I love food. We all love food. But I think something about living in Asia for 25 years gave me an appreciation for a huge variety of different types of local cuisines as well as no shame about photographing my entire meal before I eat it! As a recent resident of Southwest London, I’ve had the privilege of eating my way around the area in search of new tastes and the best the locale has to offer as well as trying to scratch those itches of all the foods I miss now that I’m no longer living in Asia. Years ago, I found Google Maps to be a great place to turn for reviews of restaurants, and yet the paucity of English-language reviews around Asia spurred me to start contributing, so other English-speakers like myself could benefit from my experiences. After a while, the habit was ingrained. So whether it’s trying to find the best sushi in Southwest London or the best pastrami in New York, I want to help people find the places that I enjoy.
(For sushi, by far the best is Atari-Ya, a fishmonger in Kingston with another location in Acton. They are the largest importer of sushi in the UK and supply most sushi restaurants. If you want to sit down and be served, then try Sushi Bar Makoto in Chiswick).
This photo is from Le Champignon Sauvage, a one-Michelin starred restaurant in Cheltenham that has fantastic food, and especially great petit fours, cheese, and appetisers. This was my cornish lobster tail in the photo.
And here’s an example of the best place to get coffee (Turkish coffee!) in the Borough Market in London, and a must-stop if you need a pick-me-up in the market.
So these are the kind of experiences that I’ve collected in my travels, and to the extent that I can share those experiences with the wider community and other people can enjoy them too, then my job is done.