Benoit Tokyo (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Benoit Tokyo is run by Alain Ducasse, one of the genii of modern French cuisine. The restaurant is conveniently situated in the Aoyama district near the popular Omotesando station.

Our first impression of Benoit was a good one to start. Decorations were primarily classic European themed with a casual and relaxed bistro-style flavor. The restaurant is divided into two stories. The elevator at the lobby connects directly to the lower level of the two floors which includes the reception and bar area. Diners can enjoy a drink or two while waiting for their tables to be ready. Up the staircase leads to the upper level, where the dining room is situated.

We began our lunch with two wonderfully prepared starters including an escargot and a spider crab two ways. It was nice to see some Japanese inspired techniques being incorporated into some of these dishes (for example, the steamed egg with spider crab meat).




Our appetizers were followed by two main courses which turned out to be even better. First up was a baked lobster in Newburg sauce. That was mouthwatering and undisputedly the best dish of this lunch.

Roasted black pork from Kagoshima was the other main course. It was unbelievably tender although they could have done a better job with the sauce.

A nicely poached pear brought an end to a satisfying lunch. I think what separated this with our experience from other French restaurants in Tokyo was the relaxing and bistro-like environment. We did't need to get too up tight at all.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: La Porte Aoyama 10F, 5-51-8 Jingumae Shibuya-ku Tokyo, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Omotesando

Website: www.benoit-tokyo.com/en/index.html

View Larger Map

Dazzle (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Tokyo is a foodie's haven that never seems to disappoint. In search of a hidden gem in the heart of Ginza, we managed to unearth this gem inside the Mikimoto Tower called Dazzle during our most recent trip.

Dazzle is a small fine dining restaurant located on the eighth and ninth floor of the Mikimoto Tower 2. The beautifully decorated interior lives up its name with some of the flashiest design including Swarovski Crystal lamps, giant glass walled wine cellar etc. 

After arriving at the restaurant's entrance on the eighth floor, we were immediately greeted by a gentleman who showed us the way to a private elevator that would send us to the ninth floor dining room. When the elevator door re-opened on the ninth floor, there he was again, the same gentleman (or his twin brother) waiting there to greet us. That was simply outstanding service (or blazing speed) !



Our much anticipated dinner started off on the wrong foot with a disappointing dish of pan seared foie gras that was served with French mushrooms and crispy chestnut.

Very filthy and the texture very much like a puree...



Fast forward to the main course, here's the best dish of the night - Linguini with Japanese spiny lobster and sea urchin. The linguini was almost perfectly al dente while being further enriched by the fresh sea urchin.



Dessert again failed to impress. My tiramisu was quite neatly presented but somehow it tasted more like a chocolate brownie! 

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: Mikimoto Ginza 8/F & 9/F, 2-4-12 Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Tel: +81 3 5159-0991

Closest Metro Station: Ginza Itchome

Website: www.restaurant-dazzle.com/

View Larger Map

Ristorante Alla Rampa (Rome, ITALY) ★★★★☆

Located just a stone's throw from the Spanish Steps, Ristorante Alla Rampa serves up specialty pastas like penne Alla Rampa with Gruyère and spinach Ravioli with Ricotta. The restaurant has been around for nearly 40 years and is most famous for their homemade pastas. That's where we were heading for dinner tonight.

Despite being on a weeknight, the place was fully packed indoor so we ended up sitting in the patio right next to the staircase to the Spanish Steps.



They have an extensive chef's recommendation list here at Ristorante Alla Rampa and we wasted no time dipping into this list. First up was this lovely dish of risotto in creamy scampi sauce.


 
Equally impressive was their rabbit with polenta Tuscany style. The sauce with white wine provided the perfect finishing touch.

   

We were so full but how could we leave without trying their house specialty, tiramisu which they called their "Lift me up" here.

This interpretation of tiramisu looked very different from what we were accustomed to but don't be fooled by the look because it's "out of this world" good.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: €€€

Address: Piazza Mignanelli, 18, Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 6782621
Website: www.allarampa.it/home.php?language=English



View Larger Map

Emperador (Barcelona, SPAIN) ★★★☆☆

La Barceloneta is best known for its sandy beach and beach-side cafes, restaurants and nightclubs. It's one of the most sought-after tourist attractions in Barcelona especially during the summer.

We spent some time walking along the beach before finding Emperador besides the beautifully restored Catalan History Museum building. Looked like a perfect place to spend our last supper in Barcelona.

 

We decided to sit at the outdoor patio for its lovely view of the old port and the yacht club.



The food menu at Emperador mainly focused on fish and seafood with an added Mediterranean spin. But after having already eaten seafood on consecutive days, I decided to have a piece of grilled steak with some French fries instead.

 

The other main course was a grilled lobster with some bomba rice.



One last Catalan Cream before we called it the night. This one tasted a lot more like the French crème brûlée with the sugar glaze.



Forget about the food, this place is solely for tourists who just couldn't get enough of the beach!

Food Rating: 3.5/10
Price: €€€

Address: Plaça de Pau Vila, 1, 08039 Barcelona, Spain
Closest Metro Station: Barceloneta
Tel: +34 932 210220

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba (Barcelona, SPAIN) ★★★☆☆

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba (or bbrb) is a paella specialty cafe and restaurant located near the pedestrian street of Passeig de Gràcia. There are a number of different paellas in different sizes to choose from. We were glad that we have picked this seafood paella - it's delicious and the portion (including the scampi, prawns and mussels) was generous.



We had the opportunity to visit the Sagrada Familia, Casa Milàa, Casa Batlló and Park Güell after the meal. It's almost time to leave Barcelona and head to our next destination (Rome). Perhaps one day if I could forget about that robbery on our first night, we could come back to Spain for a more in-depth visit.


 

Food Rating: 4/10
Price: €€

Address: Passeig de Gracia 28, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Closest Metro Station: Passeig de Gràcia
Tel: +34 933 022129
Website: www.restaurantebbrb.com

Tapa Tapa (Barcelona, SPAIN) ★☆☆☆☆

Our Barcelona trip has got off to a painful start. Following a flight delay from London, we were robbed in the subway station on our way to our hotel in central Barcelona. As a result, we had to spend almost the entire second day in Barcelona at the police station giving our report.

And when everything was said and done, it was almost time for an early dinner. Tapa Tapa on Passeig de Gracia 44 was chosen for no particular reason other than the fact that we were just in the neighbourhood.

As the name would suggest, this is a Spanish tapas restaurant serving some 30+ tapas including some of the most popular ones such as bravas, croquette etc.




First, a trio of tapas including croquettes, a small paella with mussels and a bowl of small Spanish snails. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood after the robbery so everything seemed bland and tasteless at this point.



Catalan Cream was the only dish that managed to put a smile back on my face again. It's really just the Spanish version of the French crème brûlée but it's a little sweeter.



Running a little low on cash and with my credit cards all stolen, I think I probably need to cut back on my dining expenses now.

Food Rating: 3/10
Price: €€

Address: Passeig de Gracia 44, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Closest Metro Station: Passeig de Gràcia
Tel: +34 934 883369
Website: www.tapataparestaurant.es

Maze (London, UNITED KINGDOM) ★★☆☆☆

This is our first look at Maze, the crown jewel of the Gordon Ramsay empire at Grosvenor Square. After capturing its first Michelin star, Maze was named 55th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine this year so they've been on a great run so far. The success of Maze is largely credited to Head Chef Jason Atherton who is one of the fastest rising stars in the food scene of London in recent years. That got us all hyped up for this dinner.

A contemporary decor along with dim lighting provided the perfect setting for a romantic fine dining experience. Right? Wrong. While the service team managed to hold their own, the kitchen did not. There were a few decent dishes in the mix but throughout the night, there was a recurring theme of over-seasoning with the majority of dishes. The overall dining experience failed miserably to live to expectation.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ££££

Address: 10-13 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London, UK 
Closest Tube Station: Bond Street
Website: www.gordonramsay.com/maze
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 55th (2007)



View Larger Map

Top Cloud (Seoul, KOREA) ★★★☆☆

We were supposed to come here for the view but to our mismay, it turned out not to be as good as advertised. So we decided to turn our attention to their food.

The set dinner was conducted in a relaxed semi-buffet format. They had an all-you-can-eat appetizer bar while the main course was a one out of two choice (1 - grilled sirloin steak ; 2 - grilled prawn and cuttlefish steak in a garlic sauce).

Unfortunately, the sirloin steak was average at best. The cuttlefish steak fared a bit better but still major improvements were required if Top Cloud was to consider itself as a top-tier restaurant in town.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 1-1 Jongno 2(i)-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Jonggak
Tel: +82 2-2198-3300

Website: www.topcloud.co.kr

Amici (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★☆☆

Amici by Pomodoro is touted as an Italian restaurant that offers authentic Italian dishes to customers who's looking for a real Italian food experience in Bangkok.



Located on the ground level of Siam Paragon Shopping Center, the two-storey dining area is well-lit and airy with the super high ceiling.



I started off with a bacon wrapped scallops which was served with a small garden green. It's a little weird that the scallops all came with very different sizes and shapes.



Pasta dish was a scampi spaghetti tossed in a spicy tomato sauce. I think they have probably added a little Thai twist to the dish by putting in some Thai spices to enrich the taste. It's a fairly decent dish but the portion could certainly be more generous.




Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: ฿฿฿
Address: G/F, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Siam
Tel: +66 (0) 2129-4331-2
Website: www.pomodorogroup.co.th

Sirocco (Bangkok, THAILAND) ★★★★☆

There are quite a number of rooftop restaurants in Bangkok but Sirocco at Lebua State Tower definitely tops it all with the best view and service, hands down.

Taking the BTS from Siam and after a comfortable 20-25 minute ride, I finally arrived at the waterfront station of Saphan Taksin. This is where you wait for the river ferry to go across the harbour. Turning the opposite direction onto a main road called Charoen Krung Road and walked another 15 minutes or so, there she was - Lebua State Tower on the right side of the road.  

I must admit walking through the Chinese market on Charoen Krung Road and seeing the aging paints on the exterior walls of the State Tower got me worried a little when I first got there. The building looked like an abandoned warehouse from the look of it but it was a tale of two cities the moment I stepped through the main entrance.

Unfortunately Sirocco was not open until 6pm so I had another 30 minutes to kill. Instead of just sitting around, I decided to visit Breeze, the hotel's Chinese restaurant situated right underneath Sirocco.



Breeze boasts pretty much the same view as Sirocco upstairs. You could see how the Lebua State Tower towers above all neighbouring architectures from 62th floor here.



30 minutes breezed by very quickly and it's time for Sirocco to shine. And there it was, a breathtaking view of the river from the top of the tower.



...and the city of Bangkok all in a glance. No wonder everyone is saying this is the place to be for al fresco dining in Bangkok. 

Don't expect too much from the food here though. They are overpriced and you could never get your money's worth.

But despite the quality of the food, this was one of the best dining experience I had in Bangkok for a long time. I will definitely be back!

Food Rating: 3/10
Price: ฿฿฿฿
Address: State Tower 63th Floor The Dome at Lebua, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Closest BTS Station: Saphan Taksin
Tel: +66 2 624 9555
Website: www.lebua.com/sirocco



View Larger Map