RESTAURANT DESTINATION: Top Food in Perth

RESTAURANT DESTINATION: Top Food in Perth

By Jorge Jefferds April 28, 2016

Before you leave the Western shores of Australia, remember to dine in these places. They feature the most typical food of this part of the country. 

Witchetty Grubs, not Gnocchis

Halo Restaurant (Barrack St, Perth WA 6000, Australia, phone number: 61-8-9325-4575) invites customers for modern seafood dishes, and matched wines in a stylish, airy dining room with water views. They implement the freshness of local seafood, vegetables, meat and game. They pride themselves of using local growers.  They carry this over to their beverage offering as well, where actively search out and frequently meet local wine makers, artisan spirit producers, and craft beer producers. "We even travel to breweries, vineyards and distilleries in the name of research if we have too," he recalled.  In an era where local sustainability is the key, their service offering is not only appealing to locals who are looking to try something a little left of center, but also showcases the vast array of talent the local producers have for the tourists in such great state. 

Overlooking Perth from Halo Restaurant

Fraser's (Fraser Ave, West Perth WA 6005, Australia, phone number: 61-8-9481-7100) introduces Western Australian cuisine in a semi-circular room with floor-to-ceiling windows and wood accents. Fraser’s is an important part of a group of iconic West Australian restaurant and function destinations with names like BWG Steakhouse, the Old Brewery, and Indiana. There is a private dining with views over the beautiful Swan River and city, and exclusive use of a private terrace, where all manner of events can be accommodated. Menus for your event are designed by Chefs Chris Taylor and Rhys Jones, who pride themselves on ensuring that the food is one of the most memorable elements of your day. A large timber boardroom-style table seats a maximum of 28 guests, and can also be configured for smaller groups and cocktail functions. The room can be set with wireless internet and audiovisual equipment including data projector and drop down screen. 

Fraser's Wedding Venues

Pizzeria and Café Millioncino (Australia, 451 Murray St, Perth WA 6000, Australia, phone number: 61-8-9226-4009) is a spacious family-run venue with rustic decor, dishing up traditional Sicilian and Italian cooking. The owners, Maurizio and Emanuele, found inspiration in the authenticity of those village pizzerias back home, where fresh, home-made, and personally selected ingredients are the only option to great taste. They collected and created original recipes, and deserts. As a result, they prepared them to impress friends and family alike. At Pizzeria By Millioncino, there are many special offers many traditional pizzerias do not consider in their menus: such as the families' Sicilian dough recipe, exotic toppings such as their favorite La Buffalo. Surely, these are not traditional toppings, but they are not a traditional pizzeria: they love to be creative and will customize any of their pizzas to suit your taste. If you have been seeking a warm and friendly, but traditional Italian experience, come on in! 

Interior of Pizzeria Millioncino

Balthazar (6 The Esplanade, Perth WA 6000, Australia, phone number: 61-8-9421-1206) is a sophisticated, intimate setting for refined Modern Australian dining, plus a robust wine list. A partly underground restaurant - bar, small, exacting, refined, hand cultured. All about the plate, delivered by friendly staff. The restaurant - bar concept means you can also arrive at anytime, have drinks with light food, or settle in and dine at length.

The bar at Balthazar's

Red Cabbage (49/15 Labouchere Rd, South Perth WA 6151, Australia, phone number: 61-8-9367-5744) is synonym for modern Australian restaurant, introducing high-concept dishes, tasting menus, and all of them served in an intimate room. Considered one of Perth’s finest, Red Cabbage's success is the proud result of the Quantas Magazine 2014 award-winning British chef Scott O’Sullivan, who has always packed a ‘WOW’ factor on both plate and palate, but now he is playing a theatrical edge. 

Red Cabbage when the day is over

Suggestions do not always include food you are accustomed to. Anyway, if you are into experiencing unforgettable dishes, ask for tastes such as Witchetty grubs, Anzac biscuits, emu steaks, or Balmain bugs.   

 

ART JOURNEY: 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art

ART JOURNEY: 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art
By Jorge Jefferds April 19, 2016

25 days or maybe less time is what you have to attend this magical event that takes place every two years in Adelaide, Australia. Magic is the main subject in this opportunity. Drawing inspiration from the ‘Wunderkammer’ those rooms or cabinets of wonder dedicated to the display of magical objects, the 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art champions the contemporary artist as conjuror.

Brookman Building, Freemasons Lodge

With attendant meanings and manifestations, including contemporary artists’ interests in the talismanic, in cultural rituals and material riddles, this exhibition offers the ‘Wunderkammer’ as a tool with which to view the world, and critique it as well. Since 1990, the Adelaide Biennial remains the country’s longest-standing survey of contemporary Australian Art. The 2016 iteration is the most ambitious yet, unfolding across an unprecedented number of venues in Adelaide, including the Art Gallery, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art at UniSA, JamFactory, Carrick Hill, and the Santos Museum of Economic Botany in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Ranging in age from 28 to 105 years, the 2016 Adelaide Biennial includes the following artists:
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Glenn Barkley, Chris Bond, Pepai Jangala Carroll, Tarryn Gill, Louise Haselton, Juz Kitson, Loongkoonan, Fiona McMonagle, Danie Mellor, Clare Milledge, Tom Moore, Nell, Ramesh Mario-Nithiyendran, Bluey Roberts, Kate Rohde, Gareth Sansom, Robyn Stacey, Garry Stewart and the Australian Dance Theatre, Jacqui Stockdale, Heather B. Swann, Hiromi Tango, Roy Wiggan, Tiger Yaltangki and Michael Zavros.

Magic Object is accompanied by a lively event program of tours, talks and workshops; a vernissage weekend as part of the opening program; activities for kids and families and an exhibition publication. In brief, here is some description of a few artists.

1) Abdul-Rahman Abdullah
A five meter long perahu carries an uncannily life-like effigy of the artist, guided by a hand carved polychrome rooster. Titled Merantau, 2015, a word that describes one who seeks fortune and adventure away from their homeland, this sculptural installation by Perth-based artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah was inspired by a research visit to South Sulawesi where Abdullah was able to trace up to eighteen generations of his Bugis heritage. Just as his ancestors sought new shores to ply their trade in the straits of South East Asia, Abdullah conjures his own journey, surrounded by totems of good fortune. Abdullah’s material magic has been honed through years of experience in the creation of sculptural dioramas and tableaux for tourist attractions. This desire to invent worlds, to push towards the dioramic, towards dream narratives and model worlds evokes the spirit of the ‘Wunderkammer’ as a microcosm of the universe. Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s work Merantau is on display in Gallery 23 at the Art Gallery of South Australia during Magic Object.

Merantau

2) Fiona McMonagle 
Coupled with her soft and muted watercolor paintings, Melbourne-based Fiona McMonagle, with the assistance of her technician brother Declan, has included an animation created from her paintings for Magic Object. Given that humans have bodies composed largely of water; this seems a natural direction – to give life to the inanimate – for McMonagle. Her animation includes one thousand drawings of figures engaging in a natural setting. As these watercolors seamlessly move across the screen their aqueous images awaken. As anthropologist Loren Eiseley noted ‘If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water’, McMonagle’s works confirm this statement as they convey the wonder and diversity of the watercolor medium. Public parks, much like curiosity cabinets, emerged from the desire of pre-Renaissance royalty and aristocracy to proclaim wealth and status. In McMonagle’s animation, figures joyously engaging with their natural environment affirm how magic can occur in the liminal realm of the public park. Behaviors shift and attitudes change in the uncanny theatre of the park. Fiona McMonagle’s work will be on display in Galleries 9 and 10 at the Art Gallery of South Australia during Magic Object.

Ginger Tom

3) Glenn Barkley 
With a long career as a curator, Sydney artist Glenn Barkley brings with him an extensive knowledge of art history and a specific interest in those outside and overlooked by the art historical canon. His choice of ceramics as his preferred medium speaks to this investment in the dismissed and downgraded. In his ambitious installation Temple of the Worm (2016) Barkley pays homage to the seventeenth-century Danish physician and collector Ole Worm, whose ‘Wunderkammer’, named Museum Wormianum, encompassed an extraordinary array of objects – from a puffer fish suspended from the ceiling to ethnic artillery. Barkley’s tribute to Worm can be found in his decision to craft his own space – his own room of wonders – populated by ceramics with worm-like or vermicular surfaces. In the words of catalogue essayist Ted Snell, ‘ordering information, linking ideas, arranging objects and images, creating new relationships, all these elements are at the core of the creative process, and all are used to impart a message or to engage the viewer in pondering our relationship to objects and their potential to shape our lives’. Glenn Barkley’s work will be on display in Gallery 22 at the Art Gallery of South Australia during Magic Object.

Carbuncle pot with drooping polyp

4) Kate Rohde 
Kate Rohde’s large cast–resin sculptures and furniture are positioned against her pulsating psychedelic wall treatments in the Art Gallery of South Australia’s vestibule during Magic Object. This incandescently colored twenty-first century Wunderkammer recalls the baroque taste for ornamentation and dramatic decoration. Tables, chairs and vessels sprout animal parts and synthetic pelts adorn sculptural chimera. Selecting synthetic, rather than natural materials, Rohde questions the traditional practices of collecting natural history specimens and the power assigned to these items in traditional cabinets of curiosity. With their zoomorphic elements and wild and daring colors, Rohde’s contributions to Magic Object exude a theatricality that is both wild and hypnotic. Kate Rohde’s zoomorphic lair extends from the Art Gallery of South Australia’s vestibule into The Studio where the immersive experience continues.

Ornament Crimes

5) Pepai Jangala Carroll 
Although based for decades in Pukatja, in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in northern South Australia, Pepai Jangala Carroll was born in Haast’s Bluff in his father’s country near Walungurru (Kintore) in the Northern Territory. While he has been painting for a number of years, it is only of late that he has begun to also create objects. Both his paintings and his ceramic offerings exude extraordinary powers. It is through his practice that Carroll conjures up Luritja/Pintupi country, merging his deep knowledge and custodial responsibilities of country into these wondrous works of art. Like a spell, the use of the recurring title, Walungurru, adds strength to this evocation, whether referring to his beautifully colored ceramic forms or his aesthetically minimalistic paintings. In his thrown ceramic form, Walungurru (2015) Carroll has incised intricate patterns and layered various tones of majestic blues to construct a highly individual and original interpretation of landscape and country. The vessel both commands with its profoundness, and enthralls with its wonder. Pepai Jangala Carroll’s work is on display in Gallery 23 at the Art Gallery of South Australia during Magic Object.

Walungurru

6) Robyn Stacey
Using the camera obscura Sydney-based artist Robyn Stacey depicts the city of Adelaide as it has never been seen before. Translating from Latin to mean ‘dark room’ the camera obscura is an optical device of wonder, whereby the external world is trapped and inverted within the room. In this ongoing project, Stacey has selected many sites across the city, including Carrick Hill, the SAHMRI Building, The Cedars, Parliament House, Port Adelaide, the Brookman Building at the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Institute Building, and has converted them into a temporary camera obscura. These seven locations have been transformed into a magical theatre where the world outside becomes a magic object. In the artist’s own words these bewildering photographs become ‘a mash up of inside and outside’. Comfort Inn Riviera – SAHMRI Building (2015) presents an unexpected view of the Woods Bagot award-winning building for medical research on North Terrace. As writer Craig Judd notes ‘In a seemingly generic hotel room a weird dirigible resides, coming to life for a brief time each day’. While our eyes first register the image upside down it is our brain that, in some mysterious way, finally turns the view around. Both our senses, and the photograph, allude that things are not always what they seem at first. Robyn Stacey’s camera obscura photographs will be on display in Gallery 7 at the Art Gallery of South Australia during Magic Object. A live camera obscura can be experienced at Carrick Hill for the duration of the Adelaide Biennial.

CITY DESTINATION: Perth

CITY DESTINATION: Perth
by Jorge Jefferds April 16, 2016


Perth is the capital and the largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populated area in the country with a population of about 2.02 million inhabitants. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment. The first settlements occurred on the Swan River, with the city's central business district, and port (Fremantle), both located on its shores. The Perth Metropolitan Region includes 30 local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes.
Summers are generally very hot and dry, lasting from December to late March, with February generally being the hottest month of the year. Winters are relatively mild and wet. Perth is a particularly sunny city for this type of climate; it has an average of 8.8 hours of sunshine per day. If you can handle the heat, you might be still comfortable visiting the city in summer.

Perth Downtown

1) Kings Park and Botanic Garden
One of the largest inner-city parks in the world, Kings Park and Botanic Garden covers 400 hectares of Perth's heart with serene natural bush land and sculpted gardens. It's perched high on the crest of Mount Eliza, making it a top spot to take in sweeping panoramas of Perth's city skyline and Swan River. Pack a picnic or barbecue and take the 15 minute walk to Kings Park from Perth's center, or hop on a free CAT bus. Pick up maps and brochures from the Visitor Information Center, take a free guided walk or enjoy a self guided tour.

2) Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison is the largest and most intact convict built prison in Australia and is Western Australia’s only World Heritage Listed Building. It was continuously used as a place of incarceration for almost 140 years. The prison was decommissioned as a maximum-security gaol in 1991. Trip Advisor has rated the Fremantle Prison as one of Australia’s top 10 attractions and in 2013 the prison welcomed its 3,000,000 visitor since opening to the public in 1992.

Fremantle Prison

3) The Roundhouse
The oldest public building in the State of Western Australia, the Roundhouse opened in January 1831, just 18 months after settlement. It was built to hold any person convicted of a crime in the settlement, and was used until 1886. After the use as a gaol stopped, it became a Police Lock-up until the late 1890s and then was used as accommodation for the Water Police, and afterwards as a storage facility for Fremantle Ports. When threatened with demolition in the 1920s it was saved and later control went to the State Government before it was deeded to the City of Fremantle.

4) Penguin Island
Penguin Island is a unique nature reserve that is home to Western Australia’s largest colony of little penguins- the smallest species of penguin in the world. Located 45 minutes south of Perth, and a 5-minute ferry ride across the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, Penguin Island is blessed with beautiful beaches and surrounded by dazzling, crystal clear waters. Both locals and visitors from all over the world catch the ferry or take a cruise here to get up close to the wildlife, explore nature trails, swim, surf, snorkel or to enjoy a family picnic and the safe, sheltered beaches.

Penguin Island

5) Barrack Square
Barrack Square is an urban park located on the bank of the Swan River at the termination of Barrack Street. The area predominantly functions as a ferry terminal and is characterized by tree planting, annual garden beds, seating, lighting, bollards and flagpoles.

6) Cohunu Koala Park
Cohunu Koala Park is located on fourteen hectares of natural Australian bush land just 40 minutes from the city of Perth in Western Australia. Come and make friends with some of the unique Australian fauna living in the park. Stroll the bush tracks and pathways. Hand feed many of the free roaming animals. Have a chat with over 30 talking parrots, see dingoes, kangaroos, emus, deer and koalas, just to name a few of the animals that live at the park. Take a ride on the Cohunu Park Railway, zigzagging its way throughout the park most weekends, and public holidays (subject to weather conditions).

Cohunu Koala Park

Most people never get to Western Australia – it’s too far, too remote and too big. But if you’re craving a bit of isolation in the sun, book flights to Perth and immerse yourself in the solidarity of this city. First impressions of Perth are that it’s a modern city on the cusp of becoming the next Sydney or Melbourne, but first impressions are not always as they seem. While the skyscrapers may dominate the skyline, Perth is a laid back city with a young influence that keeps the city active and aware. Join the locals in pleasant bike rides, picnics or days at the beach. If culture is what you crave, head to one of the city’s art galleries or museums for a bit of Perth history.  Spend a bit of your Australian vacation in Perth by booking domestic Perth flights from one of the other Australian states. This cuts down on the costs and the travel time, and you’re likely to get more time in the sun. The airport is located 22 to 28 minutes east of Perth downtown. Even though, a taxi might cost $50 for the ride, the public transportation is amazing and affordable.

Australian beach on Rottnest Island

Perth Public Transport
With low rainfall and endless sunny days, the weather in Perth, Australia is perfect for traveling around. When you take a look at a map of Perth, you'll find so many beautiful beaches, wine regions, sights and attractions; you'll wonder how you will possibly be able to see them all. The Perth airport shuttle bus is the cheapest way into town and will take you directly to your accommodation in Perth for around $20. Hire cars and taxis are also available at the airport and are comparable in price for 3 or more people. When you're ready to explore the beaches in Perth, the Zoo, Kings Park or any of the other city sights, the Transperth network will get you there. A Smartrider card can be purchased in advance, and gets you a discounted ride on Perth buses, trains and some Perth ferries. There are also limited Perth tram services. The CAT buses in Perth WA provide a number of routes, visiting the major sights around town and are absolutely free! If you're planning on heading further afield to some of the picturesque surrounding communities like Margaret River or the Swan valley, car rental in Perth is your best bet, to explore the many sights and wineries along the way. No holiday in Perth, Western Australia would be complete without a visit to Rottnest Island and iconic Fremantle. You can catch a Perth train to Fremantle, visit the beach, markets and historic buildings then jump on the Rottnest Express or Rottnest Fast Ferry for the short trip to the Island.

ADVENTURE TRAVEL: 2016 Ski Holidays in Chile Resorts

ADVENTURE TRAVEL: 2016 Ski Holidays in Chile Resorts
By Jorge Jefferds April 9, 2012

Winter wants to stay in several parts of the United States. For ski enthusiasts, the white sport is never something to pack for the next season. On the contrary, whenever spring announces the snow melting, they just travel to the South Pole or anywhere, in order to vacation more. Chile, in South America, is preparing to start the winter 2016 ski season. Proudly, they offer an interesting list of excellent ski centers. Have a look at them.

Heli Skiing in Chilean Andes

Valle Nevado
This center is located 27 miles from Santiago, by the Farellones road, and was inaugurated in 1988. Its three hotels have a lodging capacity for 800 people (there are not refuges), it also possesses complete equipments that turns it into the biggest ski resort in Chile. Ski season occurs between June, July, August, September and October 2006. Distance to the resort is just 35 miles from Santiago's International airport.

Ski Portillo
Portillo is located 92 miles from Santiago, in the same road that leads to Mendoza, crossing The Andes Valley. Portillo is one of the most famous ski resorts and the only that has been host of the Ski World Cup in South America. The Speed World Record was beaten in its run. With an outstanding environment, surrounded by high Andean picks, Portillo is placed in front of Del Inca Lagoon, characterized for dust-snow in winter and spring.

Valle Nevado

El Colorado
El Colorado Ski Center (2,430 - 3,333 meters above sea level / 7,970 - 10,930 feet above sea level) is formed of two interconnected villages, each one with hotels and refuges. Next to La Parva and Valle Nevado, it is the major and best ski surface of South America. Due to its location close to the city of Santiago, services offered, convenience and ski slopes, the resort has been transformed in the ideal center for the practice of white sport among families and young people during each winter season.

La Parva
La Parva is located in a beautiful area, 38 kilometers (23.6 miles) from Santiago. La Parva has an impressive view to the valley of Santiago and it is the winter center with major population, due to the great variety of refuges and private apartments, which are rented during the ski season. Snowboard and heliskiing practices are implemented for those who enjoy these activities.

La Parva

Corralco
Corralco is the newest ski center in Chile, and offers new alternatives when it comes to ski and snowboarding for Chileans and tourists from all over the globe. The center has two hundred hectares, with tracks for beginners and experts, with the best snow in the area and in the middle of a simply wonderful landscape.

Termas de Chillán
This ski resort is Chile's most complete Ski and Spa Center, featuring an assortment of 28 meticulously groomed runs. The area kindly nourishes unmatched snow conditions, and pristine native forests with South America's longest run of 13 kilometers (8 miles). For an incomparable cross-country experience, Termas de Chillán has a professionally groomed Nordic trail system. In the magnificent Southern Andes Mountains of Chile, on the slopes of the majestic Chillán volcano, the resort offers spectacular ski terrain and breathtaking views, ideal for skiers, snowboarders, dog sledding and Randonee enthusiasts.

Termas de Chillán

Ski Pucón
Ski Pucón Chile, located 20 minutes from the town of Pucón, has an excellent infrastructure for the practice of this sport, with specific facilities for the organization of the most important international competitions. Pucón is one of the destinations with the major variety of tourist attractions in Chile.

Antillanca
Antillanca ski center is located 80 kilometers (49, 7 miles) from Osorno, between Rupanco and Puyehue lakes. Antillanca counts with excellent tracks and ski during the winter season (June to October). This winter center is characterized to have the best conditions ski outside tracks and emphasizes by its slopes and cornices.

Antillanca Ski Resort

It is important to let you know that advanced reservations are mandatory in these resorts. Chile’s arrival airport is always Santiago. You can search on flights with American Airlines, LAN, and Delta Airlines. For domestic flights to cities like Osorno, Pucón, Chillan, and many other cities in the south of the country that connect you with the ski centers, LAN and Sky Airlines offer the best deals in tickets.

RESTAURANT DESTINATION: When It's Dinnertime, Tbilisi Shines in the Gourmet

RESTAURANT DESTINATION: When It's Dinnertime, Tbilisi Shines in the Gourmet
By Jorge Jefferds April 6, 2016

A couple of days ago, upon your arrival to Tbilisi, in Georgia, you immediately organized your time to visit the city without missing any important landmark. You have been eating in fast food restaurants, mainly because you don't want to waste precious minutes that you could use sightseeing in this wonderful trip. 

Before your departure, you want to treat yourself with such a special moment reviewing pictures, and thinking that maybe you could come back. Your question is where in Tbilisi you will find that moment. 

Thanks to Trip Advisor, I will introduce you to the ten best restaurants.

Tbilisi at Night

1) g.Vino (phone no. +995 322 93 21 21): It is a wine bar that offers international and Georgian food, with prices that ranges between $5 and $25 dollars. It is described as a place to meet and socialize, providing a glass or more of rare, natural wine and Georgian tapas in a casual setup. The restaurant is open from 1pm until 1am, and you will find it at this address: Erekle II str. no. 6.

2) Organique Josper Bar (phone no. +995 593 735 083): The restaurant offers steakhouse and European styled food, with prices between $20, and $30 dollars. It is the perfect place for those in search of Georgian specialties prepared from the best local and organic ingredients. Differentiating itself through its cooking philosophy, Organique Josper Bar is also the only venue of its kind in the Caucasus that uses an Enomatic Wine Dispenser to present its collection of rare organic Georgian wines, allowing enthusiasts to taste by glass a large variety of wines while keeping intact the drinks’ quality and flavour. The food menu features grilled and roasted dishes prepared with a meticulous attention to detail: choose from the delectable prawn Caesar salad, succulent lamb burger and fresh beef tartar. 

Organique Josper Bar Terrace

3) Gabriadze Theatre Café (phone no. + 995 322 986 589): Located in the historical part of Tbilisi, in the building of Gabriadze Theatre, this café is not to be missed by visitors interested in discovering the cultural side of the capital while enjoying local dishes. Similar to the theatre, the café bears an evident touch of Rezo Gabriadze, one of Georgia’s most important contemporary artists. A screenwriter, stage director, painter and puppeteer, Rezo Gabriadze designed every single element of this artistic spot, including the wine bottle labels, and painted the chairs and tables with scenes from his most accomplished films..

4) Phaeton (phone no. +995 322 452 013): It is one of the most popular restaurants in Tbilisi and a great choice for expats or tourists who would like to get a taste of the Georgian cuisine in an original setting. Situated outside the city centre, Phaeton invites curious travellers to step off the beaten track into a special space where they can eat at low tables typical of the Georgian countryside or observe the traditional techniques of vodka and bread-making. The menu goes hand in hand with this unique atmosphere, offering specialities like trout fillet with pomegranate sauce and traditional pork and veal dishes.

Picturesque Entrance to the Phaeton Restaurant

5) Funicular (phone no. +995 322 980 000): Offering the best view in town, Funicular is a restaurant not to be missed for visitors with a preference for sophisticated dishes. Located on the Mtatsminda Plateau, the history of this venue’s location goes back to the early 20th century when the funicular was constructed. A familiar sight for locals, this Tbilisi landmark appeared in many Georgian movies during the country’s time in the former USSR. The menu compliments the panoramic scenery offering ‘classic Georgian dishes with a twist’ prepared from the finest ingredients and specialities such as seafood soup or veal shin with tomato, carrots and white wine.

6) MacLaren’s Irish Pub (phone no. +995 555 654 646): Bringing a touch of far-away Ireland to the heart of historic Tbilisi, MacLaren’s Irish Pub is a top choice for a fun night out in the Georgian capital. Serving large portions of tempting steaks and strong beers such as Murphy’s Irish Stout, Newcastle Brown Ale or the Czech Gambrinus, this Irish pub is one of the most popular late-night spots in Tbilisi, frequented by locals and expats alike. Like any respectable Irish venue, MacLaren’s has live music five nights a week and its vibrant atmosphere makes it a great place to explore while visiting Tbilisi.

Romantic Interiors in the Funicular Restaurant

7) Piano Italian (phone no. +995 322 983 008): It is a good option for those in the mood for crispy pizzas, soft tiramisu, tasty homemade pastas and live piano music while visiting Tbilisi. A winner of Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence in 2013 and Georgia’s Best Public Interior Design in 2010, this restaurant is renowned for serving some of the best pizzas in town alongside delicious organic Georgian wines provided by local producers. Specialties include fresh tomato soup with Parmesan and home-made flatbread, mushroom soup, pasta with shrimp and zucchini or spinach-stuffed ravioli quattro formaggi. All ingredients are fresh, bought from local farms or ‘from Italy to keep the taste as Italian as possible’.

8) Pur Pur (phone no. +995 322 477 776): Defined by its eclectic style and authentic atmosphere, Pur Pur is a small restaurant in the old city center of Tbilisi, close to the Freedom Square. A favorite for many expats and locals drawn to its bohemian-style ambiance, Pur Pur is a great choice for enjoying live jazz concerts and for anyone who would like to experience another side of life in Tbilisi. The restaurant menu is as eclectic as its design, with dishes ranging from the beautiful local trout with pomegranate to roast pork loin with mustard sauce or tempting nougat ice cream.

Pur Pur Restaurant's Warmth

9)  Café Linville (phone no. +995 593 322 221): With its chic and intimate ambiance, Café Linville caters to the needs of a more artistic group of locals and tourists, offering a memorable and alternative experience in Tbilisi. Its vintage furniture and chandeliers, flowery wallpapers and tablecloths recreate a dreamy and nostalgic atmosphere in all three small rooms of this romantic café. Adding the surrounding jazz music and its mixed Georgian-European menu, including their delicious and renowned crepes, Café Linville is definitely the place where you can discover one of the many layers of Tbilisi’s vibrant local life.

10) Book Corner Café (phone no. +995 322 232 430): A small art café with a charming garden, Book Corner is a low-key location for families and groups of friends looking for a moment to relax, quality service and delicious dishes, all in one single place. The warm atmosphere is complemented by a variety of European and Georgian recipes ready to satisfy any palate. The menu includes salmon and mushroom soups, diverse salads from liver salad to Viennese, piadina flatbread with goat cheese and mint or Greek tiropitas, which are small, layered pastries. Make sure you try the cheese dumplings known as varenyky, a popular dish in Georgia and other countries of Eastern Europe.