Memory lane is quite delicious.
Try to remember the food your mom cooked when you were a child. Or the meal she made when you—now living on your own—returned home for a visit. There is nothing more comforting than the aroma of the beloved foods you grew up with.
So, every time I go out to eat, I’m seeking not only mouthwatering cuisine but the feeling of comfort that food has given me throughout my life. To identify new culinary hotspots or secret diners, I like to use TripAdvisor.
It’s fun to browse through all the food experiences other people have had in all kinds of restaurants. It’s like a collection of food stories that are just waiting for you to listen to them.
I live in Düsseldorf, right in the middle of the Asian quarter, with its huge number of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Indian eateries. There are simply way too many to sample myself. For me, TripAdvisor is a nice way to narrow down my food options—not only here, where I live, but especially when I’m on holiday, where I end up at places that I never would have considered visiting, since I didn’t know about them. And this is what makes the platform awesome. TripAdvisor is my springboard for culinary discovery.
Though I gotta say, as a reminder: Never, ever rely exclusively on TripAdvisor or any other platform, because the best places are often the ones you find by simply wandering the streets of your holiday destination or even your hometown–in a small alley you never passed before, for example. Never stop being curious. Otherwise, you might miss what that secret diner has to offer, that will remind you of the comfort of your mom’s food.