Lo Nuestro Gastromercat
The name “Lo nuestro” evokes the typical Alicante civil spirit, from Hogueras, Moors and Christians to the Hercules football team. The tapas are served at a small, wooden bar with barrels as tables. The standout dish here is Montadito Brillante, an amazing combination of crunchy bread covered in sesame seeds and perfectly battered squid. When you bite into this tapa it melts in your mouth. Some theories say that Montaditos are from Alicante, and have spread from Alicante to the rest of Spain, so it’s really a local delicacy.

Mavi
Mavi is a modest little neighbourhood bar which attracts customers from around Alicante. Family-run and proud of the recipes and ingredients that they use, Mavi is a gem to be found off the tourist routes. The house specialty is seafood such as shrimp, red shrimp, crayfish, shrimp, fried calamari and grilled cuttlefish. Always fresh and locally sourced, the menu reflects what has been caught and therefore what is available, rather than an unchangeable menu. Alongside the seafood dishes are well-made traditional tapas dishes like ensaladilla rusa to patatas bravas.

Bar Bu
Run to La Bar Bü to try their delicious, homemade burgers. We especially love the ZZ Top and the Chuck Norris burger with a large slab of cheddar cheese. On the weekends, the atmospheric bar serves juicy burgers and homemade desserts to the soundtrack of local DJs.

East End Cellars
The Tasting Room at East End Cellars on Vardon Avenue is the perfect hang-out spot on a lazy afternoon or evening and chat over a glass of wine and, if the stomach calls for it, which it usually does, a ploughmans platter or a toastie to go with the vino. Our pick from their toasties menu? The marinated mushroom and smoked mozzarella toasted sandwich with juicy earthy mushrooms and a stringy, stretchy, melty and smoky mozzarella cheese. East End Cellars also offer other dishes, like their popular ploughmans platter or single plates (soups, pate and toast), along with a large variety of wines to enjoy on site or to purchase.

Sweetie Pie's Upper Crust
In a year when St. Louis restaurants are busting out their best recipes, Sweetie Pie's still does more than hold its own. It's Mississippi cooking, she says, learned from her mother and her great-grandmother. There's meatloaf and sweet potatoes and greens and chicken and dumplings. Oxtails? Yup, some days, just like liver and onions. The chicken, greaseless and crisp, hinting of garlic and of onion, seduces. The greens are dark and smoky, a little peppery with bits of ham laced through them; the sort of dish one could make an entire meal of, especially when accompanied by cornbread, something to set in front of a French chef and watch for a reaction. After church on Sundays there's always a line, so allow for that, but there are pleasant folks to carry your tray, and the price is absolutely right. More on Miss Robbie, the owner of Sweetie Pies and her fascinating story: www.foodiehub.tv/features/essential-eats/sweetie-pies-st-louis

Chilli Daddy Restaurant
Poached and cooled before steeping in oil infused with chillies, garlic, ginger and other secret ingredients , the Mouth-Watering Chicken served at Chilli Daddy is out of this world. Transfer the chicken to the rice bowl, leaving the oil, for a spicy treat for less than £6 per head. The dish is also served with tofu soup and a bean sprout salad.

Veselka
For a classic burger that hits all the right marks, head over to Veselka in the East Village. The diner-style burger weighs the same 8 ounces as at diners, but carries none of the heft that leaves you feeling bogged down for hours afterwards. The secret is a thinner patty with a larger surface area, served on a specially-made light and airy bun that cradles the meat and all its delicious juices. The char-broiled burger smacks lightly of grill taste and coats your mouth with its juices. The meat is definitely the star of this burger, as well it should be, though you’d be forgiven for adding bacon and cheese to the mix.

I Scream Cakes
On a block reminiscent of London's Shoreditch, I Scream Cakes sells mainly ice cream. A tiny storefront, idiosyncratic and fun, there's not such a thing as plain vanilla on most days. Does owner Kerry Soraci - you'll know her by the multi-colored hair - take food as art seriously? Yes, but not to the point of grimness. Several flavors lean toward spiciness like pineapple- jalapeno and mango-sriracha. One with Chinese five-spice porter, sourced from a micro-brewery across the street, and chips of toasted coconut is amazing, especially when paired with a wee bit of habanero-orange chocolate. See the Facebook page for examples of their cake art, which are not found at Martha-Stewart-type weddings.

Restaurante Casa Urola
What makes a pintxo modern? Product? Presentation? Pablo Loureiro of Casa Urola at Calle Fermin Calbeton, 20 does both with an uncommon sensitivity. A classically trained chef, he was raised in the era of the New Basque Cuisine. His dishes are based on the flavours of the Basque Country with subtle twists. In this case an impeccably fresh scallop is grilled to perfection over a charcoal fire and served in a small bowl with its soft red coral atop ajo-blanco (garlic and almond soup) with a delicate coffee vinaigrette. It is modern, beautiful and delicious with flavours that meld perfectly. The key to this dish is the well thought out combination of ingredients combined with a deft hand at the grill.

Neveria La Vallesana
And of course, everything old is new again. We've got housemade paletas, the Mexican version of frozen ice pops, at Neveria la Vallesana on Cherokee Street, where they're surrounded by Mexican stores and other restaurants. Both the simple, like coconut with chunks of coconut meat in it, and the more exotic, like mango chile, seduce. Ice cream by the scoop, too, in flavors both simple and striking, like rice (we haven't seen that since a trip to Florence). There's a restaurant here as well, but you can find the ice cream counters at the very front of the store.