Kathryn Burrington

Not just any old hot chocolate but a Wittamer hot chocolate. Their hot chocolate is superb, whether you opt for the thick Spanish style hot chocolate that you can almost stand a spoon in or their house chocolate made with 70% Madagascan chocolate, you won’t be disappointed. Next to this, all other hot chocolates fade into insignificance (even the Belgium hot chocolate, though delicious, could not compete). The recipe for this scrumptiously thick hot chocolate is below but if you prefer a not too thick hot chocolate, organic Green & Blacks is one of the best off the shelve cocoa powders, readily available across the UK.

From rickety carts offering strange and exotic local delicacies to smart international hipster cafes, I’d love to share with you my tips on where to find the best food in Manila. While I loved the Isawan I ate at Legazpi Sunday Market, I have been told by several locals that THE place to try this dish is from the stall of Mang Larry found at University of the Philippines in Diliman. Address: Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila plus various locations around Quezon City Opening hours: 11 am to 11 pm, 7 days a week Trip Advisor: Mesa Filipino Moderne Located on the ground level of Greenbelt, a high-end shopping centre on Makati, Mesa serves authentic Filipino food including one of the best adobo in town.

Fish curry and rice humann is popular with side dishes such as dangar, fish cutlets; bhaji, vegetable fritters in besan batter; fish suke, dry spicy fish; tondak, a dish with beans and cashews; and varan, a lentil preparation with coconut milk. The most popular dishes are croquettes, fried minced beef rolls; ambot tik, a spicy and sour fish curry; and of course, feijoada,, a Portuguese Stew with meat, beans and cabbage. A typical Goan fish curry, typically made from shark, prepared in onion tomato sauce with spices, but its uniqueness lies in the addition of red chillies and kokum, a locally grown sweet and sour fruit. Available at each beach shack, small and big restaurants, they serve rice, chappatis, fish curry, a vegetable curry, and fried fish along with some pickles.

If you love shrimp you need to try Ebi Furai (sometimes also written as Ebi Fry) deep-fried shrimp. You can get especially delicious Ebi Furai at Maruha Shokudo where you will be served a Teishoku (a set meal) consisting of rice, Miso soup, some side dishes like Sashimi, and Ebi Furai as your main dish. Another dish using red Miso is Miso Katsu, a deep-fried pork cutlet drenched in red Miso sauce. If you want to try something a little bit different made from shrimp, I encourage you to try Ebi Senbei, shrimp rice crackers.