A Foodie Guide to Porto: My Second Visit as a Chef and Food Tour Guide

Illustrated Foodie Guide to Porto featuring a scenic view of the Douro River at sunset, with terracotta rooftops, Portuguese cuisine, and the text overlay 'Foodie’s Guide to Porto'.

Porto is one of those cities that pulls you back in. Maybe it’s the warmth—not just of the sun, but of the people. Maybe it’s the food, cheap and honest. Or maybe it’s the wine, which, on this trip, I realised just how little I knew about. Either way, this wasn’t our first trip, and … Read more

What Food is Paris Known For?

Illustration of a vibrant Parisian food scene featuring a bustling market, a bistro table with wine and cheese, and the Eiffel Tower in the background. This visual highlights the essence of French gastronomy, enticing readers to explore "What Food is Paris Known For?" in the blog post.

Looking for the ultimate answer to What food is Paris known for? Ask any tourist, and they’ll rattle off croissants, escargots, and steak-frites. But if you want to truly understand Parisian cuisine, you need to stop looking at just the plate and start looking at the ground beneath your feet. Parisian food isn’t just about … Read more

Family Travel Planning: How We Find the Best Places to Eat & Explore

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There’s a special kind of pain in watching someone plan a trip using only the most generic, tourist-trap-heavy resources. Case in point: we’re heading to Porto for a long weekend with my mother-in-law, and she has dutifully printed out a stack of recommendations from Get Your Guide. Sweet, well-intentioned… and utterly tragic. Meanwhile, we’ve spent … Read more

Paris Food Survival Guide for Parents: How to Eat Well Without Losing Your Sanity

Text of Self-Catering in Paris - Parents Survival Guide on top of an Illustration of a Parisian family-friendly breakfast scene in an Airbnb kitchen, featuring baguette, cheese, coffee, and Haribo candy, with a view of Haussmann buildings and the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Traveling to Paris with kids can feel like a logistical nightmare—jet lag, picky eaters, and the constant need to keep everyone fed without blowing the budget. But trust me, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. I’ve dragged my family through enough tough food situations to know what works and what doesn’t. From backpacking across … Read more

Valentines in Paris: How to Treat Your Lover Right

Romantic Paris sunset with a silhouetted couple toasting champagne by the Seine, golden light reflecting on the water and the Eiffel Tower in the background. With the text valentines in paris overlaid on top.

Without Stuffing Yourself Out of the Game Ah, Valentines in Paris—the ultimate romantic cliché. But let’s be clear: this guide will make most restaurant owners cry, this valentines itinerary isn’t about overpriced heart-shaped desserts or stuffy tasting menus that leave you too full to function back at the hotel. No, this is about a seductive, … Read more

What Is Terroir? How It Defines French Food, Wine—and Your Own Cooking

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Ah, terroir—the word that’s impossible to translate but defines everything exquisite about French food and wine. For the French, it’s not just a romantic notion; it’s the lifeblood of their culinary identity. This is after all a country that grows and eats it’s own food, improving less than 10% of its food supplies in 2023 … Read more

Poverty in Restaurants – A Bitter Reality at Your Table

Minimalist illustration of a chef and waitress smoking outside a Parisian restaurant on a rainy day. The chef, wearing a traditional white jacket and toque, leans against the wall under a small awning beside the waitress, who is dressed in a classic uniform with an apron. Rain falls around them, with subtle watercolor accents highlighting reflections on the wet ground. A lamppost and faint outline of the Eiffel Tower in the background add a Parisian atmosphere.

The viral trend of empty restaurants that took over your feed this Janurary feels like a mask hiding darker truths of life working in a restaurant. January 2025 has been a tough one for all of us, here in Paris the rising cost of living bites worse than the freezing temperatures. Scary things happened in … Read more

The Ultimate French Foodie Calendar – Explore & Contribute!

Whimsical Parisian illustration featuring the Eiffel Tower, wine glasses, cheese, baguettes, and elegant typography for 'The Ultimate French Food Events Calendar' in a chic, pastel watercolor style.

Discover the ultimate French food events calendar featuring the best culinary events across Paris and France, from wine festivals to Michelin-starred galas. It’s free, regularly updated, and you can even embed it on your own site. Got a foodie event I missed? Send it my way! Discover the Best French Food Events Calendar Grab your … Read more

“Forget Michelin Stars” A Chef’s Guide to eating cheaply in Paris

illustration of a picnic in paris with the text gourmet foodies eating cheaply in Paris

Ah, Paris – the city of lights, love, and… bloated Michelin menus? Bin the star-chasing. You don’t need to be minted for all this gourmet eating cheaply in Paris. Let’s talk about my Paris – where endless nights finish with a dawn that greets you with warm croissants and the crackle of fresh baguettes, where … Read more

“The Mug of Coffee Seduced Me” – Black List Café, Bordeaux: Review

an illustration of a cup of coffee being enjoyed at Black List Cafe Bordeaux for my review

To say I was mildly hungover on Monday morning would be an understatement. The dreary drizzle over Bordeaux wasn’t helping, nor was my capsule hostel bed that seemed to be a cocoon designed to trap me in my misery. But after some internal wrestling, I managed to drag myself into the grey world, driven by … Read more