Paris

Paris as always is a delight. Returning this year for the tennis at Roland Garros with Rina and Menon, we had better seats and cooler weather but a bit more rain. It was great to see Nadal, Djkovic, Cilic and Del Potro on centre court. And we got into court 7 to see Anderson too. Serena's comeback was a little odd and the ladies failed to capture too much of our attention. 

 After 8 days in Paris, we left to explore Brittany but popped back for the weekend to go to the Rugby Sevens.  By the skin of their teeth the Blitzbokke managed to win the final tournament and clinch the 2018 Series.

We love roaming the various neighbourhoods of Paris so we returned to some of our favourite places and found a few new places we can recommend too.

Le Halles - On a Saturday there's lots going on around here, whether you love or hate the giant yellow roof.

Marche de Bastille - A good indoor food market- stop for tapas and wine.

Quay Saint Martin  - on a Saturday afternoon is busy with lots of people enjoying the parks and cafes. We tried Indian food for a change at Marcel.

St. Ouen -While away a whole Sunday at Europe's biggest permanent flea market and spend a few hours over lunch listening to cool live blues music at A Piccolo Theatre.

Auguste - go for the 3 course set lunch at this Michelin starred restaurant by Gael Orieux. One of the best Michelin deals in Paris.

Clover - Second restaurant of Jean-Franscios Piege where the kitchen is right in the restaurant and young chefs are put to the test creating fabulous food without the pomp. How about salmon sashimi seared at the table on a hot rock that is a genuine Paris cobble stone?

Bastade - Modern little restaurant where food is served in an edible bastade, a deep dish "crêpe". 

Harry's American Bar - totally touristy and overpriced but a real institution.

Le Sherwood - The best live music venue in Paris. A little bar with cheap drinks, a wonderful relaxed atmosphere and a killer cover band. After 1.30am,the DJ continues the party.

The Moose - Canadian Sport's bar and probably the only place to see any rugby in Paris.

Le  Musset - Touristy bistro near the Louvre - Definitely don't eat here but they have pretty good house wine and a TV to watch the Tennis.

La Tavola and Casa Bini - both very good family owned Italian restaurants - just when you think you can only get French food in Paris...try one of these for a change..

MoM - very trendy, modern bistro full of locals. Burgers are big in Paris at the moment; ( well everywhere actually ) but the posh Paris versions tend to be served very rare - tartare in a bun..

We always camp at Camping Indigo Paris, located in Bois de Boulogne; one of our favourite city campsites in Europe.

For more recommendations.. see the May 2017 blog too...

When you only have 5 days in London...

When you only have 5 days in London you have to make them count...

1. Stay very centrally at the Hub by Premier Inn in Covent Garden. When you want location, good value and clean, modern comfort but you don't need to swing a cat, it's a win. There's a Costa Coffee downstairs to fulfill all your breakfast needs and if you are as spoilt as Neil, you get room service!

2. Use Uber to get around. Or walk.

3. Take advantage of set lunch menus at Michelin starred restaurants.

* L' Atelier by Joel Roubochon

* Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

* Seven Park Place by William Drabble

4. Go to matinees of West End shows

* Chess

* Ruthless

5. Get your friends to come and meet you in central London...

* Cahoots

* Dirty Bones

* Darjeeling Express

* Cafe Boheme

6. Spend a great Sunday with family and drag yourselves off to the airport.

There's no time for reviews but everything on this blog post comes highly recommended. Especially the family and friends...

Whistle Stop Joburg

We popped back for 2 weeks to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday. We had a good time at Zebula together and enjoyed a great lunch at Blandford Manor.

Tommy's 60th Party, Shopping, Admin, Doctors and Dentists, a few braais with friends and family, Mother's Day brunch, Dynamo at the impressive new Sun Arena in Menlyn, ribs at the Thundergun and onto a plane to London.

Singapore bits..

Still one of my favourite cities in the world. It's changed a lot since we lived here 12 years ago but it's a marvelous place to live and work. And visit for a few days or more. It's always had a proud foodie tradition. We used to say all Singaporeans have just two hobbies - shopping and eating, but in the last few years it has claimed a spot as one of the world's great gastronomic capitals.

It's best to explore neighborhood by neighborhood; some are better by day and some by night. Singapore is not an early morning place ,so unless you want to get some exercise like walking or jogging in before it gets too hot, I would stay out late and sleep in. 

We spent a week at Claire and Grahame's and tried to fit in all our favourite things. We went to the Rugby Sevens over the weekend. 

The following bullet point guide to Singapore barely covers

the basics but will help you plan your stay...all the places mentioned are our more recent tried and tested favourites...

CHINA TOWN

Temples, cheap souviners and traditional Chinese shops.

ClubSt, An Siang Hill, Duxton Hill, Keong Saik, Neil Rd

Nightlife and bars aplenty in Club St area. Packed on weekends. Fine dining all over the place.

Alba - Italian

Burnt Ends - Meat
Chicken Rice with a Michelin Star at Maxwell Rd Hawker Centre

ORCHARD ROAD : the Malls and Hotels

Window shopping in all the malls, with good restaurants, food courts and coffee shops.

High End Chinese restaurants and Takashimiya in Ngee Ann City.

Din Tai Fung in Paragon.

Salt Grill and Sky Bar in Ion. 

Check out the Japanese supermarket in the basement of Isetan in Shaw Centre.

Buffets and Sunday Brunches in the top hotels.

Basilica in the Regent.

High tea at the Shangri-la.

LITTLE INDIA

Tekka Wet Market.

Street Shopping Indian Style.

Hindu Temples.

Mustafas 24hr department store. 

Explore Serrangoon Rd and all the side streets. Head to Race Course Rd for the best Indian restaurants.

Pulled tea and Murtabak for breakfast.

Dehli Restaurant (our favourite for 15 years)

ARAB ST

By day, check out the Mosque and wander around the neighbourhood, looking for interesting shops and cafes. At night, especially on weekends the restaurants spill out onto the streets serving great Middle Eastern or Malay food.

Kampong Glam

Alaturka

THE QUAYS : Better at night.

Robertson Quay

Wine Connection

Whisky Bar

Good Japanese and Korean

Boat Quay

Party with the bankers from the financial district

Our Village for Indian with a view.

Clarke Quay

Clubs 

Live Music esp. at The Crazy Elephant

DEMPSEY ROAD

Old army barracks now a beautiful green space with restaurants galore.

Red Dot Brewery

Jim Thompson

MARINA BAY

Gardens by the Bay

Sunset drinks on the 57th floor.

Mall, Theatre, Casino

SENTOSA ISLAND

Man-made island with beach side dining and Universal Studios.

HOLLAND VILLAGE  - Expat enclave

EAST COAST

Watersports

National Stadium
Joo Chait and Geylang areas

No Sign Board for seafood

COLONIAL SINGAPORE and the Museums

Esplanade Theatres

Raffles Hotel currently undergoing renovations

Grand Prix

GREEN SPACES: parks and islands

Haw Par Villa

Botanical Gardens

Mc Ritchie Reservoir

Pulau Ubin and the other Singapore islands