Sarashina Horii, Tokyo - perfecting the art of soba

Soba with fresh baby bamboo at Sarashina Horii

I have to come clean and admit that ramen doesn't really float my boat. All the new ramen joints that have emerged in central London over the last year have been great for variety (and of the bunch, Shoryu's yuzu tonkotsu is my favourite), but mainly I yearn for cleansing noodles from Koya - if only the queues were shorter! For me though, soba noodles are where it's at. My first trip to Tokyo coincided with New Years Eve and the local tradition is to eat soba noodles at midnight. For some reason this left an impression on me. So on my recent return to Tokyo, ramen didn't feature on my must-eat list at all. I wanted to try more soba and udon. Happily, when consulting the sages of Twitter, I came across Sarashina Horii, a soba noodle specialist with a history dating back 220 years.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal: revisited and still magical

Tipsy cake (c.1810)

I recently had a particular gluttonous friend visit me from Australia. We ate high-end, low-end and everywhere in between during his three weeks in London. He was pretty keen to eat at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, as I've always raved about it. I didn't mind going through the booking rigmarole since I owed him one for securing last minute reservations at the Fat Duck for us back in 2005. I always feel some pressure recommending places to eat since there can be so many variables that affect the enjoyment on that particular day. So far though, Dinner hasn't failed me, with people always having good things to report back so I was pretty confident it would deliver again. And deliver it did.

Neptune Oyster - the God's are smiling

Neptune Oyster in Boston's North End is terrific. It's small and cramped, it doesn't take reservations and there's no dessert and no coffee. You might wait more than an hour for a spot at the bar or have to share a table with strangers, but you will forget all of that when you slurp your first briny oyster or bite into a chunky lobster roll. I recently took two work colleagues to Neptune Oyster before a flight back to London. I can't think of a better pre-flight meal and it sure beats the hell out of BA plane food.

Hits and misses at Hedone

Poached Irish Rock Oyster, Granny Smith, Shallots

Hedone is an interesting one. My potted summary goes a little like this: it's a critical darling serving somewhat polarising Michelin-starred food by an ex-blogger out of a cube-like space with an open kitchen in, of all places, Chiswick. Although serving arguably the best bread in London, I otherwise find it hard to categorise the food. Despite the Swedish heritage of the chef, Hedone doesn't really rock to the new Nordic vibe, but it is clearly produce driven. Some dishes we ate were spectacular, but others felt strangely one dimensional. The somewhat hit and miss food, coupled with haphazard service and uneven pacing to the meal make Hedone a difficult one to recommend. But since almost everyone else seems to like Hedone a lot, perhaps I missed the point.

The Shiori - a welcome piece of Kyoto in London

Wagyu tataki mitsuba maki

The Shiori is probably as close to having a meal in Japan as you're likely to get without jumping on a plane. Recently relocated to Bayswater, The Shiori is the evolution of Sushi of Shiori, the tiny sushi bar near Euston that closed late last year. I never got a table there, since, much like Sushi Tetsu, it only held a handful of seats. At The Shiori, the emphasis moves away from sushi to explore the full range of Kyoto-style kaiseki and showcase the incredible skills of the chef. The room is still small, with around 6 tables, but it is obviously a labour of love for the husband and wife team. That passion for perfection is infectious, making Shiori one of the most enjoyable meals you're likely to have. 

Trishna will enlighten you

Guinea Fowl Tikka

I don't know about you, but when I think of Indian food it's usually in a fast way. It's convenience food, right? Something you either pick up or have delivered when you don't feel like cooking. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've got some great Indian places near me like Palki and Vijay, that I visit or order from pretty regularly. But eating lunch at Trishna in Marylebone recently has changed the way I view Indian food and for the better.

Fantastic tapas at El Quim de Boqueria

Padron peppers at El Quim

There's just something fantastic about food markets isn't there? I could rattle off my favourites, but at the top would probably be Barcelona's Mercat de La Boqueria. It's the diversity of the produce on offer that just boggles. From the great fruit and veg to the incredible array of seafood as well as the weird and wonderful animal parts that I would have no idea how to cook. I love the fact that La Boqueria is still a bustling, living market, where locals shop elbow to elbow with gawking tourists, but the Catalan still drowns out the English. When you throw in a dozen or so tapas bars cooking with the obviously market-fresh food, I could visit every day and never get bored. Eating at the terrific El Quim de la Boqueria would surely brighten anyone's day.