I’d felt perfectly fine in the dark cool spin room of The Platform DIFC with “Ayo Technology” blaring from the speakers and @anthony_a_d’s words of motivational wisdom about being a better version of myself this week seemingly aimed right at me. It wasn’t until I was in downward dog during the post-cycle Vinyasa Flow session,…
There’s somethig so distinctively American about Dubai’s Al Quoz neighborhood. A former industrial area transformed into the beating heart of the city’s creative scene, where former warehouses and factories today house contemporary art galleries, coworking spots for tech startups, designer studios, concept shops, pop-up’s, multifunctional spaces and the things entrepeneurs like: juice bars, indoor cycling…
A 7-hour, easy-breezy overnight from CDG brought me to the airport of Dubai, where a complimentary 1GB Sim card (courtesy of DXB) and a very good friend (parallel-parked in the taxi lane and not particularly arsed about the honking) awaited. After a quick shower and outfit change chez elle we were off to lunch with friends…
A highly animated and extremely appetizing Instagram page brought three friends and me to Yeled for a girl’s night / birthday celebration this past January. It had been on our list for a while. We’d sent each other several DM’s over the weeks leading up to our reservation on the topic of all this new-ish…
Music-lovers looking for a bite to eat with a glass of funky natural wine in Bordeaux ought to look no further than Café Mancuso, France’s very first “restaurant audiophile.” What does that mean? That the place is music-first in its offer. An expensive-looking hi-fi system and audio equipment specially chosen for the accoustics of the…
A lovely reunion of dear MBA friends took place in Paris this past February as we convened in la Capitale for Vinexpo / Wine Paris 2023. It also happened to be the eve of my birthday, albeit not a very special one, though I’d been told a few shots of something were in order. A…
A mainstay of Le Marais is Candelaria, a brightly lit micro-taqueria with bomb dot com frozen margs and a relatively short menu of well-executed Mex/Tex-Mex favorites. Walk through the unmarked door next to the pint-sized kitchen and you arrive to a sleek and sexy speakeasy specialized in agave-based spirits. Before heading over to Little Red…
In the bustling Marché des Enfants Rouges in Paris’s hip ‘n’ happening 3e is Les Enfants du Marché, a modest-looking market restaurant that is vibes vibes vibes on a weekend afternoon. While the setting suggests cheap and humble street food, a closer look at the (quite extensive) chalkboard menu reveals culinary creations worthy of a…
I frequently find myself at French train stations over an hour before my scheduled departure, driven there early by a groundless paranoia and an overwhelming sense of malaise. It’s weird. When it comes to airports, I’m cool as a cucumber. I’ve got the movements down, smooth, I know where to go and when. I know…
I was buzzing with excitement as we passed in front of the Double Dragon sign, painted by hand in gorgeous green and gold on the restaurant’s crisp, clean glass window. We had rushed from Montparnasse, getting lost during our transfer in Châtelet (which is more like an escape room than a metro station) and fumbled…
After a morning at the Louvre spent with Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Liberty Leading the People, we were hungry for a good sandwich, so I did a quick search and found KERN in the 9ème. There’s a cool vintage diner vibe at this casual eatery, where two ladies prepare photogenic sandwiches to what…
I write this article from aisle seat #44 of wagon #6 aboard TGV INOUI 12268 speeding towards Montparnasse, where a trade show awaits me, coincidentally scheduled for the day of my 34th birthday. I’ve been going to Paris more frequently these days and feeling some kinda way about this city, its cozy bistros and boisterous…
I met a foodie at the bar of Tayēr + Elementary back in October and we chatted about life, food, cocktails and wine. He asked me to recommend a wine region to visit, I told him about Priorat, and he went there a few weeks later. I asked him for restaurant recommendations for my next…
A cool but sunny Saturday afternoon in November found us exploring the East End, our rumbling bellies drawing us closer to Shoreditch for a 2pm reservation at Rochelle Canteen. I had seen the Reels and knew where the buzzer was. We arrived to the door marked “BOYS” surrounded by a Victorian era brick garden wall,…
Out of the three of us present at our dinner at Noizé restaurant in Fitzrovia back in August, no one was actually paying attention to the food. Or, at least, not enough attention. My friend was focused on her beloved bottle of Soldera, freshly pulled from bond, hoping our somm would remember not to decant…
That Best Bite 