Europe | 2003

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Travelling to Britain

The obvious problem for visitors from overseas is Britain's appallingly high prices. If planning a trip to London from abroad, double your estimate of how much everything will cost. Hotels, restaurants, cabs, virtually everything seems iniquitously expensive compared with their counterparts elsewhere.

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Genoa – the G8 city

Genoa made a great place for a weekend in a thoroughly Italian city in early July – except that it was in a state of extreme activity, busy tarting itself up for the G8 summit later in the month. Not a stone was unturned, not a facade unscaffolded, and workmen were busy everywhere, even on Saturday and Sunday. There were hundreds of freshly planted palm trees along the waterfront, so new that their fronds were still tied up in plastic.

Reasons why Genoa makes a good weekend destination:

• it's Italy
• but it's not too far for those of us in northern Europe
• it's not a tourist town like Rome, Florence or Venice
• it has the world's most extensive and untouched Centro Storico
• fish
• the surrounding coastline, especially east to Portofino and the Cinqueterre.

Where to stay:

• Luxury – Bristol Palace, Via XX Settembre 35, tel 010.59.25.41 www.hotelbristolpalace.com
  Right in the centre on the main, arcaded shopping street and recently (though long before G8) polished up so that all that old-fashioned hotel furniture sparkles and the oval staircase seems to go up forever. Vast bedrooms. Pretty breakfast room.
• Slightly less so – Savoia Majestic, Via Arsenale di Terra 5, tel 010.26.16.41 www.hotelsavoiagenova.it
  Close to the main station (Stazione Principe) which is served by the airport bus and handy for the amazing Via Garibaldi. Old hotel with character.

What to see:

• The Aquarium, oddly enough, is a really good one. Right on the waterfront.
• Il Bigo is Genoa's answer to the London Eye, not quite as spectacular but a lift that goes round and gives you a good idea of how Genoa works. It would be a good thing to do right at the start.
• Palazzos Rosso and Bianco on the Via Garibaldi, an extraordinarily handsome paved street lined with solid palaces dating from the time when Genoa ruled the (Mediterranean) world. Watch weddings from the balcony on a Saturday morning.
• Palazzo Spinola is nearby – and unbelievably near the neighbouring buildings for all its grandeur.
• Centro Storico – a maze of narrow streets lined with tall buildings and a grid of artisans still working on the ground floor. This is not a Williamsburg arty (re)construct but a genuine working town. If the weather's hot, this teeming quarter can provide welcome shade.
• San Lorenzo – strange green cracked plate on which Salome is supposed to have served a head or two.
• Sant'Agostino – doubles as Genoa's museum and beautifully designed, although in general Genoa is better at showing than owning great treasures.

You could also get a train along the coast to the seaside town of Camogli from which ferries go to the popular beach and 10th century abbey of San Fruttoso on the Portofino peninsula – or stay there and eat lunch at the beautifully sited Ristorante Rosa (tel 0185.77.10.88), watching the boats come and go.

For the wine lover:

Local wines tend to be labelled Vermentino or Pigato (which actually is Vermentino too). Tre Rosse make the finest, a substantial, scented but thoroughly satisfying drink. (This is one of the few parts of Italy where all the locals seem to choose white.) Bianchetta is simpler. Rossese is the local red grape and makes relatively light, fruity wines.

The best-looking wine shop is in the Piazza San Matteo.

The Antica Cantina Tre Merli (tel 010.247.40.95) in the narrow, tart-lined Coro della Maddalena just off the Via Garibaldi is the leading enoteca. Dark, friendly and casual and open only in the evening usually. www.itremerli.it

Pintori (tel 010.275.75.07) is another wine-based trattoria, with a Sardinian bent to the menu but a wine list that encompasses the entire world, with some great bargains on it (Lafon Meursaults were looking rather appealing in early July). It's in the Centro Storico between the Bristol Palace and the sea at Via San Bernardo 68. Push hard on the door; it looks permanently closed.

For the greedy star worshipper:

Genoa is supposed to the birthplace of pesto and foccaccia although funnily enough we were offered pesto only once, and it was rather duller than that available in our local London delis. Foccaccerie sell large slices of foccaccia as the local snack. The menus feature delightfully fresh fish and bottarga, mullet roe, in abundance.

Gran Gotto, Via Brigata Bisagno 69, (tel 010.56.43.44). Cool, neutral, Michelin one-star with a determinedly modern spin on things just off the main shopping street south of the second station, Stazione Brignole. Lasagnetti is closer to savoury millefeuille, most likely filled with white fish and veg, than lasagne. Fish dominates. Good taglierini with vongole (baby clams) and tomato as well as interesting, if slightly too fussy john dory with candied orange peel and balsamic vinegar on a crépe. Range of sweet wines by the glass and some ambitious desserts. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. A favourite with local businessmen. Our meal for two was 230,000 lire, or about 70 pounds/100 dollars.

La Bitta nella Pergola, Via Casaregis 52, (tel 010.58.85.43). Lively one-star done out as a (dark) cabin in a boat, a long way from the centre, almost at the waterside at the end of a busy shopping street in the far south-east of the city. Excellent baby octopus (rivollini) with potatoes and black olives, a tartare of ricchioli (a local white fish I caught up with in the Aquarium the next day) topped with a strange thick hat of soured cream and a much better bream with caponata – and some cherries dramatically flambéed in that well known Italian speciality, PX sherry. Be warned though, it's a waste of time ordering dessert as they finish you off first with petits fours and a box of chocs.

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Wine-lover's London

A Californian planning a trip to London in early August prompted this, but I should have provided a few hints to visitors to London in time for the beginning of this summer's influx – even if, thanks to foot-and-mouth and the misapprehensions associated with it, that influx has been more of a trickle than a flood this year.

• Sights

  Walk down St James's Street in SW1. Not only is there St James's Palace at the bottom and various gentlemen's clubs on either side (look for a handsome 18th century building with no or extremely discreet markings by the door and/or well tailored men stumbling out in the afternoon or languidly reading newspapers in drawing rooms inside; there are more of them along Pall Mall to the left at the bottom of the street). Brooks's at the top on the right is Harry Waugh's club, although he rather poignantly said some time ago that the fun had gone out of visiting his club now that he knew he would longer meet any of his contemporaries there. Boodles is an even prettier building almost opposite. At number 61 on the right is Justerini & Brooks, the energetic fine wine merchant that can offer some hand-picked treasures. Buyer Hew Blair works far harder than he need, thank goodness. Further down on the opposite side at number 3 is J & B's longstanding rival Berry Bros & Rudd. This is the real reason for your saunter down this street – which has currently undergone a flurry of renovation with smart restaurants and even hotels going up at a giddy rate. BB&R has long been financed by Cutty Sark which is also sold by the families that own it but recently took on a new lease of life and has become a rather lively wine merchant in its own right. The buildings in which it conducts its London business (the real work is done in less romantic surroundings in Basingstoke) have recently been tarted up, and there is now even the odd bottle on display. But step on to the bare boards of the old wine shop and you will get something of the flavour of an 18th century London merchant. Berry Bros still have the weighing scales and records of the weights of Regency dandies and worthies, and the well suited young men may now use computers but they are at least set into old-fashioned high wooden desks. Have a snoop around and ask if you can see their recently restored cellars. While here you could turn in to King Street and see if there's a wine sale going on in one of the grand old, or pretend grand old, salerooms at Christie's. Check www.Christies.com first.

  If you are that way inclined, you might enjoy immersion in the City of London, basically London's financial district. More and more banks and so on are moving east to Canary Wharf but you can still get the flavour of this very particular part of London by blinking your way up to daylight from Bank tube station and watching People at Work, generally dashing about and looking harassed – a highly satisfactory sight when on holiday, I find. Hardly anyone actually lives in this area (it's deserted at weekends) but you can get the historical picture by visiting the Museum of London near the modern Barbican (an exceptional, for the City, housing and cultural development) and climb the Monument, or NatWest tower, for a better view, ancient and modern respectively. Most wine merchants have been driven out of the City by the high rents but Uncorked at 15 Exchange Arcade, Broadgate, London EC2 is an exception. This is a tiny operation that specialises in supplying City wine lovers with some of the world's up and coming trophy wines so you might find something of interest here. Corney & Barrow (Queen's wine merchant and all that) dominate the wine bar scene in the City and can offer some interesting wines by the glass, and the opportunity to study one particular subspecies in considerable detail. Go to one of these bars only if you have high testosterone tolerance, however.

  While you're in this part of London, cross the Thames at Southwark Bridge, noticing Vintners' Hall on your left where so much wine was once offloaded from the river, and the offices of the Vintners's Company and the Institute of Masters of Wine on your right at 1 Queen Street Place, and walk along the south bank of the river by the Financial Times to Vinopolis, London's wine-based tourist attraction. You can enjoy this well restored old building, taste wine, choose from a good selection of wine books and gear, and afterwards eat either at the restaurant, Cantina, or the wine bar Wine Wharf. The branch of Majestic Wine Warehouses based in Vinopolis will give you a fair idea of the sort of wines and prices available from one of Britain's better multiple specialist retailers, as I believe they're so romantically known.

• Wine shops

  Most of Britain's best wine merchants are spread around the country, operating from printed and electronic lists rather than cute little boutiques in the capital.

  However, as well as the merchants mentioned above

  Justerini & Brooks, London SW1
  Berry Bros & Rudd, London SW1
  Uncorked, London EC2
  Majestic at Vinopolis, London SE1

  there are a few particularly good independent wine retailers

  • Lea & Sandeman, 301 Fulham Road, London SW10, top of Kensington Church Street, London W8, Barnes, and Belsize Park (Haverstock Hill). These bright, modern shops offer a wide range of individually chosen wines. The selection is particularly strong on Tuscany, Rhône, Burgundy and south-west France.

  • La Vigneronne, Old Brompton Road, London SW7 (very close to Christie's, South Ken). Liz and Mike Berry now live in western Provence/southern Rhône and as a result have a particularly good selection of wines from the southern quarter of France, as well as many other exclusivities and rarities. This is a small shop whose stock is driven by passion and interest.

  • Holland Park Wine Company, Portland Road, London W11. This Notting Hill Gate shop is especially good at Burgundy and Portuguese table wines but is an extremely personal business worthy of a good snoop if you happen to be in the area, as is

  • Corney & Barrow, Kensington Park Road, London W11. Lots of one-off special lots.

  • Roberson, Kensington High Street, London W14. Large, modern, cavernous shop with a wide selection at the Olympia end of Kensington High Street.

  There are other small outfits all over the capital. If you are a real wine junkie, or a wine professional, you may want to see where Brits typically buy their wine. More than 70 per cent of all wine in the UK is bought at one of the big supermarkets: Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Safeway, or possibly Somerfield, the Co-op or (much the best) Waitrose. Branches vary enormously in the range they offer. Flagship stores include Sainsburys at Gloucester Road and Tesco not far away where the Cromwell Road becomes elevated. If you are staying with a native, rather than at a hotel, ask them to show you their nearest supermarket. You will see just how cut-throat the wine business is at this level.

  For a more interesting (if, apparently, unprofitable alas) wine selection, find your nearest branch of Oddbins. This is the wine-lover's wine chain, staffed by the underpaid and over-educated, and full of interesting bottles about which they can wax lyrical for hours. This is a strange hangover from the Seagram drinks empire, still at the time of writing seeking a fairy godperson.

  The biggest specialist retail chain goes under various aliases (Victoria Wine, Thresher, Bottoms Up) and has been sorting itself out since a massive amalgamation for far too long.

• Restaurants for the wine-minded

  Nigel Platts Martin's group comprising The Square in London W1, Chez Bruce in Wandsworth, The Glasshouse in Kew and La Trompette in Chiswick has exceptional wine lists and well educated staff in each of them. Pretty delicious food too with nothing too overpriced (most other places will make you scream at the greed).

  Martin Lam's wine list at Ransome's Dock Restaurant in Parkgate Road, Battersea, is exceptional, very keenly priced and well annotated. It's a comfortable family restaurant (good for Sunday lunch) with carefully sourced raw ingredients.

  Avenue in St James's Street, SW1 had a section of wines specially selected by Christie's. Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor, Knightsbridge, restaurant at one time offered all wines at retail prices on Monday nights. The Crescent wine bar and those called Jamie's all try a bit harder than most to offer decent selections of wines by the glass but in general such offerings are much more half-hearted than in, say, the US since the owners of licensed establishments are much keener on your buying a whole bottle of such a heavily marked-up commodity as wine.

  If you do find yourself having to eat and wanting to drink in a place with a thoroughly uninspiring wine list, Chilean reds and South African whites generally offer the least unreliable value – and I choose my words carefully.

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Lisbon for the wine tourist

David Heath recently visited Lisbon and reports on two particularly good wine shops: Coisas do Arco do Vinho in the Rua Bartolomeu Dias and Manue Tavares at Rua da Betesga 1a-1b which has a particularly impressive stock of ports, including a great range of Colheitas, that delicious Portuguese speciality which is relatively rarely exported. (Niepoort is the finest Colheita specialist.)

He adds: 'ensure that when walking through the streets of Lisbon that shoes with a good grip are worn. The large marble chips used for the pavements combined with the sometimes steep slopes can be treacherous (and that is without the aid of alcohol)'. I'd add that advice for visitors to the port city Oporto/Porto too.

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Nick in Tuscany

FLORENCE

A delayed Meridiana plane prevented me joining in the inaugural ceremony but having quickly checked into the highly comfortable Hotel Astoria (very central, efficient and, like so many Italian hotels, offering good deals at the moment) I headed off to the Piazza dei Carmine on the other side of the Arno.

This is one of the most charming Florentine piazze because its Santa Maria dei Carmine houses the unmissable Brancussi chapel with the Masaccio frescoes. I had hoped to slip in there but was waylaid by a Slow Food representative and ushered through a large set of gates to the left into a magnificent garden where a late lunch was still taking place, highlighting two artisanal producers, Antico Pastificio Morelli (www.pastamorelli.it) in San Romano, near Pisa, who make wonderful pasta and the moreish biscotti and panettone of Corsini Biscotti based in Castel del Piano south of Siena (www.corsinibiscotti.com) who export widely and about whom I have written extensively on the main site.

I had been looking forward to dinner at Beccofino in the Piazza degli Scarlatti (055-290076) where last year I had two good meals but this was rather disappointing principally because Slow Food had brought another chef in and the synergy did not work.

However, on a cold, solitary walk back to the hotel I stumbled upon what should be in everyone's diary for their next visit to this magical city, Gustavino, 37 Via della Condotta, (0552399806) just north of the Piazza della Signoria and just round the corner from where the Frescobaldi family are building their own wine bar – a counterpart to the Cantinetta Antinori less than half a mile away.

Gustavino had opened the night before and whilst I was there they were busy loading the glass enoteca which separates the two small diningrooms with what I was told were the first of 1200 different wines. The whole design of this restaurant with its open kitchen, industrial lighting, Philippe Starck chairs and first-class glassware is as exciting as anything Italian can be and the menu looks the equal of it – definitely a less traditional, lighter approach than most Florentine restaurants. A great place to visit.

SIENA

On the bus Carlo Ferrari from ICE, the Italian Trade Commission, explained the difficulty of extending hospitality in Tuscany. 'The problem is that the hoteliers and restaurateurs never have to raise their standards – the visitors always keep coming.' We certainly appreciated this when we had checked into Siena's Hotel Jolly Excelsior which despite being the city's best overlooks the central bus station which is busy from early morning until late. There are much better hotels in the nearby countryside but parking your car in this extraordinary city is a major headache.

Aside from a slice of Siena's panforte and coffee in the Campo and an early evening negroni watching the moon rise behind the Campanile, other unforgettable things to do include a visit after the Duomo itself to the Opera del Duomo next door which houses priceless art works in rooms without a single guard in them and walking along the Banchi di Sotto which runs along the ridge of the hill Siena is built on.

This is where during late afternoon and early evening the Siennese parade and it is known colloquially as the swimming pool where shoals of young men and women wander up and down eyeing each other. The street also houses the world's first bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena which opened its doors in 1472 but now of courses houses a ultra modern cash machine and a first-class delicatessen, Morbidi, at no 75 where I watched legs of Parma ham being skillfully deboned. An excellent source of food presents.

Here I was also able to put another of Slow Food's productions to good use, its restaurant guide 'Osteria d'Italie' (20.14 euros). National restaurant guides to Italy have always been disappointing – perhaps because the charm of this distinctive country is its regionality – but this guide, sadly only in Italian, concentrates on 600 restaurants which make a point of showing off their particular local food and wine producers.

I headed off on the guide's recommendation for Castelvecchio, 65 Via Castelvecchio (0577-49586) which had all the obvious signs of a good local restaurant: boxes of empty wine bottles waiting to be taken away; balconies full of washing drying in the sunshine and a waiter who was just putting the daily menu, which he had just finished writing, into protective plastic sheets.

Castelvecchio is buried out of the bowels of the city walls and its menu is as basic as its surroundings. Four starters and four main courses and keen prices, lunch – fusilli with porcini and half a poached chicken served with oranges and rosemary potatoes – with two glasses of red wine, water and coffee was under £15. There is great pride and care taken with the wine list which includes not just the best from around Italy but also wines from France, Australia and South Africa and an easy-to-understand ranking: one medal = buono/distincto, two medals = buono/ottimo and three medals = excellente. Why can't all wine lists so user-friendly?

AREZZO

10.30-16.00 on Saturday, 1 December, was, despite hearing that my football team had lost heavily at home, five and a half hours of bliss thanks to a combination of tastings, churches, an extraordinary antique market and a never-to-be-forgotten sandwich.

The brilliant winter sunshine showed off this remarkable city to wonderful effect and one that we could benefit from as there were four tastings in different medieval settings to be enjoyed. En route we could call in at the Duomo, visit the magnificently restored Cimabue and prepare ourselves for the fantastic Piero della Francesca frescoes in the Basilico di Francesco to which access is strictly limited so do make sure you book tickets well in advance.

By midday we had the appetite for a most unusual yet successful tasting of olive oils, soups and wine. Alongside one wall of a medieval palazzo that housed the city's medieval jousting equipment – swords, flags, saddles and scabbards were 30 different wines and about 15 different olive oils, all from the recently crushed 2001 vintage whilst opposite were four trestle tables behind which stood eight chefs from four different local restaurants generously doling out bowls of ribollita, the hearty vegetable soup, a soup of cavolo nero and chick peas, an onion soup laced with vin santo, the Tuscan sweet wine, and my personal favourite a cream of cauliflower and potato soup, whose delicate flavour was accentuated by slivers of orange. The four restaurants, all offering very typical Tuscan fare, are Osteria Locanda, Loc. Penna Alta, Terranuova Bracciolini (tel 055 9705147); Hotel La Balestra, Via dei Montefeltro 29, 52037 Sansepolcro, (tel 0575 735151, www.labalestra.it); La Scuderia, Palzzuolo Monte S.Savino (tel 0575 847014) and Ristorante Acquamatta, Piazza dell Vittoria 13 Copolona (tel 0575 420999, www.Acquamotta.it).

This was followed by a second tasting of local breads, cakes and sweet wines before we headed off for the spiritual highpoint of the trip, the visit to the della Francesca frescoes.

This not only lifted my spirits but also revived my appetite and on my circuit of the antique market I had spotted a small bar packed with Italians, strewn with hanging salamis and trading under the glorious name of Il-Buongustaio – Good Taste.

As in so many Italian places, the key was simplicity. Il-Buongustaio dispenses salami in every feasible fashion but on Saturday it roasts off the most moist pochetta, suckling pig, which is sliced in front of you and put between two slices of the most delicious bread together with generous amounts of crackling and stuffing. The sandwich stands about four inches high and is then wrapped in brown paper – fantastic value for £2.50.

We took our sandwiches outside and sat on a very old, worn step watching the sun set in full view of the Basilico and its frescoes (Il-Buongustaio boasts on its card that it is 10 metres from Piero's frescoes). Il-Buongustaio di Scapecchi, Via Cesalpino 6 (tel 0575 403683, www.il-buongustaio.com)

For a coffee, pastry or what looks like a fantastic range of icecream (it was too cold to taste these even on a professional basis) wander round the corner to Caffe dei Costanti in Piazza San Francesco. This is a beautiful coffee house which serves as a great place for anyone and everyone in Arezzo to meet and talk.

Finally, if you are planning to visit Arezzo and you are interested in antiques and memorabilia (I brought some lovely original prints from the 1920s and 1950s) do try and visit on a Saturday when stalls take over the whole web of small streets in the centre. Even the Florentines I met spoke highly of this market which had a far, far higher percentage of authentically good furniture than I have seen anywhere.

GROSSETO

Grosseto in south east Tuscany is the country's second largest province, of which Livorno/Leghorn is the capital, and one of the most sparsely populated with its culinary fame resting for centuries on the fish and seafood from the coast and two types of cattle, Chianina and Maremmana, which fetch significantly premium prices. The region is also famous for its rice, carnaroli, arborio and thaibonnet – visit www.risomaremma.com for full details.

Because of this space, relative isolation yet proximity to major cities, the whole area has become an area for the growing agro-tourism industry where farms convert former outhouses into guesthouses and fields into swimming pools. One whose honey I have been buying for years in Clarke's in London W8 (020-7221 9225) is Antica Fattoria La Parrina in Albinia which also produces, wine, olive oil, yoghurt and cheese. Phone and fax 0564 862636, www.parrina.it.

The town of Grosseto is a charming small city with medieval walls intact, along which you can walk, a cathedral and palazzo/town hall that Hollywood producers would envy. On the Sunday its main square was completely taken over by 100 artisanal producers selling their ware: lardo, the very white fatty but delicious slab of pork; cheeses; olive oil; chestnut flour, loaves and purées – the surrounding countryside when not covered in vines or olives is full of chestnut groves – and lots and lots of sweet things. The best hotel is the Bastiani.

In the evening we were taken for the final dinner to the Sale del Grano in Tenuta Alberese about 15 minutes drive away, once Europe's largest granary, now another agro-tourism centre that holds wine and food tastings. The best dish was unquestionably a lasagnette of turbot and artichokes with crispy squid, two thin rectangles of pasta stuffed with fish, crunchy pieces of artichokes and artichoke puree cooked by the chef from the La Pineta restaurant, Via dei Cavalleggeri Nord 27, 57020 Marina di Bibbona, Livorno (0586-600016), a seaside resort that is extremely popular with Florentines. (The best wines of the evening were a Vernaccia di San Gimignano Vigna ai Sassi 2000 from Tunta Le Calciniae and a lively, crisp Chianti Rufina 1999 from Fattoria Selvapiana, Pontassieve.

Grosseto is not a particularly lively town late at night and Slow Food's delegates who had gone out in search of an authentic final grappa night cap had to console themselves instead with Irish whiskey in an 'Irish bar' (currently extremely popular in Italy) just off the city's main square, listening to loud pop videos.

The following morning I headed off to Castel del Piano to discover the secrets of the Corsini family (whose biscotti and panettone are now on the shelves in Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury and Fortnum & Mason in the UK, Saks stores in the US and German, Spanish, Swiss and Japanese delicatessens as well as throughout Italy). I was travelling with Corrado Corsini along the winding road that leads to the family home and HQ in Castel del Piano, 70 kilometres south east of Siena.

Corrado and his three brothers Andrea, Roberto and Gianlucca are the most obvious secret weapon in the family's continuity, fulfilling respectively the roles of sales, quality control, production and administrative director. And collectively almost matching their 62-year-old father's passion for baking, a profession he has followed for over 50 years.

Modestly, for a sales director, Corrado thanked Nature for the biggest contribution to the family's success. 'There are three essential ingredients to our business: air, water and the flour we use. Castel del Piano stands at 700 metres above sea level so the atmosphere is clean and pure. The water we draw comes from two lakes 800 metres higher in the lee of Monte Amiato and the flour comes from the Val d'Orcia on the Tuscan plains. It is this combination which makes such good dough. Our cakes would simply not taste the same if we were based at sea level in Florence, for example.'

Having met the generations and seen the lie of the land behind the Corsini's success, I was to encounter the next vital, but much smaller, ingredient hidden in a fridge in a dark room next to a row of eight enormous mixing machines. These two-armed monsters, whose bowls are bigger than most churches' christening fonts, work at full tilt during October, November and December to provide the doughy base for the 100,000 panettone the Corsinis make.

But neither panettone, the doughy cake studded with raisins, lemon and orange peel which Italians eat every Christmas but which also makes an excellent base for a traditional British bread and butter pudding, nor any of the 40 other types of bread and biscotti in the range, would have the same depth of flavour without a minute amount of the fridge's closely guarded content – the mother yeast.

'It is 28 years old,' Urbano explained with enormous pride, 'and it is used and recreated every day, 365 days a year. Understanding yeast is the fundamental challenge of every baker. It is the heart of our business. After that, baking is just like every other aspect of cooking in that you have to respect the rules and follow them to the letter. If you do you can grow the business and stay true to tradition. If you take short cuts anywhere along the line then this link with the past is broken forever.'

With annual sales of over four million pounds, plans for a further extension to the factory on the table and several fourth-generation Corsini in the wings, there seems little danger of this continuity being broken. But lurking amongst the photos of the opening ceremony of the factory in 1987 was another family secret – there was Urbano's elder brother, Don Osteno, a Catholic priest, blessing the factory. When I pressed Urbano on the commercial benefits of this association he just laughed but he did admit that it was an ongoing source of inspiration. 'On Sunday mornings when my brother is conducting the services in church I come into the laboratory in the bakery and work on some new recipes. Maybe some inspiration does rub off.'

A cake that Urbano created in this fashion but is sadly not available outside Italy because it has a shelf life of only three months is polendina, an intensely sweet cake made from local chestnut flour and served with ricotta cheese to add bite. It is definitely worth looking out for on any travels in Tuscany.

Corsini Biscotti srl, Castel del Piano, Grosseto, Italy (tel 0564 956787, www.corsinibiscotti.com)

Corisnni's biscotti and panettone are now on the shelves in Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury and Fortnum & Mason in the UK, Saks stores in the US and in German, Spanish, Swiss and Japanese delicatessens, as well as throughout Italy.

Also well worth a visit if you are travelling in this direction between the Brunello and Montecucco DOCs is Casa Corsini at Corso Nasini, 46 Castel del Piano, the family's original bakery now an enoteca and trattoria offering the region's best produce, quite a few interesting imported wines and of course the full range of their cakes.

A USEFUL TUSCAN STAGING POST

On the way back to Florence airport I was asked whether I would like to stop for lunch at a restaurant or somewhere simpler that serves salami, cheese and wine. Fortunately, I chose the latter because Bar dell' Orso, the Bear's Bar just outside the medieval walled village of Monteriggioni, ten kilometres north of Siena, is one of the most authentic bars I have ever eaten in (its full address is Locanda La Colonna 23-Monteriggioni, tel 0577 305074).

The Bar dell'Orso is physically small with eight tables inside and another six on the verandah but it serves 700 a day. In the corner of the main room is a large counter behind which hang salamis, cheeses, huge loaves of bread, vegetables and salads. You order directly from one of the chefs specifying generally what you would like on your tray – how much or what kind of meats, with or without cheese, etc – and of course a glass of wine which comes in a hefty tumbler. You then go to your table and five minutes later comes a large wooden tray covered in clean brown paper on which sits all the ingredients you have ordered and an envelope containing a smart knife and fork. Fantastically simple food that sets you up for the rest of the motorway (if you are in a hurry the bar also serves great sandwiches).

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A taste of Brussels

Wine-loving Eurocrat Eva Kaluzynska writes: Visitors to Euroland often ask me where they can dine out safely in the picturesque city centre without getting ripped off. Here's my trusty guide for a genuine taste of Brussels. All of these are in the city centre, and near the spectacular Grand Place. They are the places where the Bruxellois themselves dine out – avoid all others in the Rue des Bouchers. All of these offer local specialities, good service, reasonable prices. Rough indication of relative price shown. Metro: De Brouckere or Gare Centrale.

't Kelderke, 15 Grand' Place

Delicious, simple Belgian home-cooking, served in vast portions in a lovely cellar right on the Grand' Place. Try moules and frites, waterzooi chicken stew, or one of the dishes served with stoemp – potato mashed with another vegetable, eg carbonnades (beef cooked in beer). Drink beer or wine with your meal. Step out into the square and have your coffee elsewhere, in a room with a view. Just turn up – they don't take bookings. Not for groups of more than four. Worth queuing. Price:

Chez Leon, 18 Rue des Bouchers (tel 02 511 1415)

Bustling mecca for moules and frites (free refills). Cheap, cheerful, authentic experience. Go elsewhere for meat. Room for groups. Child-friendly. Price:

La Roue d'Or, 26 Rue des Chapeliers (tel 02 514 2554)

A notch up from the Kelderke, same management, just off the Grand' Place. Belgian-themed brasserie, murals pay homage to Magritte. Stylish Belgo-French cuisine. Try croquettes aux crevettes (shrimp), check daily specials. Very popular, booking essential. Price:

Vincent, 8-10 Rue des Dominicains (tel 02 511 2303)

Brussels classic, a local favourite for meat dishes and other Belgian specialities. Entrance takes you through the kitchen, with its curtain of hanging meat. Price:

La Taverne du Passage, 30 Galerie de la Reine (tel 02 512 3731)

Thirties-style brasserie, Belgian specialities, service with old-fashioned flair and attitude in three languages. Roasts carved in front of you. Excellent wine list. Dine indoors, or on the pavement in the lovely arcade. Price:

Aux Armes de Bruxelles, 13 Rue des Bouchers (tel 02 511 5550)

One of Brussels' all-time greats. Seafood and Belgian specialities served with pride. Book a table in the front room to see the team preparing flambé dishes in front of diners. Price:

Scheltema, 7 Rue des Dominicains (tel 02 512 2084)

Busy French-style brasserie with a Belgian accent, specialising in seafood and fish dishes. Price:

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Bordeaux

For years the substantial wine business in Bordeaux has been slow to open its doors to visitors, but things are changing. Those planning a visit to the region might find a booklet published in June 2002 by the Conseil des Vins du Médoc of interest.

The Guide Découverte Médoc 2002-2003 comes in French, English and German and gives a village-by-village guide to restaurants, hotels and châteaux open to the public with opening hours and full contact details including phone and fax numbers, email and website addresses and names – though whether they really want everyone to ring Ch Pichon Lalande asking to speak to Madame de Lencquesaing, I doubt.

The introductory spiels about how wonderful each village is may be trilingual but the vital details are all in French. It's worth knowing the following, therefore:

L á V   Monday to Friday
H   o'clock (thus 16H 30 is 4.30pm)
sur RDV/rendezvous   by appointment

You can order a free copy of this useful booklet by contacting medoc@medoc-bordeaux.com and find out more from www.medoc-bordeaux.com.

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Five good Languedoc/Roussillon restaurants in summer 2002

Here are five current favourites in the western Languedoc off the top of my head, though their performances seem to change every season.

• La Guingette – open-air (so dependent on the weather) by the canal in Argens just east of Homps. May be a one-season wonder but very good, casual, ever-changing menu. Tel 04 68 27 13 79 – all the other establishments will be in guides and directories.
• Le Castrum – quite formal for this part of the world, but very well run and excellent food. One-star Michelin with all that entails but when we went there, Sunday lunch, it was full of locals, which is a good sign. Excellent reward for climbing up the Cathar castle of Montségur, in Villeneuve-des-Olmes just south of the sub-Pyrenean textile town of Lavelanet.
• Relais Chantovent – in another Cathar stronghold, the beautiful village of Minerve (which gave its name to Minervois). A table on the balcony overlooking the gorge and some of Minervois' highest vineyards is a particular treat. As is the local fresh white sheep's milk cheese with honey.
• Château de Jau – this wine estate is 15 minutes west of Perpignan airport near Tautavel (avoid its museum dedicated to the remains of what was once the world's oldest human at all costs). They serve a very familiale, enormous lunch outside in their courtyard with charcuterie, grillades, local cheeses and a range of their wines – everything in vast quantity. Would suit a very greedy, bibulous house guest.
• Le Mimosa – beautiful small village place in the foothills of the Cevennes north of Beziers in St Guiraud run by an anglophone couple: serious oenophile out front and his ex-ballet dancer wife in the kitchen. They serve such good wine you won't want to drive afterwards so have accordingly added a small guest house in the next village.

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Lyon – a wine lover's restaurant

Any wine lover looking for somewhere to eat in Lyon is highly recommended to head for La Romanée, run by the head of the local sommeliers' group and Maître Sommelier, Daniel Denis. This is a hard-working family business with a beautiful daughter as waitress the night I went and Denis's slender wife cooking competently in the kitchen. The decor is what you might call modern French trying hard but the real attraction of the place is the wine list.

Denis is a complete wine fanatic. When he's not running the restaurant, he's running up and down the Rhône Valley in search of great and up-and-coming wines and winemakers. There are pages and pages of northern Rhône wines, both the great and the obscure, and a pretty good selection from all over eastern France. Indeed, you could say that this list is to the northern Rhône what that of the Beaugravière in Mondragon is to the south.

With Madame Denis's terrine de foie gras I tasted my first-ever example of a refreshing St Péray, Alain Voge's Fleur de Crussol 2000 (35 euros), all honeysuckle but none of the flabby, foot-dragging aspects of Marsanne I more usually find in St Péray. Another landmark was a truly voluptuous Cornas, Stephane Robert's Domaine du Tunnel 1998 (his first vintage, from vines that had been Marcel Juge's) at 64 euros. The wine is marked 'rare' on the wine list and, wouldn't you know it, the first bottle was a real TCA stinker. The second was clean as whistle, however, all liquorice and heady liquorice flavours – just very, very slightly short. It went beautifully with a spiced lamb shank and aubergine.

Definitely a good address, as they say, just north and uphill of the city centre.

La Romanée, 19 Rue Rivet, 6901 Lyon (tel 04 72 00 80 87, fax 04 72 07 88 44) – unfortunately, he is not of email age – though he looks it.

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Ancona, Italy

Fellow British wine writer Julie Arkell writes:

Twenty four hours in Italy's glorious Marche region is simply not long enough, as I discovered earlier this week. But even so, I did manage to unearth not one, but two great eateries.

Le Busche, roughly half an hour's drive away from Ancona, near the village of Montecarotto, is one of the best fish and seafood restaurants in which I have ever eaten. Admittedly, I was there with a party and the chef had created a special menu for us (I lost count of the number of courses!), but I am told that he is always, always an inspirational cook, in spite of the fact that he is allergic to fish with bones!

The second great meal was taken on the terrace of the Fortino Napoleonico Hotel in Portonovo, just down the coast from Ancona ­ but then warm sunshine, a stunning view of the Adriatic and a few glasses of excellent Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi conspire to make any food taste good! By the way, you don't need to be a fluent Italian-speaker to guess that the building used to be a Napoleonic fort and it is indeed a fabulous place. I can't wait to go back to actually stay there.

Now that Ryanair is offering direct flights between the UK and Ancona, I expect this region will soon become a hot spot for tourists, so visit it before it becomes too popular!

Le Busche (tel +39 731 89172, fax +39 731 899140, email lebusch@libero.it)

Fortino Napoleonico Hotel (tel +39 71 801450, fax +39 71 801454, email info@hotelfortino.it, web www.portonovo.it)

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Trento, Italy

Fellow British wine writer Julie Arkell writes:

If you're looking for off-the-beaten-track, bed and breakfast accommodation in the Trento area, I can heartily recommend the Maso Pomarolli. Nestled up in the foothills of the Dolomites, not far from the village of Perlù, it offers squeaky clean, modern rooms with en suite facilities, fantastic views, utter peace and quiet (no televisions!), and (perhaps the best bit) a fabulous 'home-made' breakfast. Indeed, do not forgo the fresh apple juice that the owners make from their own apple orchards.

Maso Pomarolli (tel +39 461 684570, fax +39 461 684571)

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Verona

Fellow British wine writer Julie Arkell writes:

The Trattoria Al Calmiere in Verona is one of those old-fashioned, very traditional Italian restaurants that I suspect few tourists ever find. But it's worth seeking out for very typical Veronese food ­ and plenty of it. You need to be something of a carnivore to enjoy eating here and you also can't afford to be squeamish about seeing people tuck into a nice horse steak!

Talking of steaks, the grilled beef (cooked over a huge open fire within the restaurant itself) is wonderful. But if you're feeling adventurous (and hungry), try the boiled meats. Who knows what meats have been boiled (my Italian ­ or lack of it ­ didn't stretch that far), but it's a tasty, warming winter dish.

I second this recommendation, Jancis.

Trattoria Al Calmiere, Piazza S Zeno, 10-37123 Verona (tel +39 458 030765, fax +39 458 031900)

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Venice

Irina Freguia is a brave woman. Single-handedly she hopes to repair the damage done to the reputation of Venetian cooking, sullied by years of neglect and mass tourism, by opening Il Veco Fritolin.

Il Veco Fritolin, which means the old fryer in Venetian dialect, is in the historic heart of the Serenissima district, close to the Rialto fish market. Fregia's tactics are straightforward: use the best current ingredients and combine them with the herbs and spices that are an integral part of the city's trading past. Risotto with clams and pumpkin flowers is one striking example of this approach, as is the fresh monkfish with almonds.

Il Vecio Fritolin, calle della Regina, Venice
tel +39 415 222881, email orien@libero.it, web www.veciofritolin.com

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Gerona, Spain

April means the opening of the El Bulli season when Ferran Adria, the most daring and experimental chef in Europe, leaves his culinary laboratory in Barcelona, and opens up El Bulli overlooking the sea north of Roses, north-eastern Spain.

A multi-course meal last summer included a cauliflower cous-cous, what looked like a squid risotto but was in fact made from bean sprouts, and the most extraordinary frozen chocolate dessert with lime. To discover what Adria will be cooking this year fly to Barcelona and head up to Roses by seaplane, boat or car, although the latter option involves a very bumpy final 20 minutes.

El Bulli, Cala Montjol, AP30, (17840) Roses, Gerona, Spain
tel +34 972 150 457, email bulli@grn.es
Dinner only. Approx £75 per person.

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Sicily

18 apr 06 – Baglio San Vicenzo was recently visited by a purple pager and found to be under new management and distinctly wanting. Avoid until further notice.

If you're planning a trip to this savagely beautiful, historically many-layered Mediterranean island and looking for accommodation in the west, Baglio San Vicenzo near Menfi is worth considering.

In the east, the fleshpots of Taormina, a long-established tourist resort, offer that rather effete sophistication peculiar to older Italian hotels. In the west, the pickings are much slimmer but this farm-with-rooms, the new Italian formula of agriturismo, has some style. Baglio is a Sicilian word for fattoria, a productive farmstead.

A large, pebbled courtyard is surrounded by one-storey, comfortable (though not luxurious) accommodation and a restaurant – plus some rather unappealing modern farm buildings along one side. It stands on a hill in the middle of an olive grove several kilometres north-east of the one-horse town of Menfi, from which it is signposted. I'm currently watching the warm but powerful scirocco buffet those olives and there's a view right down to the Mediterranean and the southern port of Porto Palo which apparently boasts one of Europe's cleaner beaches.

The haunting Greek temple of Selinunte is just 20km in one direction and the proud remains of another, overlooking the sea at Agrigento, is an hour or so in the other, past Sciacca and the evidence it boasts of Sicily's various influences: Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman and (possibly, though I haven't seen this particular town) Baroque.

The food in the restaurant here is distinctly superior for Sicily, land of pasta e pomodoro, with lots of fish and seriously interesting antipasti with variations on Mediterranean vegetables, capers, almonds, sultanas, anchovies, ricotta and, of course, tomatoes.

Last night we tried various bottlings of Sicily's best red grape Nero d'Avola and found the young carafe wine drawn straight from Baglio San Vicenzo's own cellars the most satisfying – and certainly the most vibrant for those of us more used to drinking bottled wine. The island's flagship modern winery Planeta is not far away and San Vicenzo has a good selection. Prices are extremely moderate with rooms available from about 60 euros even in high season.

Baglio San Vicenzo, 92013 Menfi (Ag), Sicily (tel +39 339 2426103, web , email info@bagliosanvicenzo.it). www.cavaestanco.com, calle Cardenal Cisneros 17 28010 (tel 91 445 17 27, fax 91 222 11 16).

9 November 2003 – British purple pages subscriber Simon Scott also makes the following suggestion:

If you ever find yourself back in Sicily, then this is worth a go

Osteria Mazzini
Piazza Manzini 1,2,3
95100 Catania
tel 095340020

More than 600 bins; a smattering of 'foreigners', good mainland Italy and extensive Sicilian – easily the most comprehensive list of local wines we found in the week we had. Upstairs dining area is very attractive. Food is simple and good.

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Two good restaurants in Bordeaux

Fellow British wine writer Julie Arkell writes:

Just ten minutes drive from Bordeaux's Merignac airport, L'Iguane is the perfect spot to have lunch before heading back to London on BA's 16.45 flight (and you probably won't need to eat for the rest of the day!). The mouthwatering menu is balanced well between meat and fish, and indeed, sometimes combines the two, as in remarkably successful fresh squid stuffed with pig's trotter. Pierre Martin is without doubt a skilled and imaginative chef who creates truly delicious dishes from the finest local produce. The wine list is something else too, mainly because it includes non-Bordeaux wines, which any frequent traveller to Bordeaux will recognize as being most unusual!

La Tupina may call itself a bistro but it is definitely not the place to visit if you're on a diet. It seems that everything is cooked in duck fat, and portion control doesn't appear to be part of their vocabulary! For those who indulge, foie gras is a house speciality (hot and cold), but I would guess that most people go there just to witness the apparatus used to spit-roast meat. It's quite fantastic (Heath Robinson comes to mind) and I am not going to spoil it for you by describing it! Great food in a great atmosphere [and something of a canteen for the wine trade – JR].

L'Iguane, 127, avenue de Magudas, 33700 Mérignac
tel +33 (0) 5 56 34 07 39
fax +33 (0) 5 56 34 41 37
Closed: Saturday lunch and Sunday evening.

La Tupina, 6-8, rue Porte de la Monnaie, 33800 Bordeaux
tel +33 (0) 5 56 91 56 37
fax +33 (0) 5 56 31 92 11

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Russia – a visa warning

Bruised (and exhausted) of North London (that's me) writes: the Russian visa authorities seem not to have been told of the fall of communism and its concomitant senseless bureaucracy. Nick and I set off for Moscow this morning (31 October) with visas dated from 1 November because of a mix-up (by Russian visa specialists in London) between our dates of travel and the dates specified on our official 'invitation' from the Marriott Grand where we were supposed to stay while launching the Russian version of The World Atlas of Wine among other things.

British Airways has just issued us with our boarding passes but these were rapidly rescinded by the visa expert (who has to hover over any likely check-in desk for Moscow) as soon as he saw our visa dates. Apparently the Russians are prone to impound any plane carrying anyone without a visa valid for the precise date on which it lands. (The same thing had happened, much more heartbreakingly, to a couple who were flying over to adopt a child the day before.)

The bill for these inaccurate visas, by the way, was nearly £400 for two.

(This message will not go up until we are safely back from Moscow. You Never Know.)

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An exciting new restaurant in Nuits-St-Georges

Menus in Burgundy tend to follow a fairly well trodden path from jambon persillé via escargots or oeufs en meurette to coq au vin or boeuf bourguignonne. A good version of each of these dishes is delicious the first time around but a bit wearing after the third.

This is partly why La Cabotte in the middle of the little town of Nuits-St-Georges is so welcome. The menu uses local ingredients but puts a decidedly modern, though not in my experience silly, twist on them.

First courses on the menu on the day I lunched there included fricassée d'escargots with farmhouse bacon and 'forgotten' (root) vegetables at 12 euros and a delicious sautéed foie gras of duck with lemongrass and coffee-flavoured juices which worked, believe it or not, at 18 euros (21 euros as a main course). The other main courses are between 12 and 19 euros. Beef onglet was offered with smashed ratte potatoes and a reduced red wine sauce. Scallops were caramelised and served with a fresh herb risotto. There is always a new dish of the day, presumably to satisfy what looked like some already-entrenched daily solitary lunchers.

A four-course meal with cheese and dessert is 30 euros with a choice of two dishes at each course. Since only four entrées and five main courses are offered, this seems the sensible choice for the greedy.

Virginie and Thomas Collomb worked at Le 33 in Dijon before but here in their own place they have infused the small, two-storey premises (with a private diningroom upstairs) with distinctly bon goût everywhere. The look is a surprisingly successful blend of Burgundy's soft old stone and quasi-Japanese modernism.

She takes the orders. He cooks, in no hurry. This is not the place for a quick meal and space is limited so booking is strongly advised.

One major caveat however: the wine list is a Boisset monopoly. You might prefer to negotiate (in advance) buying one bottle from the list, from Boisset's ambitious Domaine de la Vougeraie probably, and bringing another and paying corkage.

La Cabotte, 24 Grand Rue, 21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
tel/fax +33 03 80 61 20 77, email lacabotte@wanadoo.fr
Closed Sundays

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Madrid for Cigar Lovers

Nick Lander writes...

Whilst there are a couple of plush cigar shops in the smart centre of Madrid, THE place to head for is unquestionably Cava-Estanco

9 November 2003 – British purple pages subscriber Simon Scott also makes the following suggestion:

If you ever find yourself back in Sicily, then this is worth a go

Osteria Mazzini
Piazza Manzini 1,2,3
95100 Catania
tel 095340020

More than 600 bins; a smattering of 'foreigners', good mainland Italy and extensive Sicilian – easily the most comprehensive list of local wines we found in the week we had. Upstairs dining area is very attractive. Food is simple and good.

Back to top

Two good restaurants in Bordeaux

Fellow British wine writer Julie Arkell writes:

Just ten minutes drive from Bordeaux's Merignac airport, L'Iguane is the perfect spot to have lunch before heading back to London on BA's 16.45 flight (and you probably won't need to eat for the rest of the day!). The mouthwatering menu is balanced well between meat and fish, and indeed, sometimes combines the two, as in remarkably successful fresh squid stuffed with pig's trotter. Pierre Martin is without doubt a skilled and imaginative chef who creates truly delicious dishes from the finest local produce. The wine list is something else too, mainly because it includes non-Bordeaux wines, which any frequent traveller to Bordeaux will recognize as being most unusual!

La Tupina may call itself a bistro but it is definitely not the place to visit if you're on a diet. It seems that everything is cooked in duck fat, and portion control doesn't appear to be part of their vocabulary! For those who indulge, foie gras is a house speciality (hot and cold), but I would guess that most people go there just to witness the apparatus used to spit-roast meat. It's quite fantastic (Heath Robinson comes to mind) and I am not going to spoil it for you by describing it! Great food in a great atmosphere [and something of a canteen for the wine trade – JR].

L'Iguane, 127, avenue de Magudas, 33700 Mérignac
tel +33 (0) 5 56 34 07 39
fax +33 (0) 5 56 34 41 37
Closed: Saturday lunch and Sunday evening.

La Tupina, 6-8, rue Porte de la Monnaie, 33800 Bordeaux
tel +33 (0) 5 56 91 56 37
fax +33 (0) 5 56 31 92 11

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Russia – a visa warning

Bruised (and exhausted) of North London (that's me) writes: the Russian visa authorities seem not to have been told of the fall of communism and its concomitant senseless bureaucracy. Nick and I set off for Moscow this morning (31 October) with visas dated from 1 November because of a mix-up (by Russian visa specialists in London) between our dates of travel and the dates specified on our official 'invitation' from the Marriott Grand where we were supposed to stay while launching the Russian version of The World Atlas of Wine among other things.

British Airways has just issued us with our boarding passes but these were rapidly rescinded by the visa expert (who has to hover over any likely check-in desk for Moscow) as soon as he saw our visa dates. Apparently the Russians are prone to impound any plane carrying anyone without a visa valid for the precise date on which it lands. (The same thing had happened, much more heartbreakingly, to a couple who were flying over to adopt a child the day before.)

The bill for these inaccurate visas, by the way, was nearly £400 for two.

(This message will not go up until we are safely back from Moscow. You Never Know.)

Back to top

An exciting new restaurant in Nuits-St-Georges

Menus in Burgundy tend to follow a fairly well trodden path from jambon persillé via escargots or oeufs en meurette to coq au vin or boeuf bourguignonne. A good version of each of these dishes is delicious the first time around but a bit wearing after the third.

This is partly why La Cabotte in the middle of the little town of Nuits-St-Georges is so welcome. The menu uses local ingredients but puts a decidedly modern, though not in my experience silly, twist on them.

First courses on the menu on the day I lunched there included fricassée d'escargots with farmhouse bacon and 'forgotten' (root) vegetables at 12 euros and a delicious sautéed foie gras of duck with lemongrass and coffee-flavoured juices which worked, believe it or not, at 18 euros (21 euros as a main course). The other main courses are between 12 and 19 euros. Beef onglet was offered with smashed ratte potatoes and a reduced red wine sauce. Scallops were caramelised and served with a fresh herb risotto. There is always a new dish of the day, presumably to satisfy what looked like some already-entrenched daily solitary lunchers.

A four-course meal with cheese and dessert is 30 euros with a choice of two dishes at each course. Since only four entrées and five main courses are offered, this seems the sensible choice for the greedy.

Virginie and Thomas Collomb worked at Le 33 in Dijon before but here in their own place they have infused the small, two-storey premises (with a private diningroom upstairs) with distinctly bon goût everywhere. The look is a surprisingly successful blend of Burgundy's soft old stone and quasi-Japanese modernism.

She takes the orders. He cooks, in no hurry. This is not the place for a quick meal and space is limited so booking is strongly advised.

One major caveat however: the wine list is a Boisset monopoly. You might prefer to negotiate (in advance) buying one bottle from the list, from Boisset's ambitious Domaine de la Vougeraie probably, and bringing another and paying corkage.

La Cabotte, 24 Grand Rue, 21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
tel/fax +33 03 80 61 20 77, email lacabotte@wanadoo.fr
Closed Sundays

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Madrid for Cigar Lovers

Nick Lander writes...

Whilst there are a couple of plush cigar shops in the smart centre of Madrid, THE place to head for is unquestionably Cava-Estanco www.cavaestanco.com, calle Cardenal Cisneros 17 28010 (tel 91 445 17 27, fax 91 222 11 16).

Cava-Estanco is run by Jesus Llano, an extraordinarily passionate and knowledgeable cigar aficionado for whom nothing is too much trouble when it comes to selecting precisely what you want to smoke. It is not a big (or plush) shop but extremely comfortable with the left-hand side converted into a large walk-in humidor while the right-hand side sells lighters, cases and cutters. It is from here that Llano dispenses coffee and stronger stuff – he kindly sent me off into the damp streets of Madrid feeling much warmer with a couple of fingers of Venezuelan rum inside me.

That was after a pleasant half hour talking cigars in which I voluntarily switched allegiance from my favourites of the past decade, Epicure No2, to Sancho Panza and Romeo y Julieta robustos which I am thoroughly enjoying. The condition of Llano's cigars is obviously the biggest attraction but it has to be said that the fact that they are sold in such excellent condition at less than the price in the UK is almost as irresistible.

Llano's shop is next to another tobacconist on the corner which sells papers, cigarettes and some loose cigars. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is the real thing, as I did originally. Cigar heaven is one shop along on the right-hand side of the road leading off the main street.

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Madrid – a business hotel with a very ambitious restaurant

Nick Lander writes...

I was in Madrid recently for a gastronomic conference. One of the reasons behind this conference is the combination of desire/ambition/civic pride which is driving many citizens of Madrid to realise that in terms of food, wine and service they have been left behind by other regions and cities of Spain and it is time to catch up (in the same vein, the city has now outbid Zurich to be able to stage the annual Tennis Masters).

The city's major hotels are also trying to break out of this mould and one senior businessman confided to me that he would dearly love to put his visitors up in one of the chic boutique hotels that have sprung up in so many other capital cities but these have yet to evolve in the Spanish capital.

I spent two nights in the Hotel Miguel Angel which from a business perspective is hard to beat. Situated on a busy roundabout on a dual carriageway – but far enough away that it is not too noisy – the hotel is well situated for the airport (20 minutes away when driving in at 22.15) and only 10 minutes by taxi to the impressive Palacio Nacional de Congres where a great many conferences and exhibitions seem to be held.

Whilst the hotel shares the rather dark lobby common to so many Spanish hotels (and as in so many Spanish hotels the breakfasts are lousy – there are quite a few small bars within five minutes walk for freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee) the bedrooms are fine, the service prompt and the PC facilities efficient.

The hotel's other attraction is that it houses chef Sergi Arola at La Broche, considered the most exciting restaurant in Madrid and even given two stars by Michelin although my opinion of this guide outside France is not particularly high.

La Broche is a great design triumph. The dining room is entirely white with two very well conceived features for minimising the internal noise. Firstly, in front of the white walls there is white netting which moves with the air conditioning and gives the impression of a Moorish rather than a city centre setting. The second is the white ceiling which is made of sound proofing boards complete with holes. Overall it is highly effective. One other clever feature was on the back of the white chairs which are rounded and quite broad. To make moving these in and out easier, the designers have attached a chrome handle to the back of the chair. Very smart.

The rest of the dining room is equally smart: glass-fronted walk-in wine cellar, minimalist decor and waiting staff in chic uniforms, led, most authoritatively, by the chef's wife, Sara Fort.

My meal was a dinner for 70 or 80, an audience which included Pierre Troisgros, Ferran Adria of El Bulli and Chicago's Charlie Trotter, so it was a shame neither the kitchen nor the wines really excited. The dinner was underwritten by the Marqués de Vargas (who at 57 has become a father for the first time with his 47-year-old wife!) and they had the right idea for those who had tasted all day, offering only one white, an Albarino Pazo San Mauro 2002, and Marqués de Vargas Riserva Privada 1998 red rioja with the meal. But whilst the first was absolutely fine, the red was definitely disappointing, if not in poor condition, and there was no alternative or back up.

I had psyched myself to expect my first course at 23.00 (11pm) so it was not that which inhibited my enjoyment of the meal but rather the fact that it was chef inspired and consequently rather ill thought-out, ill balanced and slow.

The first course, of slamo sashimi, sea urchin and sardine, turned out to be three different first courses, each only a mouthful but taking a good thirty minutes to serve and clear. Strangely enough another sardine course then appeared, which was pretty unnecessary, but this was followed by the best dish of all, a white bowl of small baby cuttlefish, no thicker than your small finger and rarely seen outside Spain, cooked in their jet black ink on to which was placed a small scoop of pure white garlic 'ice cream'. Delicious. Unfortunately, the last course of a breast of Navaz pigeon on ill cooked basmati rice was a disaster.

By 1.15am even the Madrilenos, used to this late dining, were yawning and looking at their watches but it was still 1.45am before I could say thank you and good night to my host. Julio Soler, Ferran Adria's partner in El Bulli, explained that it could have been even later. Apparently, two of El Bulli's chefs, friends and colleagues of Arola when he worked there, had called into the restaurant during the afternoon and had been roped in to help out!

Hotel Occidental Miguel Angel, 28010 Madrid
La Broche, tel 91 399 34 37

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New openings in Paris

See wine news for my description of where to buy and drink wine in Paris.

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A new Paris hotel

Now may not be the best time to open a new hotel and certainly not in Paris, so heavily dependent on Americans, but the recently renovated Hôtel Thérèse with 40 bedrooms and three suites does have a romantic air to it and a great location.

Hôtel Thérèse is only 100 metres from the Louvre and a ten-minute walk to Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and the Rue du Faubourg St Honoré with either Palais Royal or Pyramides metro stations two minutes away. Once an 18th century townhouse, it has been converted by its owner Sylvie de Lattre 'to create a relaxed contemporary chic environment at an unbeatable location in the heart of Paris'.

Prices, which ought to put many London hoteliers to shame, range from 125 euros for a double room to 250 euros for a junior suite. Each room has internet access, satellite TV and airconditioning and there is a bar and Continental breakfast on offer.

Opening offers include 30 per cent off on Sunday nights for a minimum two-night stay (useful for the UK bank holidays) and six nights for the price of five, 12 July – 31 August.

Hôtel Thérèse, 5 rue Therese, Paris 75001
tel +33 1 42 96 10 01, fax +33 1 42 96 15 22
web www.hoteltherese.com, email hoteltherese@wanadoo.fr

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Getting to Giverny

Impressionist Claude Monet's house and garden at Giverny between Paris and Rouen are world-famous. Like hundreds of thousands of others I had seen the photographs of the house and the paintings of the garden and longed to go and see them for myself.

I finally made it (after a couple of abortive attempts over the years) on a sweltering Saturday morning, the last day of May. It seemed a perfect time of year to catch that defiantly overplanted garden full of rambling roses, drooping wisteria, tulips and poppies with its blazes of undisciplined colour everywhere. But perhaps the skill of the (invisible) gardeners is that the garden looks fantastic throughout its open season of April-October every year.

The house is surely any foreigner's idea of the perfect French country house – not too grand, every window's view of that garden framed by virginia creeper, bright yellow friendly diningroom and Monet-blue kitchen hung heavily with gleaming copper pans. The house may have been tarted up a little bit, and the only pictures of note are Claude's Japanese collection and family photographs of some very stern-looking women, but there are still chicken and turkeys in their own pens round the house.

There are only two downsides. The first is the sheer number of people who have exactly the same idea as you. My fairly recent edition of Lonely Planet Guide to Paris claims it receives nearly half a million visitors every year, which makes well over 3000 visitors a day – and it feels like it. There is no question of walking at your own pace; you have to stumble along in a slow-moving queue, stopping as those just ahead of you pause to take yet another photograph of that famous bridge and lily pond.

The other major drawback if you don't have a car is how the heck to get there. Having tried to do it by public transport, I would strongly counsel you to sign up for one of the many tourist excursions in minibuses from Paris. The best take a circular route and leave you for a couple of hours of snooping round Giverny, which is about right.

The public transport option is to take a train to the nearest station, Vernon, from Paris's Gare St Lazare (or Rouen if you happen to be there, I suppose). These double-decker commuter trains, which take almost an hour, have extremely awkward times which differ Mon-Fri, Sat and Sun. Some of the trains are met by a bus which is supposed to take you to Giverny but certainly on the day we went there were far more people than could possibly be accommodated on the bus so there was an unseemly scramble for Vernon's pitifully small, and apparently Giverny-averse, population of taxis.

On no account believe your taxi driver (as we did) when he refuses to be booked in advance for a return journey from Giverny back to the station, claiming that you will be able to take your choice from a steady stream of taxis at Giverny. (The other, attractive option is to hire a bike for the 6km journey from Vernon to Giverny, and back, from one of the two cafés outside the station but a) the route is far from evident and b) one of our party, hem hem, was reluctant to bike in her very short skirt. It was not me.)

There, I've got that off my chest. Best bit of the outing, which involved getting up at 7am but had us back in time for a delicious 2pm lunch Chez Georges, rue du Mail, 2ème – apart from Chez Monet of course – was, having reached the station by bribing a Parisian taxi driver, cooling off at Les Amis de Monet café with Norman cider, served in earthenware tea cups, while marvelling at Vernon's inexplicable queue of stationary taxis.

Fondation Claude Monet, Giverny
tel +33 (0)2 32 51 28 21
Open April-Oct, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm

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