If you’re looking for food with a view, try The Signature Room at the John Hancock Centre. With better views than the building’s observation deck, this is Chicago’s brunch centre. The prices are reasonable and you’re guaranteed to wow your colleagues/clients. The service can be a little variable – it took the waitress 15 minutes to find me a fork – but the weekend live jazz more than makes up for the occasional shoddiness.

The Signature Room at the 95th® 875 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611 Tel: 312.787.9596
signatureroom.com

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For something completely different, try X/O in Boys Town. This ultra cool spot dishes a delightful variety of creative eclectic small plates – including tapas with a twist – and offers some of the city’s best cocktails. The champagne concoctions and martinis are as spectacular as the atmosphere – fuelled by a DJ with a Hoxton haircut at weekends. If you can, try to sit on the patio.

3441 N Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60613 Tel:(773) 348-9696

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Aux Armes De Bruxelles is a long-established restaurant near the Grand Place with an excellent menu and good beer and wine list. The moules are to die for. I ate there every evening on my last trip.

Address: 13, Rue des Bouchers - 1000 Bruxelles; Phone: +32 2 511.55.50; Website: www.armebrux.be/

Google map: tinyurl.com/mhoh6p

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Yunnan food that people from Yunnan actually eat. Serving the Yunnan Provincial Government Office, Yunteng Shifu offers authentic Yunnan cuisine made with ingredients which are flown in direct from the southern province. The restaurant is open all day and the somewhat kitsch, jungle interior can feel like a breath of fresh air after dusty Beijing.

Yunnan specialities include goat's cheese (rubing), pineapple rice (bolo fan), 'crossing the bridge' noodles (guo qiao mixian), proscuitto-like cuts of ham and the hot, fresh wonderfulness which is Dai mint salad.

There's no English menu but everything is illustrated with photos. Yunnan food is very trendy in Beijing and can be hugely overpriced, but a meal here for two with Yunnan beer or tea shouldn't cost more than £10. Highly, highly recommended.

Set back from the road, Yunteng Shifu looks to be part of a posh housing estate. Look for the building with large gold characters down the side of it and stone steps leading up to the entrance.

Yunteng Hotel, 7 Donghuashi Beili Dongqu (bet. Chongwenmen Dongdajie & Donghuashi Dajie) Beijing, China 100019
Tel: 010-6713-6439
Nearest metro stations: Chongwenmen (line 5) or Beijing Train Station (line 2).

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The Anoki was voted one of the top 10 UK Indian restaurants; I have eaten in countless curry houses and this is deservedly acclaimed.
The service, food, decor and ambiance are all top notch. Go, you will not be disappointed, but book or you will not get in on many nights.

London Road, Derby

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Owned and run by an Italian, a little bit hard to find so ask for directions. It's near two very good cevicherias, one called Las Gemilitas and the other Meche, I think. All three worth trying out.

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A traditional taverna in the old town. No touting, no hard sell, just great food served by father and sons. Enclosed garden terrace with views. Reasonably priced with the best yigantes I have ever tasted!

Taverna Kostas
Pythagora 62
Old Town
Rhodes

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Amazing fish restaurant! Simply the best fish and shellfish I have ever eaten. Spectacular selection and reasonable prices. If you're looking for a treat though, head straight for L'Homard (lobster - grilled and served with a delicious cream and tarragon sauce). You are ushered to the 'Vivier' (literally 'live tank') with great ceremony to choose the lobster you wish to eat. A real performance - worth every euro (€12/100 grams in June 2008 - €55-60 for a typical lobster).

11 Quai de la Poitheviniere, 17410 Saint Martin de Re
Tel 05 46 09 20 55

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Phulwari, nestled behind a 19th Century gate close to Godaulia crossing, is popular with travellers - but beware - on a recent trip (June 2008) I got very ill after eating there, necessitating a long course of antibiotics.

Much better for pizza and Middle Eastern food is Hayat close to Assi ghat.

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I asked the guy at my hotel for a good restaurant, a place where locals go to, and he sent me to this place. It's near Rialto.

To be honest, we saw the queue and for a while we thought of not going in, but we waited (not for long, the service is very quick, maybe too quick) and the place was great. Fantastic food, good prices and a lot of locals.

Calle d. Madonna,San Polo 594
www.ristoranteallamadonna.com/

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Well above average Italian, breaks the usual tourist rule that if there is an English menu the food is downmarket - useful if you struggle with German vocab for food. Friendly English speaking staff.

Linzergasse 10, new town - river end of the street, just a doorway between shops

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Excellent family-run restaurant, serving a mixture of food that is both gastronomic and traditional. The restaurant is in an award-winning flowery village, and flowers, herbs and young shoots crop up throughout the dishes on the menu.

The very French chef has over 25 years cooking experience behind him, and his delightful and charming wife serves in the restaurant. A pleasurable experience all round, definitely one for the guidebooks.

Saint Fraimbault (www.saintfraimbault.com)
www.aupapillon.com

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We enjoyed dining at Manolo Caracol (casual, locally owned) and Astrid y Gaston (more formal, originated in Peru).

As for places to see, I recommend the Baha'i temple, walking in Soberania National Park, and visiting Miraflores Locks.

Astrid y Gaston: www.astridygaston.com
Bahai Organization: www.bahai.org
Miraflores locks: www.pancanal.com
Full trip report, with photos at www.travelmusings.net

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Dough is a restaurant in the leafy suburbs of Leeds. It has gone from strength to strength and is now considered among many Leeds diners to be one of the best restaurants in the county! It's small and intimate but this Parisian style bistro creates a fantastic atmosphere. The service is superb and laid-back. The food, however, is what really does the talking, with menus that change on every visit, food sourced only from the local region - apparently the chef has his own allotment that he uses produce from! As well as the quality of the food, the fact they allow customers to 'bring their own' while remaining fully licensed is a revelation in the industry, proving that not all businesses are just out to make a quick buck!

Address is 293 Spen Lane, Headingley, Leeds, LS16 5BD. Tel 0113 2787255. E-mail doughbistro@yahoo.co.uk. Nearest station is Headingley I presume.

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This is a fab little Cuban place in Ballsbridge. We took our children there early evening and the waiter was delightful, couldn't do enough to make us comfortable and well fed, and the other diners were graciously accommodating of the added fuss. Far more important - the food was fantastic, authentic Cuban grub, and the service duly attentive; and to boot the tab was very reasonable.

11 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin 4

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I visited Ireland recently and for a change we went to counties Carlow and Kilkenny, very nice as both are full of history and ruins. Easy access from Dublin (only one-hour drive to Kilkenny), Kilkenny castle is fantastic with lots of nice accommodation. I found a good restaurant especially if you're a beef eater. Enjoy...

www.butlercourt.com (guest house)
www.celticbedandbreakfast.com (B&B Carlow)
www.langtons.ie (restaurant Kilkenny)

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A blast from the British past - this Parsi cafe in the heart of Bombay's fort area not only serves excellent and cheap Parsi food, but is a relic from the days of the Raj. It caters to the needs of the office workers at lunchtime and tends to be very busy. No tourists to be seen here! The traditional patra ni macchi (a fish dish) is a must. For mains I had the lamb dhansak (not quite the same as what we get in Britain!) which is a delicious dish of lamb flavoured with apricots. Don't expect five-star service! This is a no frills place for the locals which serves up food that you'll struggle to find anywhere else in the world! Recommended for all you foodies out there.

Off Horniman circle, Opp State Bank, Fort, Bombay 400 023. It's a bit hard to find, ask the cabbie to take you to the front of the Bombay Stock exchange (BSE), right opp the entrance to the BSE you will see a lane called Green Lane - you'll find Jimmy Boys at the bottom of Green Lane. tel - (022) 2270 0880/ 2266 2503

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The Curry Corner is an excellent family-run Bangladeshi restaurant which has been established for more than 30 years. This restaurant is truly "in a league of its own". In my opinion The Curry Corner is better than leading Indian restaurants in London.

Shamsul and Saleha Krori first opened the doors to the The Curry Corner in 1977. From that date to the present they continue to personally cook everything on the menu. They only use best quality ingredients, (local as much as possible). Locally Sam is often called the Master of Spices - he crushes, grinds and blends his own spice.

The excellence of the restaurant is epitomised by its high quality food but certainly does not end there. To celebrate their 30th anniversary Shamsul and Saleha completely refurbished the restaurant. The new interior is fitting of Maharajas; palatial antique carvings, ruby silk walls and vintave sari bolsters have been used to create the most luxurious and realxing restaurant imaginable. The restaurant was designed by daughter Monrusha because she wanted to make the space a "Krori" family space in line with everything else, this from someone who is extremely busy in her career as a lawyer is indicative of the hands-on approach and pride the family take in running their restuarant.

Son Joshua is in charge of front of house, and he is nothing short of attentive and charming. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough, it is one that anyone who appreciates excellent food, service and ambience should try. My personal favourites from the menu include 16 spice masala, sweet Gloucestershire honey chicken, Goan tiger prawn and coconut curry with courgette flower. And do try any of the naan bread on offer and range of homemade fresh cream kulfis because it is all deliciously divine.

133 Fairview Road
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 2EX
01242 528449
info@thecurrycorner.com
www.thecurrycorner.com
Nearest station: Cheltenham spa

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Strange name... nice restaurant. The Wet Fish is a small intimate place that serves excellent mezze, tapas, great Turkish food and other Mediterranean fare. Seafood is a speciality. The range of Turkish dips and bread is rather nice. Also nice too are the prices, this is a cheap eating experience. The service is excellent.

Shop 12
427 Hampton St
Hampton 3188
(in Hampton Village)
ph 9533 1666
free parking out front

Google map: tinyurl.com/qy5zl8

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For a mere 15 bucks, this great place offers an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. What more can you say?

It tastes even better after partying until dawn in the Miami streets!

190 NE 46th Street, Miami, FL

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