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Although it is also called Rat Alley, there are rats and mice everywhere in Hong Kong so this shouldn't put you off.
The food is OK, and a lot cheaper than nearby Lan Kwai Fong. You also get to eat outside, which is not always possible in Hong Kong.
Think Willie Wonka versus Ferran Adria and you get a cosmopolitan, eclectic and mind-boggling menu featuring such random selections as hot chocolate soup with curry and yoghurt ice cream. Beats other neighbouring milk-bars in what is known as the hot chocolate street.
Carrer Petrixol 11, 08002; Tel: 00 34 93 301 11 97, www.xocoa-bcn.com/; nearest metro: Placa Catalunya
This food store never seems to fail you - is it sour cream you need, raisin bagels, Iranian gaz sweets or those little olives with pimentoes? Or how about Honduran coffee or unputdownable Reese's Peanut Butter cups?
Hamid sits behind his counter reading his Farsi literature and unfailingly comes up with the goods- the best place in the midlands by the way for Halva and Turkish delight.
103 Alcester Road
Moseley
Birmingham
I love breakfasts in Melbourne but some places are more special than others. My personal favourite is Mario's. The breakfast is second to none and the coffee is excellent and served the way it should be.
303 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy; Take tram No 11 which runs down Collins Street; Open: Sun-Wed 7am-Midnight, Thur-Sat 7am-1am
Wow. For the definitive view of London, reserve a place at Vertigo 42, the champagne bar at the top of Tower 42. The bar is located on the 42nd floor and gives great views over the city.
Remember to book upfront, the bar does not accept walk-ins. Also remember to dress smartly, there’s lots of city folk in suits. Over 18s only.
Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HQ; Nearest tube: Bank; www.vertigo42.co.uk
Royal Teas is a wonderful café slightly off the beaten track in Greenwich. They do wonderful hot chocolate, teas and coffees. Coffee beans are ground there and then and you can by loose tea and coffee beans there too.
All of their food is vegetarian and is fantastic - and this is coming from a committed carnivore.
It is also very good value, with prices much cheaper than Starbucks and other chains that are also to be found in Greenwich.
In addition to all of this it is in a wonderful part of Greenwich. I recommend going for a walk round Royal Hill and up towards Black Heath, you can stop off here for a nice drink on the way back.
76 Royal Hill
Greenwich
London
SE10 7RT
www.royalteascafe.co.uk
0207 8691 7240
They roast their own coffee, brunches are fabulous, the atmosphere laid-back, and there's a good newsagents with a wide range of imported magazines and newspapers (including the Guardian Weekly) just a few doors away. Open air seating out back with a small sandpit for the kids. The Atomic has been around so long that it's become a bit of an institution and so a wee bit shabby. But then shabby is part of the NZ experience.
121 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland; Tel:09 376 4954
Singapore may be a modern business hub, but elements of its original melting-pot culture remain if you take time to search them out. When bored of the malls of Orchard Road, head to the free museum in Raffles Hotel (third floor) to see photographs and memrobilia of a bygone age: Charlie Chaplain, Elizabeth Taylor, Lord Mountabtten and more including images of streets with rickshaw drivers, coolies and colonials. Chinatown has some charm, but has sadly been made "more Chinese" over the last decade. The nearby Telok Ayer area (where you will find Singapore's oldest Taoist temple next to a tiny park) has some good cafes and restaurants including the budget Lotus Cafe. Porta Porta Restaurant on Stanley Street and Aoili on Boon Tat Street offer inventive and authentic Italian and French food (the set lunches are modestly priced at around S$20 to $30). If you want organic vegetarian food, two doors from Aioli is Yogi Hub.More authentic than Chinatown is Little India, but ignore the infamous Komala Villas Restaurant (now serving poor quality Indian vegetarian food in a bad atmosphere) and head for Sri Saktivillas Restaurant on Cuff Road for fantastic food at cheap prices. On the next street - Upper Dickson Road - is Kulfi Bar where you will find some of the creamiest Indian ice-cream in an amazing variety of flavours (the colours and tastes of the beetroot and pistachio are unforgettable.)Fort Canning Park (not far from Orchard Road) and the Botanical Gardens offer green and pleasant distractions. See the Spice Garden at Fort Canning and the Orchid Gardens at the Botanical Gardens.On Hill Street is the charming Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator. It has a circular design, a marvellous atmosphere and is a national treasure. And for a taste of a more authentic Singapore life, head to the heartlands of Toa Payoh, Tampines or Clementi. Among the Housing Development Boad apartment blocks you will find shops, food centres and coffee shops with economy prices and a genuine local flavour.
Cheap & tasty fried noodles, udon or noodles soups - every which way (meat, seafood, vegetarian) - a massive, speedily served plateful for under 4 pounds.
Not to mention the charms of the Cutty Sark & Greenwich park on the doorstep. Top tip: don't order starters, very few people manage to finish their main courses as it is.
Address: 39 Greenwich Church Street
Phone: 020 8858 2688
Just next to DLR station Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich
It is worth walking to Vinohrady to eat or go for a drink - there are a number of great bars and restaurants that aren't as crowded by tourists. They're also a lot cheaper than bars or restaurants in Staromestske or Wenceslas square.
From Wenceslas square go toward the museum, then bear right. or get the trams/tube to nam. miru or IP Pavlova.
The best ever Peking Duck in Sydney! Not to be missed and to make your visit to China Town complete. Tried and tested by many locals, an absolute favourite.
18 Goulburn Street
Sydney NSW 2000
PH: +61 2 9241 4838
Melbourne is one of the few cities left in the world with its original tram network and we are lucky to have some of the original tram cars (modernized for safety and comfort) turned into high-class travelling restaurants. These dark burgundy coloured trams can be seen negotiating the roads of Melbourne at lunch times and dinner times daily.
They present a very high level of dining with the only restriction being the number of choices for each course (the kitchen and the cooking facilities on board are restricted in size obviously).
You travel behind tinted glass sightseeing Melbourne whilst enjoying your meal with a glass of wine. A booking is essential.
The trams leave and return to the terminus in South Melbourne opp. the western end of the Crown Casino, cnr Clarendon and Normandy Sts Southbank
Melbourne sits on a great bay and having a meal as the sun descends in the west across the water is a great dining experience. There are many places especially on the eastern side, from the bistros, pubs and restaurants of the peninsula towns of Portsea and Sorrento or Mornington to the elegant dining of Donovans at St Kilda, Sails on the Bay at Elwood, the restored Brighton Baths or Windows by the Bay at Mordialloc.
Closer to town at Port Melbourne, the London or Graham are not to be missed. Eat out at the St Kilda Pier or sit in the Espy and have a beer. The view from Number 1 Fitzroy St is worth cost of the dining experience.
South-east of the CBD... along the shoreline of Port Philip Bay
There are hundreds of happening districts to explore after you've wandered around Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku and the like in your guidebook. You can take a subway a few stops out from Shibuya to Shimokitazawa - an alternative studenty type area with lots of music shops and live venues but well away from the tourist trail. Or else try Daikanyama with a more refined tree-lined kind of neighborhood feel, plenty of cafes and boutiques. Take the subway to Ebisu to get there.
Shimokitazawa - private subway from Shibuya
Daikanyama - Ebisu subway
Sausages filled with molten cheese. Best bought from one of the many Würschtlstände (sausage stands) dotted around the city. Ask for a Käsekrainer hotdog and they take a mini baguette, hollow out the centre, fill it with ketchup and mustard and stuff the cheese-filled sausage in. They're probably heart attacks waiting to happen, the dripping ketchup and mustard are guaranteed to make a mess of your shoes / clothes but they taste amazing, especially late at night
all over the city
A lovely small bistro/restaurant, it's not too expensive and has all kinds of cuisine including modern Irish. It's in an old artist's studio, opposite the Ulster Museum. I would definitely recommend it.
Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT7
Centro Cultural Conde Duque, on Calle Conde Duque, is a very little known permanent museum, temporary exhibition and concert venue. The 18th-century building is impressive in scale, and the area around is quiet and relaxed. Full of bars, restaurants and some beautiful shops, it is difficult to believe that you are in the centre of town, surrounded by Calle Princesa, San Bernardo etc.
Take a stroll to Plaza Comendadoras for a drink in one of the many "terrazas" while you look at children playing in the playground. On the same plaza there's a "Sauna" (a brothel); opposite you'll see the also impressive building of the Convento de las Comendadoras. The area has the air of a small village about it; it's a mix of bizarre, genuine and unique Madrid.
Zona Conde Duque, nearest tube is San Bernardo or Noviciado
Fusion food, without the pretension or price, from the La Finca de Susana group. Beautifully decorated in white and cream, Bazaar has an intimate atmosphere with friendly and attentive, yet never overbearing, staff. Best of all, it has the most amazing desserts. Try the chocolatissimo - you'll think you're eating the food of gods even if you're not a chocoholic.
Expect to pay about £20 for two courses for two with bread, water and wine. And get there early (8.30pm).
Calle Libertad 21, close to Chueca metro station. Telephone 91-523-3905.
When you reach the sea you'll be at Muizenberg, the traditional Jewish beach of Cape Town. You'll then pass along the coast through the sea fishing resorts of Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek. You can buy gurnod straight from the boat. The final station is Simonstown which used to be a Royal Navy base. Nearby are the famous penguins. Have a seafood dinner with chilled Cape chardonnay from the neaby vineyards.
The Hirschgarten is the largest outdoor beer garden in Bavaria. There are endless tables to enjoy a beer, as well as traditional Bavarian food. The cosy atmosphere under the leafy trees is complemented by the deer found in a large enclosure neighboring the beer garden. The park area is family friendly, with a playground and plenty of space to picnic.
S1-S6, S8 Laim
Trams 16 and 17 Kriemhildenstrasse
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