takes in the best of the restaurants and hotels selected by the MICHELIN Guide.
TOPJAW Films (September 3, 2023) – A walking tour of the best, local favorite, non-touristy spots in Seville! Chef Jose Pizarro visits his top 3 authentic tapas spots, which is then followed by an incredible wine bar and one of the most exceptional (but affordable) restaurants in the city.
Video timeline:00:00 Las Teresas 01:53 Casa Morales 03:17 Bodeguita Romero 04:47 P&O Cruises (Arvia) 07:19 Lama La Uva 08:53 Marabunda
Seville is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
TOPJAW Films (August 27, 2023) – A tour of the best, non-touristy spots in BARCELONA including 7 new restaurants & bars, a locally-loved bakery, an intimate dining experience and a one-of-a-kind cocktail bar.
A chef’s tour around Abu Dhabi with Italian chef of one-MICHELIN star restaurant Talea by Antonio Guida, Luigi Stinga, taking food content creator, Harry Heal, around the city he now calls home.
We follow the pair as they explore the UAE capital; from the Malaysian eatery he regularly visits, the vegetable farm and bee farm near his restaurant, to the secluded sand bar he considers his little piece of paradise. Together, they spend their day adventuring around the chef’s favorite hidden gems in Abu Dhabi.
MICHELIN Guide
TOPJAW
Boomers Daily 