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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Best meal memories from your holiday!

14 replies

Ensconcedinvelvet · 17/11/2024 12:23

One of my favourite things about going abroad is experiencing new flavours and wonderful meals.
Spaghetti vongole in Venice, Pork cheeks with marmalade in Seville, adding apricot jam to my breakfast after a trip to France....what is the best food you've ever eaten whilst on holiday or the most influential meal you've had that has changed the way you cook at home or added something new to your repetoire!

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GemByTheSea · 17/11/2024 21:12

The best one I can remember was freshly caught and cooked huge prawns in a restaurant in Georgioupolis in Crete ... I was a teenager on holiday with my family and we just happened upon the place.

MissAmbrosia · 17/11/2024 21:19

Spit roasted suckling pig in Sardinia. I still salivate at the thought of it. And baked goats cheese with honey in Gaucin in Andalucia - something really simple which I cook myself, but nothing ever replicates those flavours - it was truly delicious. Salmon tartare with apple sorbet in Garda town. Lamb kebabs wrapped in soft breads with tzatziki in Corfu - this was best part of 40 years and I still remember how good they were.

samarrange · 17/11/2024 21:23

Back in the 1980s, DP and I were on holiday in what we then called Yugoslavia but I now know is Montenegro. It was our last day and we had been nursing our stock of dinars as they were hard to exchange back. We went down to the harbour and found a nice little fish restaurant. We knew it was a fish restaurant because (a) the owner was haggling over the price of a catch with someone who had brought some fish in, and (b) he beamed at us and said "Hallo, you like feeeesh? I have wonderful feeeesh!".

We sat down and noticed that there were no prices visible. We had the most beautiful grilled fish we had ever tasted (only beaten it once or twice since), and a glass of wine, but we didn't know if we had enough money, and not many places in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia took visa.

Anyway, it turned out not to be a tourist trap and the bill was very reasonable - no idea how much it was in the terms of the time but think £20 total for two at today's prices. To this day "feeeesh" is the word that DP and I use whenever we see a little place by the sea with a small number of rickety tables and/or unclear pricing.

Somewhat relatedly: Since then, I have learned how to order in places where there is fish listed at "market price". I always assumed this meant that you ordered and they laughed while charging you 5x too much, but it usually doesn't. The way it works is that you ask what they have, either what types of fish or their individual weights or both depending on how much detail is already on the menu, and they tell you something like "We have a 1.3kg turbot at €65 that would feed 3, or 4 if you take a starter, or a 900g John Dory at €45 that would feed 2". I've done this several times in Spain and never been disappointed.

OtterOnAPlane · 17/11/2024 21:23

Crab in Singapore, in a restaurant that looked like a petrol station near the airport. A local friend took us there and I've never tasted anything like it.

Fritti Misti on the backstreets somewhere in Luca.

Tempura at an extraordinary little place in Hiroshima. Cost about as much as my mortgage but worth it.

Super fresh herbs in Vietnamese salads.

Food is the point of travel for me!

GettingStuffed · 17/11/2024 21:24

GemByTheSea · 17/11/2024 21:12

The best one I can remember was freshly caught and cooked huge prawns in a restaurant in Georgioupolis in Crete ... I was a teenager on holiday with my family and we just happened upon the place.

Was that the fisherman's restaurant? We've had that too

Hoppinggreen · 17/11/2024 21:29

Lobster spagheti and home made ice cream in a tiny restaurant down a back street in Cape Verde a local guide took us to.
We went to Mexico a couple of years ago and due to a flight delay we got £2000 refund from TUI very quickly, we heard about a nearby Restaurant that was £££ and was in the top 20 in the country. DC were 15 and 18 so old enough to enjoy it too, no menu, chef decided what he was serving, only choice was vegetarian or not. Food was absolutely amazing and effectively free

GettingStuffed · 17/11/2024 21:29

We've had such good food it's hard to pick some. We've had octopus a few times in Greece and it always impresses. On our honeymoon we went to Skopolos for the day and trying to impress me order meatballs but when it came it was a huge pile of enormous prawns.
In Prague we went to a cosy restaurant that sold only duck dishes. That was really nice.

Closer to home we went to the Armenian taverna in the centre of Manchester. I would highly recommend it.

GemByTheSea · 17/11/2024 21:30

GettingStuffed · 17/11/2024 21:24

Was that the fisherman's restaurant? We've had that too

I think it was! I only realised it was quite well-known a few years later when I saw it featured in a Sunday newspaper supplement!

reluctantbrit · 17/11/2024 21:30

Grilled sardines in a tiny restaurant in northern Tenerife
Tapas somewhere in Lanzarote, looked like a tourist restaurant but was the best tapas we had anywhere in Spain
Chicken Rice in a mall in Singapore where local colleagues took me and another European colleague, we were the only foreigners, it looked like a total rundown place but it was absolutely delicious.
Beef Rendang in Singapore - again with a local colleague

I defitniely cook more curries/asian food and go shopping where I am the odd Europpean instead of Sainsbury for the ingredients.

mitogoshigg · 17/11/2024 21:32

I made an Indian chicken dish from a recipe given to me by the chef on a recent trip there. Had to adapt marginally due to Asda not having what i wanted (bay all sold out!) but it tasted similar if slightly less rich when I made it, i suspect I was mean with the ghee!

Travellingheavily · 18/11/2024 06:50

Food in Jordan. Added a few new dishes to what we cook at home. The watermelon and cheese made me reconsider sweet and savoury.
The food there was spectacular

Ensconcedinvelvet · 18/11/2024 16:19

OtterOnAPlane · 17/11/2024 21:23

Crab in Singapore, in a restaurant that looked like a petrol station near the airport. A local friend took us there and I've never tasted anything like it.

Fritti Misti on the backstreets somewhere in Luca.

Tempura at an extraordinary little place in Hiroshima. Cost about as much as my mortgage but worth it.

Super fresh herbs in Vietnamese salads.

Food is the point of travel for me!

Oh my gosh it's so often the one that are totally inconspicuous! I had the BEST pork noodle soup dish in a weird little spot in Koh Samui that literally had two things on the menu and looked like a garage forecourt!!

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Ensconcedinvelvet · 18/11/2024 16:22

I'm absolutely salivating at the thought of all of these! Seafood is always just so amazing when you're away. Controversially...the best fish and chips I have ever had was in Canada and not in the UK.
And those dodgy little places that look like nothing are so often hidden gems and I completely agree with those people saying that sometimes it's so good you can still taste it !

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Rooroobear · 18/11/2024 17:09

I had the most incredible, freshly caught prawns in Portugal. Best prawns I’ve had in my life. Delicious

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