Jess Filbey, head chef at Canteen
“Sitting on the veranda in the sunshine by the sea for lunch at La Taverna la Cialoma in Marzamemi in Sicily. There, I had the best cuttlefish fettuccine of my life, followed by grilled sardines, a simple cucumber salad and a glass of dry white wine. It was heaven – so good that I went back there for dinner that same day.”
David Carter, Agora, Manteca, Oma and Smokestak restaurateur
“Costas Caferion in Maza, Crete; it’s just perfect. No menu, instead they ask you how hungry you are and if you eat everything – then it just arrives. Plateful after plateful of Greek salata, grilled this and that. There’s no fuss, no pretence; it’s all so simple and delicious – the kind of food you just want to eat. It’s more like eating in the family’s dining room (except in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by bougainvillea) than a restaurant. True hospitality. The first and last place I go to in Crete, every time.”
Florence Mae Maglanoc, Donia and Pandera executive chef and owner
Executive chef and owner of Donia restaurant and Panadera bakery
“Hong Kong is where I’d most like to be this summer. I went when I was quite young, so it would be fun to revisit as an adult and experience it properly. When it comes to food, my guilty pleasure is dim sum, hand-pulled noodles and dumplings, so Hong Kong remains somewhere I want to explore through the food. I love the range, from tiny local spots to more polished restaurants, just taking in the energy of the city while eating my way around it.”
Elly Wentworth, Fowlescombe Farm executive chef
“This summer I’ll be in Italy with my little boy, Beau. It’s his first summer and it feels like a good time to start his food education. He’s currently obsessed with spaghetti bolognaise, which is great, but I think it’s time we took that up a notch and showed him how [ragù alla bolognese] is actually meant to taste (not that mine isn’t great obviously). I love how simple the food is in Italy: amazing tomatoes, good olive oil, everything fresh and in season. You don’t have to do much to it and that’s what makes it so good.”
Johnnie Crowe, St Barts chef
“If I could be anywhere this summer, it would be this amazing restaurant, Taverna Kouloura, which sits in sleepy Kouloura Bay in Corfu, away from the more touristy parts of the island. It’s only open for lunch and is run by a team of three: the mum is the chef, her daughter the general manager and her daughter’s friend the waitress. It only has outside seating and the food is the kind you dream of when you go to Greece: fresh fish grilled over a barbeque, peppers and onions roasted and smothered in good olive oil, fantastic flatbreads and taramasalata. My wife and I went every day during our holiday last year.”
Roberta Hall-Maccarron, Ardfern, Eleanore and The Little Chartroom executive chef and owner
“This summer I’d love to stay local and return to the Kingdom of Fife. The family had a holiday there last year which was just perfect. We stayed in the most idyllic spot off the beaten track, accessible only via a private road, and it turned out to be the most perfect location for daytrips down to the coast. The beaches, the tiny villages, Bowhouse, the wonderful Kinnecheur Inn and Cairnie Fruit Farm (for berry-picking and an adventure park) were all in easy reach. I loved our busy days exploring and returning home to watch the sun go down. It was perfect.”
Chet Sharma, Bibi chef-patron
“I’m fortunate that with my role I get to travel a fair bit, and travel always means one thing: a good meal at the end of a journey. All being well this summer, I should be in Mumbai visiting some chef friends as we plan a collaboration out there. No trip to Mumbai is complete without a pilgrimage to the Mohammed Ali Road, where I’ll gorge on the best kebabs in western India. It’s hard to single out just one place, as the variety is reminiscent of the pintxos tours of San Sebastian, but the chicken shami kebabs at Noor Mohammadi are solid favourites.”
Tom Booton, Sunny Bar & Grill head chef
“Everyone thinks it's a winter-only destination, but I want to check back into the Kulm Hotel in St Moritz. The summers are amazing there: great weather, stunning views with brilliant hiking and bike rides through the mountains. The food is good there, too – and not just in my restaurant!”
Emily Roux, Caractere chef-owner
Chef-owner of Westbourne Park’s Michelin-starred fine diner Caractere “We went to Jersey with the kids over the Easter break, and I thought it was an absolutely stunning island with great produce. There are little unmanned kiosks with honesty boxes and local produce dotted all over, and I bought some rhubarb and Jersey Royals from them while doing a bike ride across the island. It’s a fantastic place to be with family, with hikes, rides and the beach – it’s like you have the beaches to yourself, as they’re big and often with few other people. The air is fresh and the landscape is stunning. We visited a crab shack with whole dressed crabs, beautifully prepared, while the kids enjoyed some crispy squid. It’s the perfect little getaway and it’s only 45 minutes by plane. Can’t wait to return.”
Mursal Saiq, Cue Point Owner
“This summer I want to be in Sao Paulo, Brazil, sitting in Santi [Roig]’s live-fire Grindhouse Ranch. All of the dishes are cooked over an open fire, there’s no concept of gas or electric. From his brûlée live-fire crepes to what has to be the best burger I’ve ever had, it’s an uncompromising commitment to open fire – one that feeds your soul.”
This article originally appeared in issue 4 of the Broadsheet London magazine. Find a copy here.
