Travel and food are inseparable for me – besides being a passionate traveler, I am a gourmet as well. My memories are closely connected with tastes – I have not so good memories about places where the local food did not excite me and, vice versa, locations without much attractions but with delicious cuisines awaken wonderful memories. With both above-mentioned aspects perfectly combined, we can hope for an amazing travel adventure.
Some prefer fancy restaurants, others – local pubs or tiny cozy cafes. Each type of dining places has its own character. As for me, I prefer taste over the surroundings. Therefore, my first question to locals when visiting a new site is “where can I enjoy here the most delicious meal?” - asking them not to reduce their suggestions to restaurants and tell me, for example, about family cuisines as well. This helped me discover many remote small cafes not only in my country, but also when traveling abroad.
- Do you know where you can eat the best pizza in Naples? In a fine dining restaurant? No.
- Where will you be warmly greeted and offered the most delicious specialties in Budapest? In the city centre? No!
- Where can you taste true France? At Champs-Élysées? No.
- Where to try the must-eat Georgian dish – Khinkali? In the capital city Tbilisi? No.
Okay, you know what I mean. Have you watched House of Cards? The scenes where the President enjoys ribs at his old friend’s place are what attracts me the most.
All these places share one characteristic: firstly – the food is amazing. Secondly, it is served with love and you are treated as their dearest guest, lastly, the price – so delicious for such an affordable price? Incredible!
You can be proud of your experience of dining in London’s most expensive restaurant, or of the possibility to taste the food prepared at the top of the Eiffel Tower, but what I am proud of is that I was able to discover a tiny wonderful café located far from the city center and I want to let everybody know about it. Trust me - a marketing professional knows the price of authenticity in today’s world of advertising.
Why am I bringing this up? We, Georgians, are always very excited whenever NY Times or The Guardian publish perfect reviews about Georgia’s best touristic attractions. But, at the same time, we are also somehow surprised that we ourselves rarely even plan to visit listed dining places. Sometimes we haven’t even heard of them, as they are rarely part of our daily lives. Don’t get me wrong – if you follow the tips, you will get a perfectly decorated café with signs of Georgia’s profound culture, the best view over the historic part of the city, a good service and delicious local specialties. They are not cheap, at least for the locals, but I am sure the prices are affordable for most tourists. You will get what you read – but not what you need, especially, if you are looking forward to diving into the local spirit and feel the way we do – while slowly observing how a plate full of long awaited Khinkali finally arrives and you can feel comfortable to enjoy them with bare hands without feeling judged.
If you would like to visit Georgia, I am happy to share my list with you – where to find such spots countrywide. If you are reading this text, I’d like to ask you to write me about similar dining options in your hometown as well.