ELSEWHERE
Amsterdam:
Kantjil (Indonesian)
Pygma-Lion (South African)
Athens:
Oyzepi Koykane (324 76 05)
Taverna Rio (0392 52 839)
Berlin:
Istanbul (+49 883 2777)
Vox Located inside the Grand Hyatt hotel, on Marlene Dietrich Platz, the decor is a bit cold and new, at the image of the neighborhood, but their veal cheeks are there to make you forget everything else! - October 2006
Bern:
Kornhaus Keller & Cafe A great setting in an old cellar, as the name indicates, in the center of Bern. Good service, good atmosphere, Swiss prices but worth the experience. And if you are there in the Fall, the venison was delicious! - November 2007
Biot (France):
Galerie des Arcades (+33 4 93 65 01 04) Les fleurs de courgettes, l’aioli, les chevres marines. La vie est belle. C’est a Biot. Et c’est tout - June 2003
Bordeaux:
Baud et Millet (Cheese)
Didier Gélineau (+33 5 5652 8425)
Brussels:
L’Auberge du Bovendael (+32 3 502 9614) - December 1999
L’Herbe Rouge (Japanese) (+32 2 512 4834) - December 1999
L’Ile de Gorée (Senegalese) (+32 2 513 5293) - December 1999
Notos (Greek) (+32 2 513 2959) - December 1999
Buenos Aires:
Cabana Las Lilas One of the top meat restaurant in Buenos Aires, in the fun neighbohood of Puerto Madero. After the lomo, treat yourself with an ice cream at Fredo, just opposite! - April 2002
Morena (+54 11 4786 0204)
Rodi Bar (+54 11 4801 5230)
Social Paraiso (+54 11 4831 4556)
Sucre An absolute treat, of course for the meat but also for the chicken liver, the risotto and the wine list. Great bar as well in a very trendy/loungy setting - August 2005
Burgundy region:
Les Paulands (at Ladoix-Serrigny) (+33 3 8026 4105)
Cancun:
Cambalache Ah, my first real introduction to sweetbreads, but the steaks are obviously fantastic as well - February 2001
Chicago:
Sushi Naniwa - June 2001
Dubai:
Almaz by Momo: On the third floor of Harvey Nichols in the Mall of Emirates, don’t be deter by the address. The place is great, offers very tasty Moroccan food and DJ Simon brings a dancing beat to the evening. Not overly priced, they have a great lamb tagine and pigeon pastilla. Great service too - January 2009
Amaravathi: Absolutely delicious Indian food from both North and South of the country. The dahls (black in particular) were spectacular, so were all the sauces and chutneys. Biryanis a safe bet and flavors sure to stay with you for a while… - October 2008
Barbecue Delights: one of the best meals in Dubai, from Afghani pullao, to pomegranate-crusted steaks and shish-taouks and chicken Mallis. Just writing it wets my appetite! 5 people eating a lot for 65$ - September 2008
Khazana: very good fish, and grilled meats. Not the most spectacular Indian place in Dubai but enough to recommend it to those who pass by - October 2008
Khaymat al Bahar: A very nice setting near one of the water basin/swimming pool, with a great buffet (at night) of kobbehs, chicken liver, merguez, the classic meze and the traditional desserts and more! - November 2007
Lemongrass: Inside the “Old town” (built in 2006) and the Palace hotel complex, a nice place for Thai food, where prices are not too crazy. Seabass is excellent, marinated in a lime and chili sauce - September 2008
More Cafe: Finally a great place, without chi-chis, great food and reasonnable prices. A mix of cuisines, but the South African bobotie is spectacular. Eggs Benedict are very good as well, and so are the fresh juices. Not to miss - September 2008
Smiling BKK: Tiny Thai place on Jumeirah 1, reservations needed, but worth it, especially for the shimps with peanut sauce. Avoid the beef and focus on the chicken. Very tasty, very nice service. A good (and cheap) change - January 2009
Special Ostadi Restaurant (near Bastikya): An authentic Persian restaurant, with seriously family style service and food. Worth it to regain sanity if you are done with eating in hotels at high prices - September 2008
Sangeetha: You can’t beat the prices here: 100 dirhams for 5, world record! The dahls and multiple small dishes from South India were excellent, in a very family atmosphere, only visited by locals. Busy at all times, so be patient to get a table. Opposite Lulu supermarket - October 2008
XVA Cafe & Gallery: Probably the best surprise of the trip to Dubai. XVA Gallery has beautiful arts on the walls and the adjacent rooms, around the inner courtyard where you can enjoy simple food like a mojadara (rice, lentils, pine nuts and vegetables) or their amazing lemonade with so much mint you get addicted to it. And it is in the “old” (read: 1860) part of town, which is much more pleasant than the area around the luxurious hotels - November 2007
Hong Kong:
Thai Basil Very good Thai food that will make you forget that the restaurant is in a busy shopping mall… - May 2004
Kashan (Iran):
Dellpazir Escape the traditional kebabs served to tourists and have a taste of popular Persian food in this former hammam - July 1999
Kiev:
La Scala I usually don’t go into hotels for meals but this one offers a broad range of very good quality dishes, including a Ukrainian food menu such as the durany with smoked salmon, excellent Borscht, the classic beetroot and walnut salad (with a lot of mayonnaise unfortunately, like everywhere in Ukraine) and other international options - May 2007
Minimo Georgian cuisine in the Podol district of Kiev, from the excellent khachapury (cheese bread) to chicken with garlic and other spices, to lamb in a pommegranate sauce. The Ukrainian cognac should be a better option than the Georgian wine! - May 2007
London:
Belowzero: The Absolut vodka bar which is slightly touristy but still a very fun experience. Enter the bar all built up in ice and drink your (Absolut only) vodka directly from an ice cube shaped in a glass. Enjoy each drop of it for the entry is $30! Still it’s fun to “place a call” from the icy phone booth… - August 2007
Chelsea Brasserie Right on Sloane Square, the place is pricy but the food is excellent. Sweetbreads are excellent, if you are a Swiss abroad craving for raclette, that could do it, and desserts are also very good - February 2007
Neal’s Yard Dairy (cheese) (+44 20 7240 5700) The London Mecca for cheese. Check the Stiltons in the window, taste it, buy it and sneak it under the nose of a custom agent at the airport: your friends will love you - May 2004
Patara “Fine Thai Cuisine” says their business card, and indeed it is. Scallops with a ginger/nuoc-mam sauce/vinaigrette were sublime. Although not terribly thai, the veal cheeks were particularly well done - February 2007
The Red Fort [Very good Indian food place. Don't miss the venisson curry, as well as the okra. In Soho, 10 minutes away from Picadilly Circus - February 2007
Tandoori Nights (Indian) (+44 20 7831 2558)
Two Brothers This is your address in Finchley if you are craving for fish and chips - May 2003
Yauatcha (+44 20 7494 8888) Very good dim sum place, particularly the one with venisson - yes, venisson, as well as the scallop shumai which is just scallop… - July 2006
Melbourne/Victoria:
Montreal:
Briskets Montreal A great place downtown for smoked meat - leaner beef than at Schwartz’s but without the authenticity - July 2006
Kaizen Probably the best I have had in a long time (and the most expensive). Kudos for the Blue Note with honey and mango, as well as the Kamikaze with pieces of lemon peel - July 2006
Schwartz’s People in Montreal claim smoked meat is not pastrami and they will probably say Schwartz is not Carnegie Deli, but I say it’s damn close! Ask for the regular order of meat and take off the fat - a much tastier cut than the lean one - July 2006
Sho-dan A good sushi place, much more affordable than Kaizen but less inventive. Nice decor. - July 2006
Munich:
Dilan (Turkish) (+49 89 30 47 13)
Hofbraeuhaus Unavoidable temple of beer, veering towards the very touristy, but the beer is great, so are the giant pretzels and why not a veal sausage! The decor is quite authentic, and if you still want to talk to the other person, stay far away from the very Bavarian orchestra - May 2007
Loewenbraeu The great Wiener Schnitzel is not always on the menu, which is otherwise filled with pork plates and knoedels. Make sure to try a beer in their Biergarten - June 2006
Masala (Indian) (+49 89 2194 9311)
Shoya (Japanese) (+49 89 29 27 72)
Odessa:
Datcha (8-097-905-0197): On Franzuski street, not too far from the center, explore this restaurant located in a former sanatorium, with restaurants spread around the garden. Food is typically Ukrainian and actually very tasty! - August 2007
Fat Mozes: On Ekaterinskaya street, enjoy a latte and some pancakes, or go strong for a tartare steak at this tiny place, that also serves very good carrot cakes that may open up some childhood memories - August 2007
Klarabara: Charming place right in the center of the old city, slightly off the main street. Blinis and salmon were very good, and so were the desserts! - August 2007
Steakhouse: A very nice place, with a good ambiance and good service. The meat tends to be overcooked, so ask for the level below what you normally like. Sides are excellent and I recommend their carpaccio - August 2007
Prague:
Pravda The sesame-coated salmon is very good and the warm ambiance makes for a nice evening - November 2005
Riga:
Monterosso: At first, you wonder why you would eat Italian in Riga when there is… plenty of greasy Latvian food around. You have the answer now. Monterosso is an excellent restaurant, where the food makes you forget about the poor decoration. I have only had a pizza but it was an excellent one. The crust is so thin that the next stage is just…without dough! Reservations required, as in every place in Riga - June 2007
Rozengrals: I didn’t know “Medieval” was a food category, next to Italian and Japanese food, but there you go: Riga offers a real fun experience in the basement of an old castle - exactly the way you see it on the website. Be ready for deer, peccary, pigeon and beer! The food is very tasty, the room lit with chandeliers and waiters dressed in a very XVIth century way… - June 2007
Vincents: Apparently one of the finest restaurants in Riga… and it better be given the prices, high by Western standards. That said, the scallops were excellent, and their lentils bed delicious. Simple grilled vegetables make for a very nice side order. The chocolate mousse was impressive, dark as it should only be, and the service was simply outstanding - June 2007
Rio de Janeiro:
Marius (+55 21 2542 2393) The treat of Brazilian BBQ (even a seafood one for those who don’t eat meat), on Copacabana - May 2000
Saint Petersburg:
The Idiot: Honoring Fyodor, this is a nice place along the Moika canal, with great service and good food. More for the ambiance than the food actually! St Petersburg is not filled with good restaurants! - July 2007
Sarajevo:
Inat Kuca Restaurant (+387 33 447 867) Great beg soup, and the stuffed vegetables are not to be missed, all this while you look at the Milijacka river and the magnificent old town hall - June 2006
Tokyo:
Asanoya: Besides the boulangerie, the Italian restaurant. Yes, I was also not for Italian food in Japan, but a great salad with shallot dressing and a thin-crust pizza made me change my mind. Really affodable, in Midtown Tokyo complex, at the street level in Roppongi. - January 2009
Fujino Kyoto: finally a simple, vegetarian, cheap option in Tokyo! Within the Tokyo Midtown complex, in the basement, discover the marvels of tofu, deep fried, dry, with curry or teriaki, it’s really very tasty food, worth several rounds - January 2009
Minochi-An (+81 3 3584 6381)
Sushi Den (+81 3 3581 2286)
Torahachi (+81 3 3588 0830)
Ueno subway station: Below the train station and along the
Toronto:
Pangaea a very nice address in the downtown area, if you are tired of the numerous Thai and falafel places. I had great sweetbreads with pasta, nicely cooked and great service - September 2007
Sassafraz A mix of jazz and good food, in one of the few really nice areas of the city, but over-priced - September 2007
Vancouver:
Ichibankan (Japanese)
Zurich:
