One of the key benefits of travel is your stomach goes along with you. Through the tummy, one can have wondrous travel experiences, discover unknown plates and go on delicious adventures. All you need is an appetite for something interesting and preferably a stomach lined with steel.

And on this travel, nothing is more sweetly contemplative and soul soothing than a table for one. A table for one is a gentle battlecry of the mindful eater, the solo traveller and the comfortable loner. Here are meals enjoyed to the din of a noisy restaurant, a busy motorway or the chirp of chatty cuckoos. Now, there could be many reasons for this particular table for one. Perhaps the end of an ill-fated romance, perhaps a pit-stop on a journey for self or maybe because no one should have to see you eat that messy sandwich!

Here are 3 plates to enjoy solely with yourself. Take a bite and get swallowed up by flavour, thoughts and memories!

Istanbul, Turkey


Get off the plane in Istanbul and you can practically smell centuries of culture, conquest and construction! Istanbul has seen the most incredible histories and hidden in its rolling hills, gleaming strait and wonderful weather are more stories and mezze platters than you can imagine! Amidst the hustle and bosporus bustle, is the perfect table for one to eat that other Turkish delight, Baklava.

So soft, so buttery, so flaky! It’s the answer to your cheat day dreams. Head over to the best baklaverie in town, that sounds like you’re trying to breathe underwater, Gulluoglu is a pastry shop out of your sweet dreams. After the loud and wonderfully chaotic streets of Istanbul, warm embracing smells of sweet and sugar will meet you at the door. Make your way around the brightly lit shop once to learn ordering procedure and make the impossible choice between tens of baklava options.

Order a box of five to start with, but you’ll want more soon enough. Prepare yourself for a sensory explosion!The first taste is butter. Soft buttery filo pastry sheets dissolve in your mouth as a sweetness envelops everything you know! Soon, a crunchy hit of pistachio and a smack of rich honey! Finally as if you could take any more, more buttery pastry available to wash it down. Baklava is best enjoyed alone to swim in the sensory overload of butter, sweet and extinct diet goals. No-one is judging here as you reach for that fourth piece and no-one to share with as you demolish your second box of the day. Oh yes, you totally went back for seconds!

Florence, Italy


Florence is the best way to experience Italy. Away from the maddening crowds of Rome and bigger than the tiny streets of Siena, here you will find exquisite art, quaint eateries and stunning views. If travel is about being reborn, where better than renaissance city? And there’s no better way to celebrate your travel singledom than with a bowl of food no-one should ever see you eat. In Florence, find your way to a Osteria dei Centopoveri and dive into a seafood pasta fit for Poseidon.

Spaghetti is food that should be banned on dates, dignified dinners or dine outs. Who could look respectable slurping and swallowing buttery carbs? Walk in confidently by yourself into the restaurant and ask for a table for one, where you’ll pull up a chair and order a glass of white wine to pair with your crustaceans. Seafood prepared to perfection, with prawns sweet, mussels moist and calamari fit for royalty. Pasta, cooked perfectly al-dente and finished off with a garlic butter sauce to make a food marriage made in heaven. Breathe in the ocean and sweet garlicy goodness as you slowly make your way through the bowl. Be comfortable in your sloppy skin and be that insatiable pasta monster. You’ll be amazed at the time that slips by as you solely concentrate on your food. You’ll be amazed at how good the food tastes too.

Perhaps when you’re done, you could take a little walk to fight off food coma and enjoy Florence by afternoon. There’s street music on cobbled roads, a gentle buzz of commerce in the daylight, tour guides shepherding tourists and even some gelateries if you can manage the space!

New York City, USA


New York city is the sun and all other places merely objects to rotate around its fiery presence! Everything and everyone must gravitate towards it. With its iconic buildings, energising vibe and distinct personality, NYC is wholly unique. Whether big or small, NYC has something for every kind of travelling soul and stomach.

As the sun is about to set into its nightly cavern, purchase a cupcake or two from the local organic vegan cafe on West 84th street and head on over to Central park. There’s a light evening breeze in the air. When you find a spot, make yourself at home on this bench. Dusk is the perfect time for quiet moments as you carefully unwrap your sugary treat from its packaging home. A base of rich chocolate topped with a flourish of buttery red velvet frosting. Smile a slight smile to yourself as you take in the sweet little beauty and proceed with your first bite. Maybe you like to save the frosting till the end, maybe its the first to go or perhaps you like to experience both cake and crown as you make your way through your evening snack. There are no right answers here.

Thoughts come and go as a simple summer day slowly starts to turn to an evening of many possibilities. Maybe you’re reminded of some leftover work, oh that email needed to be sent. A small bite. Perhaps it’s a remembrance of an old friend, I hope they’re well, gosh it’s been so long since we spoke. A larger nibble. Maybe it’s just an appreciation of the moment, the green and sounds of this incredible city. This beautiful vast patch of green in the middle of all these buildings. Against the sounds of police sirens and passing subway trains, this evening is just what you needed. A little rumination, a little flour and egg, some sweet buttery frosting, all baked together for an evening with yourself.

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