Home Archives - Page 6 of 22 - Gazing and Grazing

Da Noi is a Slice of Sardinia in Melbourne

March 24th, 2017

Melbourne's Da Noi restaurant serves up a sunny slice of Sardinia, from freshly grilled octopus to slow roasted kid (young goat). Food like this is almost always wonderfully satisfying, where the taste of quality meat shines through with minimal garnishing. "Honest" food as some other reviewers call it. It helps that the food is cooked well. We normally just leave our meal in the hands of chef-owner Pietro Porcu and this leads to a series of seafood based antipasti,...

Ajiro in Kyoto is the Temple for Japanese Buddhist Cuisine

March 21st, 2017

Michelin one-starred Ajiro is certainly the temple of buddhist vegetarian ("shojin ryori") cuisine with the foundation of its food being yuba, the tofu skin that Kyoto is famous for. I've been here in both winter and summer and have enjoyed both visits immensely. Beautifully presented dishes are brought forth as we scoop the yuba from a simmering box of soy milk. So this is non-stop yuba snacking punctuated by vegetarian presentations of meat dishes. And best of all, whether it's true or...

Lake Como’s Serene Side Along the Greenway Walk

March 21st, 2017

The Greenway Walk is a welcome diversion from the glitz, crowds and confection normally associated with Lake Como. This ten kilometre walk runs along the western edge of the lake, with some of the path cutting into the hills above the glamorous mansions. I did this walk last October, starting on the northern end, just outside Villa Carlotta although the most commonly mentioned start point is Colonno on the southern end. It's an easy walk that can be enjoyed by most folks and can be...

Villa Carlotta is another Lake Como Gem

November 13th, 2016

Among Lake Como's grand villas, the Villa Carlotta is one of the three key ones to visit. The villa dominates the landscape near Tremezzo, with its grand garden facing that of rival Villa Melzi's across the lake.

In our three day visit of Lake Como, we started with Villa Carlotta and I think this was the right move because the villa itself pales in comparison to the Villa Balbianello. This is because the Carlotta is not as well furnished and doesn't occupy that grand promontory over the...

Le Calandre, near Padua, is Worth the Detour

November 6th, 2016

Helmed by one of Italy's best chefs, Le Calandre is worth the detour to this modern Italian restaurant located in Rubano, on the outskirts of Padua. This was possibly the most fun 3-star Michelin experience I've had because the staff were incredibly fun and witty, very much in line with their boss, and the food was good, modern and yet, not too precious. Given the chance I would definitely come back here again.

We made the one hour drive to Le Calandre from Verona. We figured that we...