Whether you’re dining out with friends or treating the special woman in your life, these are the best foodie spots to celebrate female creativity on International Women’s Day.
LONDON: Core, 92 Kensington Park Road, London
The debut restaurant from chef Clare Smyth, who was named the Best Female Chef at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards, Core has already scooped numerous accolades since opening in 2017, including two stars in the 2019 Michelin Guide. With three elegant menus to choose from – Core Classics, Core Seasons and A La Carte – it offers fine dining with an emphasis on natural, sustainable food, using the best of British produce.
corebyclaresmyth.com
PARIS: La Dame de Pic *, 20 rue du Louvre, Paris
Pitch-perfect haute cuisine from Anne-Sophie Pic, the three-Michelin star winning chef, whose signature style revels in exquisite but unexpected flavour combinations. Anne-Sophie’s Parisian outpost – she also has restaurants in Valence, Lausanne and London – is suffused with a gentle, feminine ambience, a refuge from the bustle of the city.
anne-sophie-pic.com/content/la-dame-de-pic
DUBLIN: Clanbrassil House, 6 Clanbrassil Street Upper, Dublin
Hailed as one of Ireland’s top female chefs, Gràinne O’Keefe heads up the kitchen at this intimate urban eatery. Gràinne’s simple, seasonal and sustainable dishes are prepared over a charcoal grill using the best Irish produce and they hit the spot every time whether it’s the Saturday brunch, ‘early bird’ menu or a celebratory ‘full feast’ blow out.
clanbrassilhouse.com
MILAN: Alice Ristorante, c/o Eataly, Piazza 25 Aprile, 10 20121 Milano
Chef Viviana Varese and sommelier Sandra Cicirello have led Alice Ristorante to a Michelin star and are stars in their own right, having featured in their own reality television show. Viviana’s light touch Mediterranean cuisine focuses on fresh seafood and seasonal produce, presented with contemporary clarity. Located on the top floor of Eataly’s food hall, the airy dining room has an open-plan kitchen so diners can watch Viviana in her element.
aliceristorante.it/en
BARCELONA: Monvinic, Diputació 249, Barcelona
This internationally acclaimed wine bar does fantastic food too, under the leadership of chef Ariadna Julian. Working closely with local producers, Ariadna creates dishes that are deeply rooted in traditional Catalan cuisine while being completely modern. Head sommelier Isabelle Brunet oversees a generous wine list, which can be enjoyed by the glass with tapas, or with Ariadna’s seasonally changing main menu.
monvinic.com
BRUSSELS: Humus x Hortense, 2 rue de Vergnies Straat, Brussels
Award-winning haute-vegetarian cuisine from chef Nicolas Decloedt – named best vegetable chef of 2019 by Gault et Millau – is combined with mixologist Matthieu Chaumont and artistic director Caroline Baerten at this restaurant. Innovative plant-based dishes and a zero-waste cocktail menu that follows the seasons make this is a destination to savour in good conscience. Thanks to the elegant art nouveau-inspired interior and Caroline’s hand-crafted ceramic tableware, it’s a supremely elegant experience too.
humushortense.be
