When it comes to eating overseas, forget what's new. Go for what's old
This article is part of Traveller's Holiday Guide to bucket-list places to eat. See all stories.
After a lifetime of chasing the newest hotels, hottest restaurants and latest food trends all over the world, I've changed my mind. Maybe it's just my age and stage in life, but I'm starting to place a new value on all things old.
On a recent eating holiday in Brussels, I relinquished my obsessive need for the shiny and new, and instead spent time researching and discovering the old, the classic, the historic and the tried-and-true.
It's quite the switcheroo, to ask 'what's old?' but Brussels is the perfect city in which to celebrate old-school cool.
Suddenly, I was sitting at a dark, heavy, wooden table in a Belle Epoque dining room at La Roue d'Or, which opened in 1882; its muralled walls painted in homage to Magritte. The menu lists real Flemish and Belgian food, not just mussels and frites for the tourists; things like carbonnade (beef and onion stew, cooked in beer), and stoemp (carrot and potato or swede mash). The waiters are old, and have seen it all, but still bustle about carrying heavy trays that must kill their knees. Many of the tables carry a small brass plaque of the names of regular diners, just in case someone else imagines they can sit there.
Lunch was at the legendary beer hall, La Mort Subite, now a classified historic monument. It's cheap, wonderful, and opens a window to a culture that has been brewing beer for a thousand years, and knows instinctively what goes well with it. That turns out to be big trays of cold meats and cheeses, and tartines of jellied tête pressée (basically braised and pressed calf's head, smashed onto a baguette).
The oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records (which may or may not be correct) is Sobrino de Botin, or Casa Botin, in Madrid, which dates to 1725. It's a very old-fashioned, beautiful, lace-curtained, tiled restaurant that, these days, is full of tourists. But never mind because it is also full of cool, summery gazpacho, served at the table, and the kitchen is aglow from the huge medieval oven; every shelf around it lined with young pigs in terracotta dishes. Terrifying, but compelling.
London is filled with exciting new restaurants, but, oh, give me the old ones. Like the 138-year-old Sweetings in the City, for terribly English potted shrimps and skate wing and bacon, with puddings of spotted dick or steamed jam roll. It's lunch-only, with no reservations, but happiness is getting a seat at the mahogany counter, nursing a half-pint of Black Velvet, made with Guinness and French champagne.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
3 days ago
- The Age
As a solo traveller, four simple rules keep me safe and thriving
This article is part of Traveller's Holiday Guide to solo travel. See all stories. As more people than ever are unwilling to postpone their travel plans to wait for a partner or travel buddy to join them, interest in solo travel has exploded. Yet despite this, tackling a first solo trip can seem intimidating. Founder of the Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell, knew a thing or two about self-reliance. Beyond 'be prepared', add these tips to your solo travel toolkit. Find one's way by night and by day On a recent trip to Morocco, I had a few days on my own before joining a tour. On my first morning, the hotel manager brought me some mint tea and pulled out a copy of a hand-drawn map. 'This is a map I have created for guests,' he said, 'because I want everyone to know how to safely explore the Medina, and most importantly, how to find their way back to us.' Mohamed set me a task: on my first excursion into Marrakesh's thousand-year-old maze, he wanted me to ignore temptation and focus exclusively on finding specific landmarks. He showed me all the places on the map I needed to recognise so I wouldn't get lost. It was a fun game, and it worked. This exercise set me up to explore the rest of the city with confidence. No matter where I was, and even if I was temporarily lost, I knew that I'd be able to find my way home. It's a strategy that's useful for any new destination. Add in local taxi or rideshare and public transport apps on your phone (enable global roaming or buy a local e-sim), pre-book transport for late arrivals into new destinations, and you'll feel confident getting around alone. Notice things rapidly and at a distance This is where solo travellers often have an advantage over people travelling in pairs or groups. If you're travelling alone, you're always aware of your belongings, who's nearby, and what's happening around you. Implementing the orienteering tip above will make sure you're not always looking at your phone for guidance, too. Keep your luggage light. Every time I take a large suitcase with me on a trip, I regret it. A small bag means you can move around easily, and there's no reason for opportunists to offer unwelcome 'help'. If your gut tells you you're not in a great area, backtrack until you feel comfortable or duck into a cafe or shop to recalibrate. My Marrakesh experience reminded me that hotel managers and rental hosts are a goldmine of local information and destination safety advice. Make the most of their knowledge. Use resources wisely In Naples, a local told me he never carries a wallet. Dario just keeps enough euros in his pocket to pay for basic needs. It's a good tip for tourists, too. If you need more than lunch money, stash a card in a money belt. I use a WISE currency card instead of a credit card. Not only is it cheaper than a normal credit card, but you can easily control how much money is on the card at any time, and it's not linked to any bank accounts. Although I always travel with multiple cards, I leave them in my room or hotel safe for emergencies only and keep digital versions on my phone. If cards are lost or stolen, cancel them as soon as possible and request a new, digital card for your phone. They are usually issued immediately.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
As a solo traveller, four simple rules keep me safe and thriving
This article is part of Traveller's Holiday Guide to solo travel. See all stories. As more people than ever are unwilling to postpone their travel plans to wait for a partner or travel buddy to join them, interest in solo travel has exploded. Yet despite this, tackling a first solo trip can seem intimidating. Founder of the Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell, knew a thing or two about self-reliance. Beyond 'be prepared', add these tips to your solo travel toolkit. Find one's way by night and by day On a recent trip to Morocco, I had a few days on my own before joining a tour. On my first morning, the hotel manager brought me some mint tea and pulled out a copy of a hand-drawn map. 'This is a map I have created for guests,' he said, 'because I want everyone to know how to safely explore the Medina, and most importantly, how to find their way back to us.' Mohamed set me a task: on my first excursion into Marrakesh's thousand-year-old maze, he wanted me to ignore temptation and focus exclusively on finding specific landmarks. He showed me all the places on the map I needed to recognise so I wouldn't get lost. It was a fun game, and it worked. This exercise set me up to explore the rest of the city with confidence. No matter where I was, and even if I was temporarily lost, I knew that I'd be able to find my way home. It's a strategy that's useful for any new destination. Add in local taxi or rideshare and public transport apps on your phone (enable global roaming or buy a local e-sim), pre-book transport for late arrivals into new destinations, and you'll feel confident getting around alone. Notice things rapidly and at a distance This is where solo travellers often have an advantage over people travelling in pairs or groups. If you're travelling alone, you're always aware of your belongings, who's nearby, and what's happening around you. Implementing the orienteering tip above will make sure you're not always looking at your phone for guidance, too. Keep your luggage light. Every time I take a large suitcase with me on a trip, I regret it. A small bag means you can move around easily, and there's no reason for opportunists to offer unwelcome 'help'. If your gut tells you you're not in a great area, backtrack until you feel comfortable or duck into a cafe or shop to recalibrate. My Marrakesh experience reminded me that hotel managers and rental hosts are a goldmine of local information and destination safety advice. Make the most of their knowledge. Use resources wisely In Naples, a local told me he never carries a wallet. Dario just keeps enough euros in his pocket to pay for basic needs. It's a good tip for tourists, too. If you need more than lunch money, stash a card in a money belt. I use a WISE currency card instead of a credit card. Not only is it cheaper than a normal credit card, but you can easily control how much money is on the card at any time, and it's not linked to any bank accounts. Although I always travel with multiple cards, I leave them in my room or hotel safe for emergencies only and keep digital versions on my phone. If cards are lost or stolen, cancel them as soon as possible and request a new, digital card for your phone. They are usually issued immediately.
The Age
18-06-2025
- The Age
When it comes to eating overseas, forget what's new. Go for what's old
This article is part of Traveller's Holiday Guide to bucket-list places to eat. See all stories. After a lifetime of chasing the newest hotels, hottest restaurants and latest food trends all over the world, I've changed my mind. Maybe it's just my age and stage in life, but I'm starting to place a new value on all things old. On a recent eating holiday in Brussels, I relinquished my obsessive need for the shiny and new, and instead spent time researching and discovering the old, the classic, the historic and the tried-and-true. It's quite the switcheroo, to ask 'what's old?' but Brussels is the perfect city in which to celebrate old-school cool. Suddenly, I was sitting at a dark, heavy, wooden table in a Belle Epoque dining room at La Roue d'Or, which opened in 1882; its muralled walls painted in homage to Magritte. The menu lists real Flemish and Belgian food, not just mussels and frites for the tourists; things like carbonnade (beef and onion stew, cooked in beer), and stoemp (carrot and potato or swede mash). The waiters are old, and have seen it all, but still bustle about carrying heavy trays that must kill their knees. Many of the tables carry a small brass plaque of the names of regular diners, just in case someone else imagines they can sit there. Lunch was at the legendary beer hall, La Mort Subite, now a classified historic monument. It's cheap, wonderful, and opens a window to a culture that has been brewing beer for a thousand years, and knows instinctively what goes well with it. That turns out to be big trays of cold meats and cheeses, and tartines of jellied tête pressée (basically braised and pressed calf's head, smashed onto a baguette). The oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records (which may or may not be correct) is Sobrino de Botin, or Casa Botin, in Madrid, which dates to 1725. It's a very old-fashioned, beautiful, lace-curtained, tiled restaurant that, these days, is full of tourists. But never mind because it is also full of cool, summery gazpacho, served at the table, and the kitchen is aglow from the huge medieval oven; every shelf around it lined with young pigs in terracotta dishes. Terrifying, but compelling. London is filled with exciting new restaurants, but, oh, give me the old ones. Like the 138-year-old Sweetings in the City, for terribly English potted shrimps and skate wing and bacon, with puddings of spotted dick or steamed jam roll. It's lunch-only, with no reservations, but happiness is getting a seat at the mahogany counter, nursing a half-pint of Black Velvet, made with Guinness and French champagne.
