Food, wine, and travel
for the insatiably curious.
Honest recommendations from someone who has actually been there — a free newsletter and paid city guides, written without sponsorship or press trips.
Independent · Unsponsored · Personal
Not a publication. Not a press trip.
Just someone who pays attention.
Thirsty Compass is written by someone who has lived in Rome and Valencia, traveled to more than seventy countries, and spent years eating through Southeast Asia. No pay-to-play recommendations. No one can buy their way into these pages. The voice is the credential.
Every issue, something worth knowing.
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Food
Where to eat, what to order, and why it matters. From a bowl of cao lau in Hoi An to a plate of gricia in Trastevere — the dish that defines a place and the restaurant that does it right.
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Wine & Cocktails
No scores. No jargon. Just bottles worth finding, regions worth understanding, and the honest truth about what is overrated and what punches above its weight. Plus the speakeasy on the roof, the bar nobody talks about, and the cocktail that only makes sense in its city.
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Travel
The guest house over the resort. The market over the tourist restaurant. Independent travel done with intention, across seventy countries and counting, through places most people never think to visit.
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Honest Takes
Sometimes a famous thing is overrated. Sometimes an unfamous thing is extraordinary. And sometimes the most useful thing is knowing what to bring home, how to pack it, and what the locals know that the guidebook doesn't. Practical knowledge from someone who has figured it out the hard way.
Latest editions
City Guides · Deep Dives · Honest Detail
Go deeper with the guides.
For cities worth more than a newsletter issue, there are guides. Neighborhood by neighborhood, restaurant by restaurant, wine bar by wine bar. Written with the same honesty as the newsletter and the kind of detail that only comes from actually spending time somewhere. Valencia and Rome City guides are available now, with more coming soon.