By Christina Newberry

On Isla Mujeres, a small island off the coast of Cancun, there are a surprising number of top-notch restaurants. Foodies can dig into homemade pasta, impossibly fresh ceviche, inventive fusion fare, and, of course, mouth-watering Mexican standards cooked with love by grandmothers and church ladies, at taco stands and in the town square.

But the best dinner in town is not in a restaurant as such. Instead, it’s hidden away in a quiet courtyard, where Lolo Lorena, a Belgian national who’s lived on the island so long she’s considered a local, hosts guests for sumptuous five-course feasts at a shared table in the supper-club style that’s sweeping major cities.

On this tiny island, you don’t have to know a secret handshake or have an “in” to get a seat at this most coveted table – though you do have to book in advance (by November, Valentine’s Day is sold out). You just have to give Lolo a call.

What makes Lolo’s table special is the feeling that one is not a customer, but a guest. Chatting through a three-hour meal with up to 15 strangers in Lolo’s courtyard decked with fairy lights, exotic plants, and treasured items from her travels around the world is a way to make quick island friends.

The night I find myself at Lolo’s, there are 13 of us at the table: six Canadians, five Americans, and two Brits. What we all have in common is a love of Isla Mujeres, and a sense of excitement about the food we are about to consume. With two options for each course, no one is disappointed. Lolo has even created a special menu for me, a vegetarian. After weeks of Mexican rice and black beans, I am treated to rich flavors in a custom green bean, tomato, potato appetizer, three exquisite gnocchi (served with a tiny fork), tart and spicy Thai salad, and vegetable terrine, while others feast on lobster tail and crab legs, or decadent moussaka. For dessert, an embarrassment of riches: sorbet, candied nuts, an apple tart, meringue with cream and, for each of us, a delicate lollipop, made of a hard-candy-coated fresh grape.

As each course emerges from Lolo’s tiny kitchen, the conversation stops for a moment as the group oohs and ahhs in unison. Then, as each person takes a first tiny bite, the looks of shared pleasure cross the table, everyone smiles, and we dig in.

If you go: Lolo Lorena’s courtyard supper table is located on Rueda Medina on Isla Mujeres. It can be a bit tricky to find from the downtown tourist area, but you’ll need to contact Lolo to book your reservation, and she can give you detailed directions. You can reach Lolo by e-mail at lololorena@hotmail.com, and find her online at lololorena.com. Five-course meals are $30USD-$40USD per person (yes, really, for five courses!). To-die-for mojitos are $5, and you can bring your own wine.

By Helena Iveson

Ah, Venice. The city which has enough romance and magic to entrance even the most hard bitten of tourists, travel fiends who've been around the block more times than you've had hot dinners. But while mind-blowing beauty is on every calle corner, tourists whom are entranced by anything served up at the city's notoriously bad and pricey restaurants are rarer than a cheerful gondolier.

Then Il Ridotto opened on the lively Campo SS. Filippo, and Venice-bound gourmets now have a dining destination that is as much an attraction as the churches and grand squares. If you're organised enough to book way ahead at this intimate and stylish restaurant run by Gianni Bonaccorsi (there are just 6 tables), you'll enjoy Venetian art on your plate.

The chef personally welcomes you to his pared-back refuge from the crowds and visits each table to explain the menu which changes daily, depending on what he found at the city's Rialto Market. After an amuse-bouche of a perfectly plump prawn on a bed of truffled mashed potato, the first course arrived without any fuss, and when we tasted the fabulously rich homemade tagliolini with a surprisingly light Fassone beef ragu, the fireworks began. The secondo (which incidentally is the same size as the first so pace yourself) was squid stuffed with scampi and prawns in a clam sauce and was as colourful as a Venetian carnival mask.

For dessert, the deliciousness of the chocolate tart with its oozing soft centre kept us digging in, even though we were as stuffed as the squid, and after that it was a pleasure to sit back at our table by the window and sit, Murano glass in hand, and have an unobstructed view of the kitchen at work. It was just Bonaccorsi and a younger apprentice, and there was no Gordon Ramsey-style theatrics, but instead a calmness and creativity at play that set the tone for the rest of the restaurant. Our bill for two was €100 with half a bottle of wine: for Venice and for this quality, that was a bargain.

Il Ridotto
4509 Castello, Campo SS Fillippo, Venice, Italy 30122; Tel: +39 041 520 8280; Web: www.ilridotto.com.

Photo Credits: Venetian Gondolas via iStockPhoto.com, Il Ridotto via www.ilridotto.com.

By Helena Iveson

Canberra might be Australia's capital city but it doesn't exactly top a list of the country's must-do destinations. While both Aussies and tourists can be unfairly beastly about the place, locals say stuff 'em – and that means there's more chance of a table at Silo, Canberra's best bakery and café bar none.

Everyday there's a queue of hungry Canberrians outside the whitewashed walled café in the cosmopolitan suburb of Kingston, including a smattering of famous media types and often a buffed up member of the Brumbies Rugby union team who play nearby, waiting to take away some of Silo's delectable artisan style bread and pastries - try the blackcurrant and Cabernet tart if it hasn't sold out.

Silo's walk-in cheese room at the back of the café is the place for any fan of the hard stuff (or washed-rind varieties, or soft cheeses) to feast their eyes upon.

If it's still morning, queue for one of their tables and settle down for a fabulous brunch. The menu (served before 11.30am only – show up at 11.31am and you'll be dismissed with a curt shrug) is full of delicious treats, but I find it impossible to go past the belt-busting Basque piperade with grilled chorizo - though the chilli jam on fried eggs and tomatoes has me cursing that I don't have two stomachs. One of these choices plus a flat white coffee is a legendary way to start the day, though be warned: Silo's staff are renowned for their breathtaking rudeness. But grit your teeth and ignore them as the food is so good, even this Miss Manners will come back for more.

Open Tuesday to Saturday 7am – 4pm.

36 Giles Street, Kingston, Canberra, ACT 2604, Australia; Tel: +61 (0)2 6260 6060; Web: www.silobakery.com.au.

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