London has proven an irresistible source of inspiration to film directors over the decades and provided an epic backdrop for all manner of productions, from feel-good rom-coms to feel-quite-on-edge thrillers. As a result, the city is fizzing with recognisable locations which are yours for the scouting. Once discovered, take the opportunity to reenact relevant scenes and ponder your Oscar speech.

All aboard the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station © chris-mueller / Getty Images

Immediate disclaimer: the UK capital has appeared on the big screen more times than James Bond has taken down anonymous henchmen, so the following recommendations are but the briefest of snapshots from the vast library of films set in London.

Family flicks and wide-eyed kids

Plenty of classic characters from London-based children’s literature have found their way into film. Mary Poppins (1964), the musical fantasy produced by Disney and based on the character created by PL Travers, is a prime example and was an extraordinary success upon release, winning five of the 13 Academy Awards for which it was nominated. Although it was filmed in the US, you can see Travers’ home (the inspiration for the Banks’ house in the stories) at 50 Smith St, Chelsea.

Leadenhall Market – or is it Diagon Alley? © Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB / Shutterstock

More recently, the Harry Potter film franchise used plenty of London locations, with famous scenes being shot on the Millennium Bridge, which in The Half Blood Prince is called Brockdale Bridge and attacked by Death Eaters, and in Leadenhall Market, which in The Philosopher’s Stone is depicted as the magical shopping street Diagon Alley. Dedicated fans will also want to jump on their Firebolts and fly to King’s Cross Station to have their photo snapped by a replica Platform 9¾.

The world’s most beloved bear has made two film outings in recent years, in Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017), to the rapturous acclaim of just about everyone – look out for his statue in the station that gave him his name. And a movie of The BFG (2016), based on Roald Dahl’s 1982 book and featuring memorable scenes at Buckingham Palace, was met with similar approval.

Rom-common denominators: Curtis and Grant

When it comes to wildly successful rom-coms set in London, two names dominate the credits: writer and director Richard Curtis and actor Hugh Grant. Between them they’ve written, directed and appeared in such British classics as Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), which follows a group of London-based friends through a series of increasingly amusing set-pieces (the chapel in Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College and the church of St Bartholomew-the-Great have starring roles); Notting Hill (1999), named after the West London neighbourhood in which it’s set (check out our insider’s guide for locations from the film, like protagonist William Thacker’s bookshop); and Love Actually (2003), with its interlacing love stories set in a Christmassy London, featuring many well-known locations including the South Bank, Selfridges and 10 Downing Street.

Beautiful, ancient St Bartholomew-the-Great church has been used in many movies including
Four Weddings and a Funeral © Doug McKinlay / Lonely Planet

Curtis and Grant were also involved in the first two films of the blockbusting Bridget Jones trilogy starring Renée Zellweger: Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), in which the diarist’s flat is above the Globe Pub in Borough Market.

The thrill of it all

London is a thrilling city so it stands to reason it’s been used for some of cinema’s most thrilling scenes. Zombie classic 28 Days Later (2002) reveals a post-apocalyptic capital, its rubbish-strewn streets hauntingly deserted, with a particularly memorable moment showing main character Jim (played by Cillian Murphy) walking over an empty Westminster Bridge towards the abandoned Houses of Parliament. Guy Ritchie’s Academy Award–nominated Sherlock Holmes (2009) has Robert Downey Jr playing fiction’s most famous detective in late Victorian London, with scenes shot in St Paul’s Cathedral and some fantastic (computer-generated) footage showing a Tower Bridge still under construction. The BBC TV adaptation, Sherlock, set in contemporary London and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is also well worth a watch, using several locations in the city including St Bart’s Hospital in Smithfield for a rather famous death scene.

Trafalgar Square is almost as popular with film-makers as it is with tourists © Geoff Stringer / Lonely Planet

London is frequently visited by globe-trotting action heroes – itchy feet mean they rarely stay in the city for the duration of an entire adventure, but they generally leave their mark. Britain’s most famous spy, James Bond, drops in and out of the capital at whim. He usually visits the MI6 building in Vauxhall (the incredibly conspicuous real life headquarters of Britain’s Secret Service), and in one recent outing (played by Daniel Craig in Skyfall) was seen in the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, and careering down the Thames in a speedboat. Others in this vein include Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), who appears in a brilliantly suspenseful scene involving a journalist being stalked by an assassin in Waterloo train station (spoiler alert: it’s not a good day for freedom of the press), and Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, who in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) can be seen leaping across rooftops on Blackfriars Bridge.

Cops and robbers

London is as gritty as it is glitzy and has often provided an atmospheric setting for shady underworld characters doing their shady underworld thing. The Krays (1990) charts the rise to power of notorious real-life gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who ran organised crime in London’s East End in the 1950s and 1960s. One of the climatic moments in the film, as per real life, is when Ronnie confronts a rival in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel (spoiler alert: it’s not a good day for rivals of Ronnie Kray). Another London gangster classic, The Long Good Friday (1979), starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, shows a variety of rundown locations in the east of the city, including derelict docklands (a far cry from this area today), but at the end adds a touch of glamour in the iconic Savoy Hotel.

Ye Olde Mitre, one of London’s oldest pubs, had to wait hundreds of years for its close up © Stuart Ayton / Alamy Stock Photo

More recent and lighthearted crime capers have come from writer and director Guy Ritchie. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) has an ensemble cast (including the brilliantly belligerent ex-footballer Vinnie Jones) dashing around London’s seedy underbelly. Park Street, directly opposite the western entrance to Borough Market, is instantly recognisable as the location of the gang’s hideout and the setting for some of the film’s most memorable moments. Ritchie’s next production, Snatch (2000), was a similar outing and equally fun. This story involved a gargantuan diamond making its way through various hapless hands, and at one point one of London’s best (and hardest to find) pubs, Ye Olde Mitre, puts in a cameo.

Cinematic experiences in London

One place in London guaranteed to give you movie déjà vu is the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, seemingly every film-maker’s go-to location for period backdrops. As well as the aforementioned Four Weddings, it’s also been used in movies as diverse as (deep breath) Les Misérables (2012), Thor: the Dark World (2013), Cinderella (2015), The King’s Speech (2010), Garfield 2 (2006) and Sense and Sensibility (1995) – you could visit just this single spot and arguably claim to have had a decent exploration of London’s cinematic heritage.

Where do I know you from? Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College is much used as a movie set © Neil Setchfield / Lonely Planet

And while discovering locations from movie sets is lots of fun, there are plenty of other ways to connect with film in the city too.

Leicester Square, the de facto home for UK film premieres, is where red carpets are rolled out on a regular basis. The square itself isn’t that inspiring, despite a huge makeover a few years ago, but if it’s Hollywood A-Listers you’re after, there are few more likely places to spot them. A short walk to the east, a more fulfilling experience can be had at the London Film Museum, which features over a hundred cars and artefacts from the James Bond film franchise among its displays.

Across the river, the British Film Institute (BFI) shows thousands of films every year on its four screens, one of which is the BFI IMAX, the largest in the country. The BFI is also the central location for the London Film Festival, which occurs annually in the second half of October. An alternative that focuses more on homegrown talent is the East End Film Festival, which is taking a break in 2019 but will be back in 2020.

Rethinking the inherent passivity of movie-going, Secret Cinema puts on interactive film experiences across the capital within purpose-built sets, and has proven wildly popular: reclining with popcorn this ain’t. Rooftop Film Club offers a more traditional experience with the twist that screenings are on rooftops around the city, which makes for a great way to spend a summer’s evening under the stars (weather permitting). A similar, more grounded experience amid splendid architectural surroundings can be enjoyed at Somerset House with Film4’s annual Summer Screen.

Lastly, and perhaps most exquisitely of all, the glorious venue that is the Royal Albert Hall intermittently puts on Films in Concert, which involves iconic movies being shown on a giant screen with a live orchestra playing the score. Truly epic.

Aaaaand cut: that’s a wrap.

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Cheesemaking has been part of the rural and cultural landscape in the Yorkshire Dales for centuries, with recipes passed down over the years from medieval monks to dairy farmers. Today, traditional skills that were once thought lost are being revived thanks to passionate small businesses who want to spread the flavour of Yorkshire’s bucolic hills and hay meadows.

A selection of tempting cheeses at the Courtyard Dairy © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

‘Gromit, that’s it! Cheese! We’ll go somewhere where there’s cheese!’

When Britain’s Aardman Animations created an unlikely national treasure with a strong Northern accent and an ardent passion for Wensleydale cheese, it brought new-found fame to one of Yorkshire’s oldest foods. Yet, ironically, as Wallace & Gromit’s international star ascended, the Wensleydale Creamery was fighting for its survival. In April 1992, a year after Wallace & Gromit’s first Academy Award nomination, the last creamery in Wensleydale producing Wensleydale cheese shut down and production was slated to be moved to a newer facility in…Lancashire (Yorkshire’s arch rival). Local protests ensued in the pint-sized Dales village of Hawes, where the creamery had existed in one form or another since 1897, and within six months, it was back up and running thanks to a buyout by a team of ex-managers and local businessmen. It became a true community enterprise and today is one of the Yorkshire Dales’ most popular attractions, with 300,000 visitors in 2018. There’s a museum (complete with Wallace & Gromit displays, of course), a cafe serving Wensleydale-based dishes, cheesemaking demonstrations, and a shop with truckle-loads of tasters.

Adding salt to the cheese at the Wensleydale Creamery © Wensleydale Creamery

‘When I used to come when I was younger, it would be one room where you’d see into the factory and you’d taste the cheese,’ says Saffron, a 23-year-old cheesemaking demonstrator at the creamery. Originally from Essex, she has been coming to the Dales all her life on family holidays and moved here permanently a year ago.

Over that time she has noticed a growing interest in cheesemaking among visitors. ‘It’s amazing how many more people are getting involved with cheesemaking at home. I have so many people come in and ask me about the intricacies. A lot of them are young people,’ she says.

Return to the farm house

Indeed, small-scale cheesemaking is having a resurgence in this area. Artisan shops are proliferating and the Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival will celebrate its third year on 14-15 September 2019. Its base is the Wensleydale Creamery, with satellite events across the national park such as open farms, tasting competitions and a guided whey walk.

Near Settle, on the southwestern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Courtyard Dairy is a cheesemonger and cafe in a cluster of old stone buildings, running cheesemaking courses and housing a small on-site museum about the history of caseiculture (as it’s formally known) in Yorkshire. Its raison d’etre is to support individual farms that still make raw-milk cheese on their own properties.

Learn about caseiculture (that’s cheesemaking to you and me) at the Courtyard Dairy © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

‘100 years ago there was probably about 200 farms making Wensleydale cheese, and the good thing is that every one would have been different,’ says co-owner Andy Swinscoe, who has witnessed – and helped encourage – the return of British farmhouse cheesemaking, which all but died out after the Second World War. ‘On my counter I do 30 raw-milk traditional cheeses, and 27 of them have only been going since 2005.’

What the monks did for Yorkshire

New creations aside, cheesemaking in Yorkshire goes back centuries. The skills were thought to have been spread across Europe by the Romans, but it was the French who carried the original Wensleydale recipe into the Dales. Specifically, it was Cistercian monks who settled near Aysgarth and then founded Jervaulx Abbey in 1156 AD.

‘The monks brought over a number of different things from France, one being the white horses. Another being this recipe, which is what started as Wensleydale cheese,’ says Anna Burdon, whose family runs Jervaulx Abbey today. ‘The Wensleydale cheese you know now is the white crumbly cheese, but originally it wasn’t like that, it was more of a blue cheese,’ she explains.

Jervaulx Abbey is now a beautiful ruin but it was once a hive of cheesemaking activity © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

Today, Jervaulx Abbey is a lovely, rambling ruin with a tea room, surrounded by meadows that the monks’ sheep would have once fed on. Originally, Wensleydale would have been made with ewes’ milk instead of cows’ milk. The sheep would have also provided wool, and both these products would have been sold at local markets to finance the monastery – along with other staples that have become synonymous with Yorkshire, like beer.

Evolution of Wensleydale

When the monasteries were dissolved under Henry VIII, cheesemaking was passed on to Yorkshire farmers’ wives. There, the know-how remained, etched into the daily routines of barnyard milking, for hundreds of years. Right up to the 1930s, after the Industrial Revolution broke many of Britain’s cottage industries, Wensleydale was predominantly a farmhouse cheese. Back then it was a moist, soft creation with blue veinings that could almost be spread like butter.

This September the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes will launch an exhibition titled Dairy Days, exploring just how deep Yorkshire’s farming and cheesemaking roots go. It was World War II that sounded the death knell for farmhouse cheese production in the Dales. Cheese rationing was introduced and lasted until 1954. During this period only certain types of cheese were legally allowed to be made: Cheddar, Cheshire, Dunlop (a Scottish version of Cheddar), Leicester and Wensleydale. Efficiency was paramount, and these cheeses could only be made to a specific government recipe that fundamentally changed the flavour and texture of the cheese.

The lush Wensleydale countryside has changed little over the years, even as cheesemaking has had to adapt © Photos by R A Kearton / Getty Images

‘We lost a lot during the Second World War,’ says Andy. ‘The producers that were still making it at farmhouse level couldn’t make Wensleydale how they’d been making it all their lives. They had to make it to this government method, which was fast and produced an acidic, sharp flavour. Which is why between Wensleydale, Cheshire, crumbly Lancashire, when you taste them, there’s very little difference these days.’

The new cheese vanguard

Within the cool confines of Andy’s limestone-walled barn deli, there is anything but homogeny between the truckles of Fellstone, Yorkshire parmesan, Moorland Monster, Hafod Cheddar and Kirkham’s Lancashire. They are members of a growing tribe of British farmhouse cheeses that are uniquely of the place where they are produced.

For Andy, the beauty of British farmhouse cheeses is found in the nuances that come with terroir and technique. ‘If you look at Wensleydale in the early 1900s, farmers were following a broadly regional recipe but each one tweaked it. Then they had slightly different equipment, slightly different cows, and slightly different pasture,’ he explains. ‘The Yorkshire Dales’ hay meadows are protected. Per square metre, there’s something like 30 different species of grass and herbs and things like that – and that is your flavour.’

The local cheesemaking community is as diverse as the grass and herbs, but one thing the producers have in common is that they’re all tiny operations. Gillian, a radiography lecturer at Bradford University, makes goat’s cheese with eight pedigree Anglo-Nubian goats near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. Italian Mario produces Yorkshire pecorino, parmesan and blue in a Leeds suburb. Tom and Clare of Whin Yeats Farm make a Wensleydale-style cheese called Fellstone that’s aged for three months until it is nutty, complex and mellow – try it paired with rich fruit cake (a delicious Yorkshire tradition) in the Courtyard Dairy’s cafe. And Sam, currently working behind the deli counter in the Courtyard Dairy, is about to start making his own cheese by borrowing a handful of sheep from a farm down the road and equipment lent by Andy.

Andy’s support of local producers is partly down to a battered hand-written book housed in a glass case in the Courtyard Dairy’s small museum. ‘My great grandmother found her mother’s notes on how to make double Gloucester, and these are them. We thought, if my great grandmother has kept that by chance, there’s other people who will have stuff like that that’s been passed down through their family.’

The discovery of some family cheesemaking tips helped Andy at Courtyard Dairy indulge his passion for cheese © Lorna Parkes / Lonely Planet

This discovery sparked Andy and his wife Kathy’s drive to unearth and share traditional recipes and methods of cheesemaking. They are now working with a farm in Nidderdale to try to recreate how the local cheese would have been made in the early 1900s, using notes they have found in farmers’ attics and barns. And they are spreading the knowledge they’ve accumulated with anybody who takes an interest.

‘It’s about trying to improve what we’ve got here in the Dales and recreate what we once had, so that when people come to the Dales they have a taste of what would have traditionally been made here,’ says Andy. The monks of Jervaulx might not recognise Wallace’s Wensleydale or even Fellstone, but they’d undoubtedly appreciate the cheesemaking legacy they helped establish.

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Over the last decade, the culinary landscape of cities all over the world has been transformed by a new kind of street food purveyor: gourmet food trucks.

Found on city streets from London to La Paz, these plates are served at street prices – and with no booking or dress code required, they cater to foodies who are more interested in taste than the formal trappings of restaurant life. Fun, local and affordable, they are also an easy way for urbanites to sample delicacies from the other side of the world, and for visitors to get involved in a city’s food scene.

Meet the chefs, hear the stories behind their passion projects and discover how to cook a raft of crowd-pleasing dishes with this amuse-bouche inspired by our latest foodie title, Around the World in 80 Food Trucks.

Clear skies (and tasty food) ahead © Misunderstood Heron

Misunderstood Heron, Killary, Ireland

Run by husband-and-wife duo Kim and Reinaldo, Misunderstood Heron is located on the picturesque shores of Killary Fjord in Connemara, along Ireland’s famous Wild Atlantic Way. Originally from Chile, Reinaldo travelled to Ireland to work as a kayak safety instructor, where he met Kim. The pair fell in love, and it wasn’t long before they set off travelling together, exploring India on a motorcycle, as well as Nepal, Sri Lanka and Chile.

Upon returning to Ireland, they sourced an affordable food truck that gave them the chance to create new dishes, as well as old family favourites from both Chile and Ireland. Using the finest local produce, their fare includes fresh mussels straight from the fjord; parsley and coriander falafel boxes; and stuffed empanadas. One of their most popular dishes, spicy lamb samosas, was inspired by their travels around India, and uses Killary lamb from a nearby farm.

Recipe: how to make spicy Killary lamb samosas

Cheesy but true: Heisser Hobel keeps things simple with a one-dish menu © Nina Straßgütl

Heisser Hobel, Berlin, Germany

Kässpätzle is a dish from the South German area of Swabia, and has spread across several regions, thanks to its simplicity. Often likened to mac ‘n’ cheese, it consists of fresh noodles tossed in cheese and served up with crispy fried onions. Although they only sell one dish, the folks behind Heisser Hobel have become locally renowned in Berlin because of their exclusive cheese blend, which was developed in a small dairy and uses local milk to create nine-month aged Allgäuer Bergkäse and four-month aged Emmental.

Operators Florian, Myriam and Oliver are considered early pioneers of the German food truck movement, having converted a Soviet-era German camper (known as a ‘Nagetusch’) into a rolling kitchen in April 2013. Despite battling temperatures of 50°C (122°F) during the summertime, the chefs say they love the freedom that comes with a mobile kitchen and the sense of community in the food truck scene.

Recipe: how to make kässpätzle

The happy Tapi Tapioca team © Andre Hawk

Tapi Tapioca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Brazilian food truck scene exploded in 2014 after legislation was passed to allow them to operate in the largest cities. But while most Rio-based trucks sell conventional fast-food with US or European roots, Marianna Ferolla decided hers, Tapí Tapioca, would sell something 100% Brazilian. Tapioca is the starch extracted from the cassava root, a vegetable native to Brazil, which has long been used as a staple food. Tapioca is also the name given to the stuffed pancakes Marianna believes will one day conquer the world.

The chewy texture of the tapioca works brilliantly with melted cheese and this accounts for the popularity of the Tapí Parrí, a combination of creamy Brie, crunchy almonds and fragrant truffle honey. In 2016, the Tapí team opened their first store and since then have opened several other venues. ‘Eventually we’d like to expand Tapí internationally’, smiles Marianna, ‘But one step at a time.’

Recipe: how to make tapí parrí (tapioca pancake)

The Duck Truck team decided to have a quack at starting a unique street food experience © David Giral

The Duck Truck, Montréal, Québec

Everything’s just ducky at this Montréal food truck that serves canard in many forms, from ‘Quack ‘n’ cheese’ (macaroni and cheese topped with duck confit) and ‘Empanaduck’ (duck empanadas) to this risotto made from barley, mushrooms, herbs and more confit duck. The Duck Truck is the brainchild of Isabelle Pelletier and Thierry Baron, who also runs Montréal’s Vertige restaurant.

‘They realised that duck was a versatile meat that they could use to prepare many different dishes, rather than being locked into a single concept. No other Montréal food truck was serving duck, and since the meat is not inexpensive’, Pelletier quips, ‘we were sure that no one else would do this.’ Pelletier says that they also took inspiration from Wilensky’s Light Lunch, known for its pressed sandwiches. After envisioning a similarly iconic sandwich made from duck, they invented their own, ‘Le Vilain’, stuffed with braised duck, onions and Cheddar.

Recipe: how to make barley risotto with duck confit and mushrooms

Try burgers with an African twist at Mama Rocks Gourmet Burger © Mama Rocks Gourmet Burger

Mama Rocks Gourmet Burger, Nairobi, Kenya

Mama Rocks is without doubt Nairobi’s best-loved food truck. Started by two Kenyan-Nigerian sisters, Samantha and Natalie, it has given the ‘Gourmet Burger’ an authentic, African twist. Pioneering the food truck scene wasn’t easy, though, as Nairobi was on the cusp of regulating the innovative sector, but today their truck roams between the buzzing Alchemist Bar and music festivals, where it draws a young, urban crowd.

It may be a modest-sized truck, but the flavours are fresh and bold. Each burger represents a different part of Africa – the signature dish being the Paw Paw Pow Burger, named after the sisters’ first trip to Nigeria and their first taste of the succulent, sweet fruit. The Kenya-themed Mango Masai Mama Burger – packed with chilli mango mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese and roasted pepper – is also a favourite. The sisters hope their eclectic menu will educate and inspire people to learn more about African cuisine.

Recipe: how to make a paw paw pow burger

Enjoy a chana masala on the go in San Francisco © Curry Up Now

Curry Up Now, San Francisco, USA

In 2009, just as the branded food truck revolution was gaining momentum, Akash Kapoor and his partners launched Curry Up Now in San Francisco. The mission was to serve authentic Indian food with traditional North Indian flavours, but in accessible ways that were also a touch atypical. Such was the genesis of their breakthrough Tikka Masala Burrito – a truck-friendly, eat-while-you-walk approach to Indian food that’s familiar but cool and has a little bit of mystery.

Since then, their Deconstructed Samosas, Naughty Naan, Sexy Fries and other signature specials have complemented a menu of classics, including Chana Masala, a chickpea curry mainstay. Just don’t call anything fusion or modern food, because at heart it’s true to time-honoured tastes, with ingredients that are, as much as possible, organic, locally sourced and environmentally conscious. Today, Curry Up Now reaches fans through its food truck, six Bay Area fine-casual restaurants and two Mortar & Pestle bars serving unique India-inspired cocktails.

Recipe: how to make chana masala

Eat well while doing good in Beirut © Vivien Killilea Best

Soufra, Beirut, Lebanon

The cooks behind Soufra haven’t had it easy. As women from the Burj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, they’ve faced grinding poverty and legal restrictions on education and job prospects since the camp’s founding in 1948. Founded by Mariam Chaar, Soufra has a weekly stand at a farmers market, where the food truck sells its signature dishes, including a transcendent version of the Palestinian national dish msakhan.

Chaar started Soufra, which means ‘table of plenty’, in 2013 to create opportunities for members of her community most in need of jobs; since then over 40 women have benefitted from the programme and in 2017, Susan Sarandon produced a documentary about Chaar’s uphill battle to purchase and outfit the truck. Fuelled by Palestinian delicacies, the women’s energy seems boundless.

Recipe: how to make Lebanese msakhan

Good grub on the beach – what could be better? © Kouri Shrimp

Kouri Shrimp, Kouri Island, Japan

Blown away by Kouri Island’s ocean views, Yumiko Omine and Mimi Kojima moved here from Tokyo to open Kouri Shrimp in 2014. ‘It was love at first sight,’ Mimi says. Observing the climate’s similarity to Oahu Island, they decided on Hawaiian-inspired shrimp served with rice and a side of Okinawan vegetables as their speciality. ‘We thought the dish could be familiar, but new,’ Mimi adds. The pink and blue-green truck sits in a parking lot steps from the beach where it meets Kouri Bridge, a 2km connection that leads to the mainland.

Kouri Shrimp’s menu includes four kinds of garlic shrimp, thinly sliced French fries and a side of Onaha beef, but the original garlic shrimp plate remains king of the truck. Pairing their juicy, seasoned crustaceans with a canned Hawaiian Sun or a cold beer, visitors can enjoy their meal with the crystal waters crashing at their feet.

Recipe: how to make Hawaiian garlic shrimp

Toasta’s food truck revolutionised the humble cheese toastie © Toasta

Toasta, Melbourne, Australia

When Rebecca Feingold first saw the utility truck that was to become Toasta, it was covered in red dust from the Northern Territory. It was cleaned up, built up and launched as Melbourne’s only toasted sandwich truck in 2014. When deciding between the Mack Daddy, with pulled pork and mac ‘n’ cheese, and the Shane, with chicken schnitzel, it’s hard to believe Rebecca studied nutrition. But for the owner whose dad used to make jaffles and Milo milkshakes every Saturday morning, it’s about bringing people together. ‘I’ve always loved cooking for people and sharing food’, she says.

Toasta makes the rounds at festivals, markets and events, and in 2016 Toasta opened a permanent store in West Melbourne. Whether served with tomato bisque in winter or deep-fried potato the morning after a big night, there’s a taste of nostalgia with Toasta.

Recipe: how to make The Fonz toastie

Add this historic truck to your NYC eatlist © Uncle Gussy

Uncle Gussy’s, NYC, USA

Brothers Nicko and Franky Karagiorgos were born into the business of vending street food. For as long as they can remember, their uncles were pushing carts and selling hot dogs, sausages or souvlaki near their childhood home in Astoria, Queens, and they loved to help. So, after dabbling in corporate America, they jumped at an opportunity in 2009 to take over a plum Park Avenue location from their Uncle Gus.

First, they built a larger, walk-in cart and then upgraded to a truck. Today, they have two Uncle Gussy’s trucks, a restaurant and online ordering, but haven’t sacrificed the quality and attention to detail – fresh, natural meats and vegetables, prepared by hand – that keep lines long and customers raving. Because, to them, it’s the little things that count, including a commitment to charity work in support of kids and health causes. Nicko’s personal favourite dish is this Greek classic: pork souvlaki.

Recipe: how to make pork souvlaki

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The Big Apple’s skyline and streetscape are ever-changing, but the past year has also seen a revitalization of its waterfront, from retail hubs to elaborate green spaces. All accessible via ferry and a short stroll or Citi Bike ride, here’s where to encounter some of New York City’s newest waterside attractions.

Pull up a chair (with a view) in Domino Park © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet

Domino Park, Williamsburg

It’s easy to spot this particular green space on the banks of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, because it’s the fancy swath of green space in front of the dilapidated yet beloved Domino Sugar Refinery building. The refinery, which dates back to 1856, was once the largest and most productive in the world.

Completed in 2018, the five-acre public park, tucked in next to the Williamsburg Bridge on the East River, quickly became a favored summer playground for locals, thanks to its beach volleyball and bocce courts, dog run, fog fountain and ‘flex field’ – a playing field for daytime and nighttime sporting activities. (The row of wooden deck chairs positioned with stellar views of Manhattan also probably had something to do with it). You won’t go hungry either – chef Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (Gramercy Tavern, Manhatta, among others) has opened the Mexican-themed Tacocina to keep the park’s revelers satiated.

The exploratory labyrinth at Pier 3 is just one of many interactive installations © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet

Pier 3, Brooklyn Bridge Park

The ongoing development at Brooklyn Bridge Park is nearing completion with the opening of the final pier to be converted to parkland, Pier 3. Similar to Domino Park, this green space is built for leisure and lounging, albeit with a slightly more artistic bent. Gazing out over Manhattan’s Financial District in one direction and Governor’s Island in the other, the park is home to a spacious central lawn, designed to be protected from the sun and wind by strategically placed groves of trees and hedges. Along with Adirondack chairs and picnic tables – most of which are moveable – Pier 3 also boasts its own interactive, exploratory labyrinth complete with a walk-in kaleidoscope, parabolic reflectors, dance chimes and an echo game, among other stimulating features.

If you’re looking for something a little fancier than a picnic, the pier is also a short walk from the swanky eco-themed 1 Hotel Brooklyn, which opened in 2017 and houses restaurant The Osprey, as well as a cafe, 10th-floor cocktail lounge, and a rooftop garden and bar with some of the best views of lower Manhattan (sadly, the rooftop plunge pool is only open to hotel guests).

Enjoy plenty of green space (and urban wildlife) at Pier 3 © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet

Pier 17, the Seaport District

Over in Manhattan, a little farther up the East River, sits the Seaport District. This area is not only known for being New York City’s founding neighborhood (try strolling its streets without singing at least a few bars from Hamilton), but also for the recent opening of the impressive Pier 17.

The sleek mixed-use structure is hard to miss – especially at night when it sets the waterfront aglow. Designed by SHoP Architects, Pier 17 incorporates restaurants, boutiques and pedestrian thoroughfares, along with a 1.5-acre rooftop (check out the Rooftop Concert Series in summer), complete with a restaurant and bar offering views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lady Liberty herself.

The Seaport District is one of NYC’s oldest neighborhoods, and now boasts a sleek new shopping area © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet

Injecting a well-needed dose of life into what used to an oft-avoided-by-locals, tourist-trap part of town, the revamped Seaport District has enlisted a lot of big-name brands to rally its cause. The jewel is Milanese luxury retail haven, 10 Corso Como (its first US-based outpost), while other marquee brands to set up shop include Roberto Cavalli, Sarah Jessica Parker’s SJP, and Cynthia Rowley.

But it’s not all luxury. The Fulton Stall Market hosts a farmers market on Sundays at Seaport Square from 11am to 5.30pm, where you can stock up on items from artisanal producers and local farmers (there’s even a CSA if you plan to stay in NYC for a while). The Indoor Farmers Market Store is open daily and purveys foods from more than 100 local farmers and small-batch specialty food producers.

The East River offers stunning views of Manhattan © Mikki Brammer / Lonely Planet

Hunter’s Point Park South, Long Island City

2018 was a good year for parks – it also welcomed the opening of the second phase of Hunter’s Point Park South in Long Island City. The former industrial area, once home to a gasworks, is now swathed in lush greenery, with the newest section of the park stretching from 54th Avenue to Newtown Creek. In addition to new bike and pedestrian parks, the 5.5-acre expansion boasts a 30-foot-high cantilevered platform with excellent views of Manhattan’s eastern flank (including the UN Building), as well as a playground, picnic terraces, seating areas, volleyball and basketball courts, fitness equipment and a kayak launch. Also handy: you can several access wifi hotspots here, just in case you’ve Instagrammed your way through all of your data.

The ferry stop at Hunter’s Point Park South is temporarily closed, but you can hop off at the Long Island City stop at Gantry Plaza State Park and stroll south to find your way here.

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