Every so often ChI makes discoveries that she simply must share….the best pastries, pizzas, railway journeys, bookshops, flea markets, local beauty products, places to propose, and more…..so watch this space!
Top 7 Best Finds: Every few weeks, The Chic Insider will share with you her Top 7 all-time best, from patisseries to pizzas, railway journeys, flea markets, bookshops, spas, perfumes and more, on her global quest for what is unique, truly special, and a must-do (or a must-buy) experience.
TOP 7 BEST PERFUMES
Scent is very subjective, as well as so seductive that we couldn’t limit ourselves to only 7. These are among the very best…..
1. Annick Goutal’s Le Jasmin, Ambre Fetiche, Eau de Hadrian
2. Narcisco Rodrigues For Her
3. Acqua di Parma
4. Eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake
5. Shalimar, by Guerlain (soooo 70’s!)
6. Francis Kurkdjian’s A Piece of Me, Cologne du Matin, Cologne du Soir
7. Hermes Kelly Caleche
TOP 7 BEST FINDS - HIDDEN TREASURES: BEST GALLERY EXPERIENCES
For those of you unexpectedly grounded in the wrong place by erupting volcanoes, or simply wanting to take time out and smell the roses, here are some inspirational art gallery “hidden treasures” for you to discover…..
1. The DIA Foundation in Beacon, upstate New York, housed in a model of 20th century contemporary art and steel, featuring a permanent collection from the ‘60s to the present. www.diabeacon.org/sites/main/beacon
2. The Sultan Gallery, Kuwait City, the oldest gallery in the region to feature high quality, contemporary Arab art. At Sabhan - South, Block 8, Street 105, building 168, Sabhan, Kuwait tel 4714325. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
3. Galleria Borghese, Rome, for the Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings – and its gardens. http://www.galleriaborghese.it
4. Nomad Gallery, Islamabad, for well-curated, contemporary South Asian art exhibitions. www.nomadartgallery.net
5. The Morgan Library, New York City - Rembrandt and Picasso, Mozart, Bob Dylan, Dickens and Hemingway, Gutenberg Bibles, and Babar the elephant…. the Morgan Library & Museum is, in the words of The New York Times, “extra special, in a class of its own.” In Midtown Manhattan, between Madison & 36th.
6. Tasneem Gallery, C/Castelnou 51, Tres Torres, Barcelona, for international contemporary art, often with a political twist - (check out the Rafael Dallaporta’s Antipersonnel 1:1 exhibition, featuring photos of landmines presented as objets d’art – and destruction)
7. Centre for Contemporary Culture (CCCB) Barcelona, for the most serious gallery exhibitions in the city that challenge the spectator’s way of seeing.
TOP 7 BEST EXPERIENCES IN DAMASCUS, SYRIA
Culturally-speaking, this category has to include the wonderful Omayyad Mosque and Salahuddin’s Tomb, but ChI is focusing on the lesser-known gourmet aspects here…..
1. Damer – for truly delicious icecreams
2. Nareng – the huge Syrian restaurant overlooking the old city walls, an extraordinary food experience on a grand scale
3. Stay in one of the old Syrian houses converted into boutique hotels, in one of the 8 bedrooms of the Beit al Mamluka, with its 17th century Ottoman atmosphere, tranquil, cool courtyard gardens, amazing breakfasts and especially the home-made mulberry jam http://www.almamlouka.com/
4. Or enter through the unmarked door of the Talisman hotel, a 300 year old converted mansion in the old Jewish quarter, for the location and the experience http://talismanhotels.com/
5. Visit Mada’in district’s “food streets”, for the best-ever shawarma, falafel, nuts and dried fruits
6. Indulge your sweet tooth at Semiramis in the embassies area, for baklava and classic Syrian pastries. Ask for a taste before you buy – try the sublime pistachio rolls
7. Sip the really excellent Turkish coffee in the shop just outside the Museum complex, opposite the Four Seasons hotel
TOP 7 BEST BARTENDERS Renowned for being friendly, inventive, excellent mixers of both the classics and the more recent cocktails)….
1. Michalis at Jazz Upstairs in Bar Guru Bar, Athens, Greece.
2. Takis at 48 the Restaurant, Athens, Greece.
3. Tav at the Cuckoo Club, London.
4. Spiros at Soul, Athens, Greece.
5. Erick at Oh Mayahuel, Plaza De Jardin Centenario 9-A, Centro Historico De Coyoacan, Mexico DF
6. Colin at The Hemingway Bar in Paris
7. All those tending bar at the Dry Martíni, C/Aribau 162-166, corner of C/ Corsega, Barcelona
TOP 7 KEBABS & SOUVLAKI
1. Kababgi restaurant, in the Gezira Sofitel (formerly the Sheraton) Hotel, Cairo, located bang in the middle of the Nile. The best oriental kebab and kufta in town, with a Nile view
2. The outlets on the street of shawarma-sellers in Antalya, Turkey, near the port
3. The most wonderful souvlaki in Greece are from the tiny hole-in-the-wall outlet at the bend of the main road on the island of Koufounissia.
4. The barbecued liver at Khiva restaurant, Islamabad
5. Ravi Kebab House on Drummond St near Euston Station, for that London-Lahori feeling
6. Tayyab’s on Fieldgate St for the hot, spicy shami kababs and more.
7. Kabbabji , Beirut for eating in or taking out - excellent chain with good quality food, prompt delivery. www.kabab-ji.com
TOP 7 PIZZAS
1. ITALY: Indios, Colle Val D’Elsa, Tuscany
2. GREECE: Trattoria, Nea Erythrea, Athens. The only truly Italian pizza in Athens
3. FLORENCE: Cibreo, Piazza Sant’ Ambrogio, Florence. For good Napoletan style pizza
4. LONDON: Made in Italy, on the Kings Road, London. Table-length pizzas, you can order different toppings on the same one. Perfect for a dinner with many friends!
5. GREECE: Bella Napoli on Symi
6. BOSTON: Upper Crust (617) 262-0090. 222 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116
7. WASHINGTON DC: 2 Amys. (202) 885-5700. 3715 Macomb St NW, just off Connecticut Avenue
TOP 7 SPAS
So much more than just the usual Thai offerings and their lookalikes….
1. Saukiya, near Bangalore, India (for healing treatments)
2. Givenchy Day Spa, Dubai (for serious pampering with great professionalism and care)
3. Ananda, in Rishikesh near Delhi, India. Great food, located in an old palace accessible by train from Delhi (or a 6h car drive)
4. Le Meridien Damascus, for its superb massage therapy
5. Royal Malawane, Kruger Park, South Africa. Book in for spa
treatments in between safari , including reiki, with a view of the springbok and kudu coming to drink out of the pond outside the massage room. (Elton John hires out the whole place for 2 weeks every year and takes all of his friends). www.royalmalewane.com
6. Bliss, New York. Try the Triple Oxygen Facial for fast results, great after a long flight and tired, puffy skin. Book in advance, for a session as soon as you arrive.
7. Arezoo Kaviani, London. Not a spa, but simply THE best beautician for waxing. Clients include Gwenyth Paltrow, Naomi Campbell, and all the Chelski oligarchs’ girls, because Arezoo is the woman who brought ‘the brazilian’ to the UK!
TOP 7 SCENTED CANDLES
1. FLORENCE: Sta Maria Novella’s melograno (pomegranite)
2. LONDON: Kenneth Turner’s “original” fragrance
3. SEATTLE: Archipelago’s soya candles in “Stonehenge”
4. ITALY: Aqua di Parma’s limited edition candles especially “iris nobile”
5. LONDON: Jo Malone’s “vintage gardenia” fragrance
6. PARIS: Annick Goutal’s “fleur de tiaré”
7. NEW YORK: Donna Karan’s “figue noir”
TOP 7 TRAIN JOURNEYS
1. Rajasthan Palace on Wheels www.palaceonwheels.net Luxurious cabins, a well stocked bar, two dining cars….seven days of comfort and royal style travelling across the magical and colourful state of Rajasthan!
2. Orient Express www.orient-express.com Offering five luxury train trips in different part of the world, including the classic Venice-Simplon original Orient Express of Agatha Christie fame
3. Trans Siberian Railway www.trans-siberian.co.uk (for basic trips, and for the name) and http://www.gwtravel,co.uk for luxury trips (for ChI’s who like their creature comforts), from Moscow to Asia (or vice versa).
4. Rovos Rail, South Africa and the Blue Train, South Africa, serving gourmet food as they whisk you across Africa www.rovos.co.za www.bluetrain.co.za For you ChI gourmets, check out the Blue Train’s signature dishes of salty karoo lamb, and fine beef. Rovos is the more romantic of the two, with a club car reminiscent of a private house party. Steam out of Pretoria and push on to an off train safari drive. Cross the border to Zambia, to take in a birds-eye view of the Victoria Falls.
5. Royal Scotsman www.royalscotsman.co.uk “Scots wha-hae” and all that – head up to Edinburgh for bagpipes, the Castle, the Festival, and much, much more.
6. Eastern & Oriental Express. Head south from Bangkok to Singapore, and take in off-train excursions in Kanchanburi, crossing the infamous Bridge Over the River Kwai as you go and add in a cycle rickshaw ride, too, round Penang islands and Georgetown, just for fun. www.orient-express.com
7. The legendary Indian-Pacific Railway, from Sydney to Perth, Australia, crossing the Nullabar desert for a 478km straight stretch of track. It’s a working train and all the more interesting for it, so take “kangaroo class” seats, that have beds and all meals provided for you. It calls in at Broken Hill, and takes 4 days and 3 nights to cover the length and breadth of Australia! www.gsr.com.au
TOP 7 BEST LOCAL BEAUTY PRODUCTS
1. GREECE: Korres with stores in London’s Chelsea, Manhattan and beyond, as well as in Athens including at the airport.
2. GREECE: Apivita for organic plant extracts skincare products
3. COLOMBIA: Concha de Nacar products from Colombia. Regenerative properties, these products can now be found in pharmacies there, they work wonders for sun stains on skin.
4. NEW YORK: Visine eyedrops in New York. From Duane Reade drug stores.
5. INDIA: Shahnaz Hussain’s herbal and ayurvedic products
6. JAPAN: Agronatura made in Japan from herbs and flowers grown in Italy
7. COLORADO: Pangea Organics by Joshua Onysko sourced world-wide from Argentina to Madagascar
TOP 7 BEST PATISSERIES
1. ROME: Il Grigno, viale Parioli 16a/b, Rome.
Tel 06 808 2348. (Try the Occhio di Bue sable biscuit cake, and the Mont Blanc)
2. NAPLES: Giovanni Scaturchio, Piazza S. Domenico Maggiore, Naples. A tiny place in old Napoli, that has utterly amazing (and addictive) babas au rhum, chocolates, and superb coffee.
3. PARIS: Laduree, for its tiny, multicoloured macaroons, a must-have for chic Parisiens since a decade. (And indeed in Harrods in London).
4. TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Abdul Rahman Sweets, patissier since 1881, especially the ‘Ichta, and the baklava
5. CAIRO: Sidra patissier, chocolatier, confiseur, at 31 A Shams El Deen El Zahabi St, Ard el Golf, Heliopolis, for its divine confections, superb display and wonderfully old-fashioned and terrific service…not to mention its mouth-watering cocktail snacks, tiny rolls of smoked salmon, finger food savouries, friandises, gourmandises and more! A true taste of old Cairo. And just as tempting. Party catering, too. Tel 690 4160/690 4161
6. BARCELONA: Mauri, Calle Provenca/Rambla de Catalunya. Established in XXX, with timeless elegance and an old fashioned sense of style, Mauri has the best patisseries in Barcelona, to eat there, or take away, as well as a great deli with plats du jour to take home.
7. ATHENS: Alea, famous for its tiny petits fours, glorious cheese cake and events catering. Branches on Kifissias Avenue in Psychiko, and in Kolonaki (on the first floor of the shopping centre off Tsakaloff St), not far from Da Capo.
Want an ‘Insider’ edge, to discover the best travel lifestyle experiences in usual and unusual places in the world?
Not enough time to wander, browse and get to discover a place for yourself, or need to know where to start?
Hate being one of the herd when you travel? Hate being an outsider or a tourist?
Want to be part of the insider crowd, and “live like a local” in your lifestyle, even if it’s only for a few days, or a few weeks?
Then read on…..!