You’ve landed in a new, foreign city, you’re hungry but you have no idea where to go – so, is there a knack to how to choose a good restaurant when you’re abroad? Cherie Metcalfe has a real skill for sniffing down the best places to eat and shares her best tips here!
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Chef Cherie Metcalfe (of Pepper & Me fame) loves to travel and eat her way through a new destination. Like most of us, she’s had the odd fail or two, when picking out a restaurant to eat at in an unfamiliar new town or city, but for the most part, she’s pretty incredible at sniffing out the most delicious places to eat.
So, is there one thing she does to ensure she picks well?
It’s a combination of things she looks for, but she says there’s always one thing that is most important: doing your research. But it’s not quite the research we might immediately assume, like looking up guide books or scouring tripadvisor.
“I always do my research,” she says. “Reviews are great, but no longer on Trip Advisor. I find you can search on TikTok or Instagram and watch video reviews of what the foods at each restaurant are going to look like. It usually gives you a great idea!”
If she hasn’t had time to research, or is unexpectedly in a different place to what she expected, there are also a few key things she looks for when choosing a restaurant abroad.
“I generally try to avoid big hotels, menus that are massive and I have a very strong dislike for buffet meals (usually it’s excessive amounts of average lukewarm food and nothing goes nicely together – I’m not a snob, I promise! I just love places that do a few things, but do them really well!). Always ask the locals where their favourites are. And, more expensive doesn’t usually mean better either!”
Cherie has been hard at work on finding the best places, and most hidden gems to eat at all over Italy, as she’s leading a foodie guided tour with Trafalgar this September (and yes, tickets are still available!). The 14-day, 13-night journey is going to take the tour group along the stunning eastern coast of Italy, featuring highlights of Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily.
And yes, getting to research the perfect foodie travel itinerary is just about as wonderful as it sounds, she says.
“I know, right? It’s very much a passion rather than work!! However,” she says, “I have been obsessing and spending far too any hours trying to find the best restaurants, best gelato and best beaches possible. I want everyone who comes to have the experience of a lifetime!”
For Cherie, taking the tour through Italy – her favourite foodie spot on the planet – was a no brainer.
“I think most foodies or chefs have a soul connection to either France or Italy,” she says. “And for me it’s absolutely the Italian food that steals the show. The ingredients and techniques are often very simple, very salt of the earth. The zest the Italians have for food and life is so infectious, and the fact the food can be so different between regions ensures there’s always more to try and more to learn. Being able to create incredible food from three or four quality ingredients is something that will never cease to amaze me.”
For those of us who sadly aren’t going to be able to join Cherie on this Trafalgar trip, she does have some tips for us to plan out of our own itinerary should we make it to Italy anytime soon.
Here’s what you MUST try when travelling through the different cities and regions, according to Cherie:
IN ROME… you MUST try cacio e pepe and carbonara. Fried artichokes and tiramisu and Pizza al taglio (sold by the square).
IN THE NORTHERN REGIONS… is where you will find a lot more rice, butter and meat, so this is where there is plenty of risotto, lots of polenta, osso buco and heavier meat dishes.
IN LOMBARDY… try the punchy cheeses like gorgonzola and taleggio which the region is famous for.
IN EMILIA ROMAGNA… you’ll find the foodie capital of Italy. This is the home of balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di parma.
IN THE AMALFI COAST… you’ll find amazing mozzarella farms, anchovies and tagliolini (usually with a fresh lemony sauce). Try one of the little cones of mixed fried seafood that you’ll see a lot of.
IN FLORENCE… eat steak alla Fiorentina
IN NAPLES…. It’s simple: eat pizza. This is the pizza capital of the world.
IN SICILY… where the rich volcanic soil give blood oranges, lemons, almonds and of course olives! Sicilians also claim to have invented the polpette (meatball) so give it a try here!
