Scrolling through my Instagram feed for this year, there have been many images accompanied by the hashtag #foodporn or #instafood. I’ve had so many nice meals out this year, it’s been really difficult whittling it down to just 10, but here we go in no particular order…
Back in February Steve and I went to Barcelona, we found this gem in the heart of the Gothic Quarter where we were lucky enough to get a table for breakfast. I had what I can safely say is the best breakfast I’ve ever had, french toast with berries, yogurt and syrup.
Another one from Barcelona. A small tapas bar in the Gothic Quater. The food and service was brilliant. The truffle ravioli was to die for!
The Sticky Walnut in Hoole is one of my favourite places in Chester to eat out at and as a birthday treat Steve took me to their sister restaurant The Burnt Truffle, which was just as nice. I always order the pâté when I go to The Sticky, and the Burnt Truffle pâté did not disappoint. The Jacobs ladder I had for my main was beautifully tender.
This is a lovely gastro-pub run by Aiden Byrne and his wife Sarah. Steve and I came here for a lunch and opted for the bar lunch menu which allowed us to have a selection of small plates. I really enjoyed the goats cheese, beetroot and tarragon risotto.
5. Restaurant Panorama, Dubrovnik
The food here was really tasty. I had beef carpaccio to start and king prawns in a tomato and garlic sauce for mains but nothing could beat the view that we had from our table.
This pizza restaurant was so good we went back twice! On our last night we ordered one of the jumbo pizzas to take away it was huge and pretty much defeated us both!
Probably my favourite place for fine dining in Chester. I’ve been lucky enough to go twice this year. Once for Faye’s birthday and quite recently for Aunty Angie’s birthday. On my last visit I had the monkfish with octopus ink and chorizo and it was absolutely delicious. I love the array of ingredients and flavours you get from this restaurant.
8. At The Hollows, Hoole, Chester
This is another absolute gem I’ve discovered this year, making it to my top 5 places to eat in Chester. At The Hollows is an oyster bar and small plates restaurant. The pork dish I had here makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I’d love to try and recreate it some day – tamarind pork belly, dry spiced noodles with split peas.
Until recently I just thought this was a bog-standard cafe, it is a cafe but it’s definitely not bog-standard. I went here for the first time last month as a reward after the annual Chester Santa Dash Run. I had a lovely breakfast of eggs royale. I didn’t realise they also opened for evening meals too, so a couple of weeks later we tried it out for dinner. It has a really relaxed and quirky atmosphere and the food was really good. I had a delicious beef short rib with roasted vegetables and cheddar “bonfire” mash. For pudding I had a middle eastern inspired filo pastry stack with Christmas fruit, yogurt and honey.
10. Porta, Chester
Porta is such a delightful little tapas bar, nestled in between the city walls and Joseph Benjamin – a very successful restaurant also owned by Joe and Ben. I was lucky enough to sit outside in the glorious sunshine on both my visits to Porta this summer, it almost felt like I was back in Barcelona. The staff are lovely and there’s a really relaxed atmosphere. The food comes out as it’s made and you can keep ordering until you’re full. I always make sure I leave room for their sumptuous chocolate and honeycomb mousse!
