Alexandra Carroll (Alex Craig) - Author of New York and Paris

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry

They're two of the dining capitals of the world and they're explored (and beautifully photographed) by Alexandra Carroll in her books, New York: An Inspired Wander Through Manhattan and the Brooklyn Boroughs and Paris: An Inspired Wander Through the City of Lights.

So it's no surprise that we talk about memorable bagels and croissants, the fact that Alex had to eat a lot of cheese to get the job done, as well as remarkable venues that are not Michelin-starred institutions – from Clown Bar, with its surprising history, to Dans Le Noir, a restaurant staffed by blind people that serves people completely in the dark. Then there's the New York trend for drinking broth like coffee!

Alex also shares some of the easy-to-overlook gems in both cities (including a museum located in an elevator shaft in Tribeca) and how she went about producing both books.

We also talk about how she was my first editor (as Alex Craig) and how she effectively bankrolled my first trip to Paris, as I bought an airfare to the French capital as her employee.

And we touch on her incredible record as a book publisher – she was involved in the launch of Hannah Kent's bestselling book, Burial Rites, which is going to be turned into a movie featuring Jennifer Lawrence.