Restaurant restaurants in Europe
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Seafood Temple
Locally sourced seafood is the god that’s worshipped at this tiny temple – a former park pavilion with glorious views over the bay. Owned by a former fisherman who smokes his own salmon, what must be Oban’s smallest restaurant serves up whole lobster cooked to order, scallops in garlic butter, plump langoustines, and the ‘platter magnifique’ (£60 for two persons), which offers a taste of everything. Booking essential.
reviewed
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A
Waterfront Restaurant
Housed on the top floor of a converted seamen’s mission, the Waterfront’s stylish, unfussy decor – dusky pink and carmine with pine tables and local art on the walls – does little to distract from the superb seafood freshly landed at the quay just a few metres away.
The menu ranges from crispy-battered haddock and chips to pan-fried scallops with lime, chilli and coriander pickle. There’s an early evening menu (5.30pm to 6.45pm) offering two courses for £11.50, or soup followed by fish and chips for £9.75. Best to book for dinner.
reviewed
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Güzelyurt Restorant
This iconic restaurant, in business since 1928, is so adorable because it feels so anachronistic, with shrouded windows, old-fashioned charm and thick carpets. It's also a great place to spill money on a great meal. The mezes are a headliner, with about 20 different specialities, but the menu also features a smattering of mains, including 'Bof Straganof' (no typo), all served by old-school, bow-tied waiters. It's licensed as well.
reviewed
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Doll’s House
With its high-backed chairs, bright colours and creaky wooden floor, the Doll’s House blends a Victorian child’s bedroom with modern stylings. The result is a surprising warmth and no pretensions. The menu makes the most of local fish and other Scottish produce, and the two-course lunch for £6.95 is unbeatable value. The early-evening two-course deal for £12.95 isn’t bad either.
reviewed
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Riverstation
The city's original, award-winning riverside restaurant, still renowned for its super-sophisticated modern British cooking. The downstairs cafe rustles up light lunches, coffee and feather-light pastries, while up on the 1st floor it's all effortless elegance and European cuisine.
reviewed
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Onefishtwofish
Pescatarians would do well to plump for this super seafooderie, with cute little tables crammed in under a barrel-brick roof dotted with twinkly lights. Seafood is shipped in daily: there's always a poisson du jour, but you'll have to order bouillabaisse ahead.
reviewed
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L'Écurie
Enjoy fine fare either within this attractively renovated 18th-century stable, all polished woodwork, brass and leather, or in the large, shaded garden. Pick from its long and choice selection of local wines.
reviewed
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Lucy's on a Plate
Lucy's started life in 1989 as a specialist grocery, but over the last decade it's mushroomed into a full-blown gastronomic empire, with premises dotted all over Ambleside, as well as a Windermere outpost and even a cookery school in Staveley. The original bistro is still the best of the bunch, though: a light and inviting space with pine tables and a sweet conservatory, serving Lucy's trademark quirkily named food, such as 'fruity porker', 'fell-walker filler' or 'pruned piggy-wig'. It gets very busy, so bookings are essential at busy times and weekends.
reviewed
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Restaurant Evo
For a five-star dining experience beneath a transparent UFO-style dome, 105m above ground, grab a cab to Restaurant Evo, located in Hotel Hesperia Tower in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. This is gourmet dining literally under the stars (of which one comes from Michelin). Lean lines dictate decor, with lacquer-finished tables, low white chairs and the inside of the dome lit up. The high point is the presentation of Mediterranean market cooking (say, the consomé de faisà amb els seus raviolis de foie i tòfona negra – a pheasant consommé with foie-gras ravioli and black truffle).
reviewed
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Bordeaux Quay
Top-class dining with sustainable credentials, in a fabulous converted dock warehouse overlooking the harbour. It has multiple guises: a restaurant, brasserie, bar, deli, bakery and even a cookery school if you feel like brushing up your kitchen skills. The same industrial-chic decor and continental-style food runs throughout, but it's a hot ticket: reservations recommended.
reviewed
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Nantyffin Cider Mill
One of Mid-Wales' gastronomic pioneers, this 16th-century drovers' inn takes great pride in using local produce to create simple, unfussy dishes that allow the quality of the ingredients to shine through. The dining room is a stylish blend of bare stone, exposed roof beams, designer chairs and white table linen, set around the original 19th-century cider press. Nantyffin is a mile northwest of Crickhowell on the A40.
reviewed
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Oystercatcher Restaurant
Seafood aficionados shouldn’t miss the bright and cheerful Oystercatcher Restaurant. There’s a bistro menu at lunchtime, where you can choose your serving size, and a classy brasserie evening menu with lots of lobster available, among other delights.
It also offers three cosy rooms (s/d £43/98). The rate includes what has to be the most amazing breakfast in Scotland, with numerous gourmet options – you can book it even if you’re not staying there overnight (£20).
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Saçi Beyaz Et Lokantası
With an appetising selection of pastries and other delicacies, carb lovers should make this pastry shop their first port of call. The vast, vivacious terrace is usually packed to bursting with Van's movers and shakers in the late afternoon. Snacks, pasta and grills available are routinely devoured in the upstairs restaurant section.
reviewed
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Asansör
Housed at the top of an early 20th-century elevator, the location is İzmir's best, loved by both readers and local couples. In addition to the stunning panoramic views, it makes a cool refuge in summer, well away from the main tourist trail. A range of meat dishes is joined by pastas and salads; if you can't afford them, try the smaller cafe opposite (sandwiches TL5 to TL8.50, open same hours) or come for a beer (TL6). It's about 2km from the town centre.
reviewed
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Hermann’s
Solidly set on a corner above the Mercat Cross and below the castle, this elegant Scottish-Austrian restaurant is a reliable and popular choice. The solid, conservative decor is weirdly offset by magazine-style skiing photos, but the food doesn’t miss a beat and ranges from Scottish favourites to gourmet schnitzel and spätzle noodles. Vegetarian options are good, and quality Austrian wines provide an out-of-the-ordinary accompaniment.
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Callander Meadows
Informal but smart, this well-loved restaurant in the centre of Callander occupies the two front rooms of a house on the main street. There's a contemporary flair for presentation and unusual flavour combinations, but a solidly British base underpins the cuisine, with things like mackerel, red cabbage, salmon and duck making regular and welcome appearances. It's also open on Mondays from April to September, and Wednesdays too in high summer.
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Café Imperial
First opened in 1914, and given a complete facelift in 2007, the Imperial is a tour de force of Art Nouveau tiling – the walls and ceiling are covered in original ceramic tiles, mosaics, sculptured panels and bas-reliefs, with period light fittings and bronzes scattered about. The coffee is good, there are cocktails in the evening, and the café menu offers all-day English and American breakfasts, as well as excellent eggs Benedict.
reviewed
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Quality Hotel Sogndal
In a town with limited gastronomic pleasures, your best bet is Quality Hotel Sogndal, which has three restaurants. Both its more intimate Dr Hagen Café & Bar (mains Nkr95-275) and main restaurant, Compagniet, have the same short à la carte list while the latter also does a copious dinner buffet (Nkr295) in summer. Its Dolly Dimple’s does mainly pizzas, to eat in or take away.
reviewed
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Cross
Housed in a converted water mill beside the Allt Mor burn, the Cross is one of the finest restaurants in the Highlands. The intimate, low-raftered dining room has an open fire and a patio overlooking the stream, and serves a daily-changing menu of fresh Scottish produce accompanied by a superb wine list. If you want to stay the night, there are eight stylish rooms (double or twin £100 to £140) to choose from.
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Glass House
Ritzy restaurant in a converted watermill (with the original mill wheel and machinery still on site), serving some of the most accomplished Med and French food in the Lakes, underpinned by top-quality local ingredients – Herdwick lamb, Lakeland chicken, and fish from the north coast ports.
reviewed
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Kirkwall Hotel
This grand old hotel on the waterfront is one of Kirkwall’s best places to dine. The elegant bar and eating area packs out; it’s one of Kirkwall’s favourite spots for an evening out with the clan. There’s a fairly standard pub-food list that’s complemented by a seasonal menu featuring local seafood and meat – the lamb is delicious.
reviewed
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Ee’usk
Bright and modern Ee’usk (it’s how you pronounce iasg, the Gaelic word for fish) occupies Oban’s prime location on the North Pier. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow diners on two levels to enjoy views over the harbour to Kerrera and Mull, while sampling a seafood menu ranging from fragrant Thai fish cakes to langoustines with chilli and ginger.
A little pricey, perhaps, but both food and location are first class.
reviewed
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İmam Çağdaş
This talismanic pastry shop and restaurant is run by the Çağdaş family, and their wicked pistachio baklava is delivered daily to customers throughout Turkey. If there were a kebap Oscar, this place would be a serious contender. The secret? Fresh, carefully chosen ingredients and the inimitable 'Çağdaş touch'. Our pick? The creamy, chargrilled aubergine flavours of the ali nazik kebap.
reviewed
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Edsbacka Krog
For the ultimate dining indulgence, book a table at Michelin two-star restaurant in Sweden, Edsbacka Krog. Set snugly in an inn dating back to 1626 and headed by Christer Lingström (Sweden’s culinary ambassador), its seasonal Swedish-French menu will send shivers up your spine – the things Lingström does to salmon, scallops, lobster, lamb and rabbit are criminally good.
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Yöresel Yemek Evi
This establishment is run by an association of Kurdish women whose husbands are imprisoned. They prepare lip-smacking yöresel (traditional) meals at bargain-basement prices. Servers speak minimal English but do their best to explain the contents of their stainless-steel trays to the clueless. The döner kebap is also worth every bite.
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