Various, Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand

If you happen to be in Ao Nang for a few days and you're sick of the curry/pasta/pizza/thai restaurants that seem to be everywhere, then give one of these a try:

Cafe8, Ao Nang

Pitched as a New York-style café, this place serves up a mean burger, some super fresh and testy fajitas and some tempting slabs of cheesecake. The terrace is a great place to people watch of an evening and there's usually a guy playing the guitar (reasonably well) in the bar next door, if you like a bit of acoustic entertainment with an icey cold beer. Alternatively, try one of their smoothies or freshly juiced juices for breakfast – the perfect detox from the night before.

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
aonangcafe8.com — https://www.facebook.com/Cafe898-813176842112830

Poda at Phra Nang Inn, Ao Nang

I love seafood, as you've probably noticed by now. And it doesn't get any better than sitting on the beachfront and someone tipping a bucket of the stuff, marinated in spicy Thai curry sauce, on the table in front of you! Order one of Poda's seafood platters and that's just what you get, a tub, a big tub, full of fresh crab, huge prawns, clams, mussels and calamari to get messy with, at a table on the beach. Grilled pineapple, potatoes and a selection of even spicier dips add an extra element of fun. Not to be missed!

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
https://www.facebook.com/PODA-Beachfront-Dining-555752707906162/

Diver's Inn, Ao Nang

Great steak, an impressive selection of German beers (lovingly imported by owner, Juergen) and a warm welcome await you at the Diver's Inn. We loved the all-you-can-eat salad bar, complete with a healthy dose of sauerkraut and the super-friendly staff. Oh, and don't miss the homemade apple cake, it really tasted like something your granny would bake. 
 
Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
krabi-divers-inn.com

Mazzaro, Soi charoenkrung, Bangkok

Tucked away from the main thoroughfare of Charoenkrung Road in the Bang Rak area of Bangkok, Mazzaro can be found serving up its offering of Thai/Italian delights just a stone's throw from the riverfront Shangri-La. 

Offering a welcome alternative from cheap, insalubrious local restaurants and the expensive hotels in the area, this café-style eatery is the brainchild of mother and son (Chef Pin) – the Phothisoontorn's – who originally transformed the family-run boutique into a restaurant in 2008.
The result is a wonderfully relaxed dining area – still flanked by the aforementioned boutique – and a menu peppered with ancient family recipes, treats from Chef Pin's time at Le Cordon Bleu and perfect pasta.

I enjoyed a delicious bowl of spicy, prawn linguine on our first visit, while my partner tucked into a traditional Thai beef salad. We loved it so much we came back for more at the end of our trip, this time sampling a traditional tom yum goong (spicy, prawn soup) and baked seabass cooked in a caper butter, with the most delicious garlic bread both of us had tasted in a while – I think it was seasoned with tarragon?!

Thai mohito

Oh, and did I mention that the bar is stocked with plenty of interesting spirits, local and international, mixed into cocktail perfection by Mazzaro's resident mixologists? No, well, there you go – even more reason to pay them a visit.

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
https://www.facebook.com/Mazzarobkk/ — mazzarobkk.com

Harbour Green House, Fore Street, Polperro, Cornwall

Forget the usual cream tea. Think cheese. I like cheese. No, that's a huge understatement, I love cheese. We've had a special relationship for some time now. This is why I also love the Harbour Green House in Polperro. Let me explain.

For less than a tenner, you can enjoy a cheese board like no other. No paltry shavings of the good stuff here, I'd describe them more as slabs. Slabs of glorious, local Cornish cheddar, brie and smoked cheese, served with an entire plate of crackers, extra butter, salad and grapes!
Washed down with a pint of crisp, chilled, Cornish cider this was one of the best fromage feasts I've had in a while. I have to own up and say that it was actually quite hard to finish. Their clam chowder – also pictured – wasn't bad either.
Plus, if it's sunny, they have a great little dog-friendly terrace where you can watch the world go by. Polperro is always a buzzy, busy place in high season so the Habour Green House offers an escape from the crowds and a great viewpoint for people watching. 

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
https://www.facebook.com/Harbour-Green-House-135666156534061/?fref=ts

Bonnie Gull, Fitzrovia, London W1

Another pop up restaurant that popped up and has stayed for a very good reason, the Bonnie Gull is simply delightful. Tucked away on a corner of Foley St in Fitzrovia, it wouldn't look out of place on the streets of Fowey or Padstow (quaint Cornish villages for those who haven't had the pleasure of a visit).

With a tiny dining room, booking is a must (but I visited for a birthday treat so we'd planned ahead). Because it's so tiny, it's both busy and buzzy and warm and inviting – you genuinely feel like you've popped around a friend's place for dinner. Hmm, maybe a friend who loves seaside memorabilia, as you're surrounded by ropes, wood cladding, driftwood and fish, wonderful fish!

The menu is understandably seasonal so may differ from our visit, but to give you a taster we sampled a frito misto of monkfish cheeks, Hayle squid and queen scallops with malt vinegar mayonnaise, an Inverawe smoked mackerel & horseradish pâté and a citrus cured Cornish sea trout tartar, with mustard dressing, apple, fennel and keta caviar. The tartar was by far the most impressive; so fresh and such subtle flavours.
To follow I tucked in to day boat Looe monkfish with girolles, courgettes and smoked anchovy butter. I can honestly say at this point that I can't remember what my fellow diners had because I was simply lost in my plate of food. Just how it should be.

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
bonniegull.com/seafood-shack/fitzrovia/ — @BonnieGull

Killer Tomato, Shepherd's Bush, London W12

I love discovering new restaurants in London and what a find this place was!
OK, the restaurant itself is nothing special to look at, the tables are simple and the chairs a little uncomfortable, but forget about that nonsense! The food is fan-flipping-tastic and cooked in front of you, to order.
We started with some divine little balls of deep-fried slow-cooked spiced brisket and freshly baked tortilla chips with whipped guacamole. Talk about melt in your mouth, and not a drop of grease in sight, just juicy, meaty goodness and fresh avocado and chilli.

Next on the table was a pork belly and crackling burrito (yes, crackling) and a trio of soft flour tacos filled with sticky fried chicken, beer battered cod and red chorizo, corn salsa and feta. There were three of us eating so this feast was short lived, but boy was it tasty.
I loved the experience even more because you had to eat with your hands (as intended), none of this cutlery hoo-ha.
And … all of this was chased down with a cold beer, laced with lime and tequila, with salt on the rim of the chilled glass. What more could you ask for, eh?
Oh, and FYI, they don't take cash, just card payments.

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
killertomato.co.uk— @eatkillertomato

The Black Dog, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

In need of a caffeine hit while shopping in Tunny Wells the other week, I happened upon this little gem. Apparently it's been open since 2010 so I'm a bit slow on the uptake, but here I am at The Black Dog, 'an Aussie-style cafe'.

Plus coffee art, no less

I'm recommending it already, after one visit, on the basis that I was served great coffee. Simple. There are so many cafes that try to serve a good cup of coffee, and fail, that I felt this one needed shouting about. My flat white was strong but not bitter, hot but not so it removed the roof of my mouth and had just the right amount of milky froth on top. Oh, and add to this the tastiest little blueberry madeleine I've ever had the pleasure of popping in my mouth and you'll understand my delight.
They are also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner so I have plenty of excuses to return, if only to try the blueberry and mascarpone hotcakes, with warm ricotta and manuka honey – OMG!

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
blackdogcafetw.co.uk — @Blackdogcafe

Pizzaface, Worthing, West Sussex

Newly opened on Montague St, just a few doors down from the Mahaan (that's another review) is Pizzaface's Worthing branch. If you've not heard of them, don't worry, I hadn't either.
Originally started in Kemptown Village, Brighton, in 2009 these guys know their pizza. Great, fresh ingredients, a proper stone-based pizza oven and some interesting side orders to boot.
I love their feta/pine nut and spinach stuffed mushroom and cheesy garlic pizza bread as a cheeky mid-week takeaway. You can eat in too for lunch or dinner. The dining room is small, but comfortable, with wooden tables, benches and soft cushions to stop your bum going numb.
I'd recommend the wholegrain spelt base option (to beat the bloat), smothered with field, shitake, oyster and chestnut mushrooms, garlic, truffle oil, Parmesan and extra proscuitto – nom, nom, nom. Other favourite options include the wonderfully named Holy Cheeses, with Brighton Blue, Parmesan, mascarpone and caramelised onions or the healthier Daisy, dotted with spinach, peppers, goat's cheese, pine nuts and more sticky onions. For an all-out meat fest try the aptly named Meathead, with chorizo, pork & wild boar salami, pepperoni, pancetta, lamb proscuitto, onions and mushrooms.
Oh, and leave some space for dessert. Did I mention there's a Boho Gelato on site? The sour cherry is a must!  

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
pizzafacepizza.co.uk — @pizzafaceWO

Crab Shack, Worthing, West Sussex

I almost don't want to tell you about this place – I love it. Right on the seafront, a stone's throw from the town centre, the Crab Shack has been serving up locally caught seafood since summer 2015 (around the time I moved to Worthing).
Quick bites to die for include cockle popcorn and crispy squid while you wait with a glass of chilled Muscadet. Both lightly battered with a hint of spiced paprika, they're so moreish. These are always a feature along with fishcakes, dressed crab and the heart-warming Sussex smokie – a bowl of smoked haddock, creamy deliciousness, served with a warm ciabatta. I'm drooling just writing this.

Mmm, crispy squid

The rest of the menu is seasonal so every visit offers up new delights to sample. So far I've worked my way through moules mariniere, Sicilian fish stew, fillet of plaice with capers and garlic butter and a delicious clam dish I can't remember the name of – but not all at once.
Outside on the terrace with heaters and blankets a-go-go or inside in its wood-clad dining area, the Crab Shack feels welcoming and cosy on a chilly day. In the summer, you can't beat a cold beer on the deck with an ice-cream chaser – did I mention the on-site ice-cream hut?

Price point: cheap as chips – still OK – getting pricier – pricey – super fancy, but worth it!
crabshackworthing.co.uk — @CrabShack10