It's the most famous all-you-can-eat steakhouse in Rio, and it's my favourite place to eat a tasty Brazilian barbecue. The locals love this restaurant and they have lots of them around Rio and Brazil! Ideal for those who like to eat lots of good food.
Av. Armando Lombardi, 591 - Barra da Tijuca- Rio de Janeiro
Phone number: (55)(21) 3389-8989
www.porcao.com.br
The best Japanese food that I ate in Rio. Fresh food and excellent service!
Rua Henrique Dumont, 71 - Ipanema
Phone number: (55) (21) 2540-4829
Located in inner Brisbane, the Norman Hotel is branded as Brisbane's WORST vegetarian eating spot. So what do you get? Very large pieces of meat (cooked as you want) ...with not much else.
A very trendy spot (very busy), with a reasonable menu ...if you like meat! Good service and good food, even better if it once moo'd!
102 Ipswich Rd
Woolloongabba, QLD 4102
not far south of the Story Bridge
ph 3391 5022
free on site parking
www.normanhotel.com.au
Google map: tinyurl.com/oljufa
Le Pilotis is a bar/restaurant on the Corniche with wonderful views of the sea. Le Corniche is a beach promenade 5km west of Casablanca.
Le Pilotis was a complete contrast to what we saw earlier in the day in the medina of Casablanca and would not look out of place in Marbella. It is where the 'beautiful people' of Casablanca come yet to our UK pockets was not that expensive. It's fascinating to watch these people and there's wine and mediterranean food as well as some good music.
Plenty of seafood restaurants out here in the Corniche but one place we'd recommend is Le Pilotis.
Boulevard de la Corniche, Casablanca
[5km west of the town]. Grab a red petit taxi which will set you back about 50 dirhams (c. £3.50).
www.bestrestaurantsmaroc.com/en//restaurant-maroc/detail/le-pilotis-et-le-lounge.html
One of the most trendy fish taverns in Hadjykyriakio. Try the Retsina wine, the shrimps and the best Greek salad made by Lazaros the owner.
Hatzikiriakou 126
HATZIKIRIAKIO
Tel: 210 4514226
www.athensguide.org/athens-restaurants.html
One of the few restaurants in the medina that serves alcohol. The food was nice but to be honest the food in many of the places surrounding Djemma El Fna was equally nice and cheaper.
14 Derb J'did near Place Des Ferblantiers in Mellah area in the south of the medina.
Via Sete is a traditional restaurant located at Ipanema. They offer food for those who are on a diet (and for those who aren't), who like to eat tasty and fresh food.
My favourite plates are: wraps to eat and frozen drinks (made with 100% fruit).
Rua Garcia D'Ávila, 125 - Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro.
(21) 2512-8100
I've visited Piccolino a number of times and have always found the food to be excellent.
The service is friendly, attentive and authentic and the waiting staff always make you feel like you're the only one there!
www.chesterexpress.co.uk/restaurant.aspx?restaurant=2&category=2
Having been a huge fan of Est Est Est - the previous Living Ventures restaurant to be located at Newgate House - I was expecting big things of The Blackhouse Grill and I was not disappointed.
Many diners will no doubt make a special trip for the Kobe beef; however in my opinion the lobster and chips takes some beating!
www.chesterexpress.co.uk/restaurant.aspx?restaurant=1&category=1
This is a great place for either a few drinks in the bars downstairs (The Star bars) or an amazing dinner in the Italian-influenced restaurant upstairs (The Dove). I've done both (the bars several times!) and I love it there! Always have a good time. Really close to Victoria Park so it's the perfect place for a cheeky cider during a day in the sun. Get involved!
The Star & Dove, 75-78 St Luke's Road, Totterdown, Bristol BS3 4RY
0117 300 3712
Beige Tokyo, the creation of Chanel and Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, is so achingly hip it’ll make you take off your suit the moment you get in. Located in the Chanel Ginza Building, it is the perfect fusion of high fashion and impeccable cuisine: try the frog’s legs and akagegyu beef for orgasmic culinary pleasure.
The Conrad Tokyo’s major attraction is its location. Walking distance from the Hamarikyu Garden and the legendary Tsukiji Fish Market (amongst other tourist delights), this is the place to stay if you don’t have a weekend (go for the Hyatt if you do) but do have time to explore in the evenings. The in-house Gordon Ramsay restaurants are also a bonus. Book an Executive Room or an Executive Suite; the latter is exceptional value given its 83 square metre size.
Fukuzushi, near Roppongi is great for a quieter (perhaps weekday team) dinner. It is a dinky, gorgeous, family-run restaurant, with sushi dominating the menu. The sashimi – especially tuna and salmon staples – are irresistibly delicious and the sake deserves your full attention. Two important tips. Get there early – it gets rather empty after 9pm – and make sure you get very clear directions – it’s remarkably difficult to find.
The New York Grill on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt is heaving every night, it serves some of the best seafood, poultry and red meat I’ve ever tasted in Japan (no mean feat). There’s also a super-high celebrity quotient.
It's talked about but not many people in the world have tasted it. It is decadent and pure luxury. I'm talking about Kobe beef - the most tender, tasty, melt in the mouth moment I've ever tasted. This delight of Japanese cuisine is of course, best tasted in the home of the beef. Kobe is an hour or so away from Tokyo on the bullet train but the journey is well worth it. Step out of Kobe's main shinkensen station and you will be greeted with posters and bill boards of places to taste this fine meat.
Check out the restaurants who offer 'nose print' certificates of the cow to prove authenticity. Lightly grilled is my personal recommendation.
The restaurant Forty One at the top of Chifley Tower has private dining rooms. You can enjoy breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour and the city’s impressive skyline, and the food is also excellent – there's a six-course dinner menu with wines chosen by the sommelier.
www.forty-one.com.au
Google map: tinyurl.com/lsk3tz
Singapore loves to do champagne brunch on a Sunday, and it has become something of an institution with most of the big hotels serving it. You get a buffet selection that includes seafood, sushi, cooked breakfast, roast dinner, dim sum, cheese and several deserts and the champagne is free-flowing. Set aside at least three hours and make sure you haven’t got anything to do for the rest of the day. I had a fabulous brunch at the Fullerton, which has wonderful views across the river. They serve from 12pm until 3.30pm with unlimited champagne until 3pm and a total cost of about £60 per person.
If you think that going to dinner in a hotel is tantamount to some kind of defeat, swallow your pride, and go for it in Singapore. Morton’s in the Mandarin Oriental is a genuinely great hotel restaurant. It may be an American chain but, when every guide book tells you that it will be one of the finest dining experiences of your life, they’re not lying. Its atmosphere is vibrant, the beef extraordinary, the service flawless and the wine list award-winning. Steak fans are kept very happy, and the menu also features veal, chicken, seafood and fantastic sides: fresh green asparagus with hollandaise, creamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and several versions of the humble potato are all perfectly prepared and plentiful.
Dessert is a must, particularly one of the soufflés or the hot chocolate cake.
Mandarin Oriental, 5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square, Singapore 039797 Tel: +65 6338 0066 Fax: +65 6339 9537
mandarinoriental.com
If Japanese is your cuisine of choice, then try Nogawa at Le Meridien on Orchard Road. Named after legendary chef Yoshio Nogawa – who has delivered a production line of talented Japanese chefs on the island – his eatery serves the freshest, scrummiest sushi, sashimi, tempura and teriyaki in the region. The menu varies with the seasons but the quality is consistently high. His other restaurants in the city – Akane and Nogawa at the Sentosa Golf Club – are also brilliant.
Le Meridien, 100 Orchard Road, Singapore 238840
+65 6733 8855
starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien
For a less mainstream dining experience – and one outside a hotel – try IndoChine Waterfront at the Asian Civilisations Museum. It’s located in the most romantic setting in town, with lovely views of the river; has an amazing décor with oriental antiques and modern furniture; and its Vietnamese-Laotian-Cambodian-French fusion cuisine is just gorgeous. Things to try: seafood galangal soup, black pepper beef, grilled scallops and basil chicken. The service can be slipshod but the food’s good enough to forgive them. After dinner, stop by the adjacent Bar Opiume; a super-stylish spot that's popular for cocktails and celebrity sightings.
Asian Civilisations Museum, The Historic District, 1 Empress Place
65/6339-1720