WORLD FOOD
as i like food so much and like to travel, i thought i would see if this works....the most outstanding restaurants or types of food i have come accross from my travels......i'll list them in a sort of reverse chronological order of the countries I've been
USA
Florida: The are thousands of restaurants in America, but few really stand out. On of my favourites is The Fish House in Key Largo (MM 102, Oceanside on US1). It's always packed and has a great menu where you can choose the type of fish (grouper, snapper, mahi and even sometimes hogfish) and the style of cooking you want. My original fave was the Vera Cruz style (nice and spicy, in a tomato/jalapeno sauce over rice) but on my last trip it was no longer on the menu (hopefully it will return soon), so I opted for my Hog Fish to be cooked in a cajun sauce with a little blue cheese crumbled and melted on top. If you are in the Middle Keys (Marathon), then you should check out the Keys Fisheries on 35th Street - you sit outside looking at the boats in the marina while chomping down such wonderful things like lobster bisque or their famous lobster reuben which is big enough to share - especially if you go for a slice of Key Lime pie for desert. In Fort Lauderdale, was the best Indian I've found in the USA - Royal India (3801 Griffin Road about 2 miles from the I-95 - Griffin Road exit). When I worked in Miami we used to regularly make the 45 minute drive up to this restaurant for a decent curry, rather than have anything more local...and unlike many places in the US - if you ask for it hot, it comes out hot !
South America
Peru: Peru has outstanding seafood - its hard to go wrong with any restaurant. Be warned though that all the best places only open at lunchtime - by 5pm you cannot get a seafood meal in Peru! There are many excellent restaurants at amazingly cheap prices, but the outstanding one I found was "Pescado Capitales" (Av La Mar 1337, Miraflores, Lima)- the name is a play on words (Pescado=Fish, Pecado=Sin) and they have 7 signature dishes, named after the deadly sins....my favourites were glutony and infidelity. And bring a big appetite so you can go for the Octopus for starters - coated in olive oil and thrown on a grill (pulpo a la parilla)...you need a reservation and make it early for the best octopus ! The Peruvian cerviche (raw fish "cooked" in lime juice) is also excellent - very spicy as well !
Chile: Chile has amazing seafood - quite rightly so, with such a large coastline. My fave fish here is corvina (Chilean Sea Bass). From Mercado Central in downtown Santiago - a little touristy but cheap and good, to a few more out of the way places. A couple of notable seafoody entries - in Zappaller which is about 2 hours north of Santiago in a nice sandy bay is a restaraunt called Chiringuito - it is always full (and well worth the drive) and if you feel adventurous (as it is very hard to find) in El Tabo is a well hidden place Kaleuche - if you ask anyone in the town, they will know where it is. For people staying in Santiago there is a cool bar/restaurant area called Bella Vista, a block with really nice places. Of these, my fave was Etniko (Constitucion 172). No sign outside, so if you know where it is you knock on the door and they see if you're cool enough. Pan-Asian restaraunt-bar with cool music a DJ and fashion-model waitresses. It has a bar area with a tree growing in the middle - a place where the young richer trendy and beautiful people hang out. You would definately need a reservation at the weekend. Another notable place in Bella Vista included Como Agua Para Chocolate,( Constitución 88), named after the book. If there are 4 of you, phone in advance for a reservation, and see if you can get the table that is made from a bed !
Brazil: Brazil is well known for the Churrascurrias (BBQ) restaurants where and endless stream of waiters come to your table offering different types of meet, cut off a small piece, then another waiter arrives with something different. To stop the pile of meats growing quicker than you can eat it, simply turn over the little green "Go" card to the red "Stop" side.....then after a few deep breaths and loosening your belt buckle another notch, just start again - Green for Go. In the north east of Brazil, lies the historic city of Salvador - the captial of the state of Bahia - you will find Bahian cuisine. Try Moqueca de camarao (shrimp) or mixto (mixed shrimp and fish)- a spicy seafood stew cooked in coconut milk and palm oil. In Salvador, the best moqueca can be found in Yemanjá on the Orla.
Europe
Well, despite being European, can't really put much in this section as I am rarely back apart from brief trips around Christmas. But in general, for someone visiting the UK, the one type of food you must try (apart from Fish and Chips on a cold rainy day at the beach) is Curry. London has more Inidan restaraunts the New Dheli....and yes, ours are better ! Whether you are after something mild, like a tandori chicken or tika masala, or go for something with a bit of fire like the jalfreizi or vindaloo, you will enjoy it (but maybe not the next morning).
Asia
Most of my Asian time was spent in Hong Kong, a vibrant city where you can find food from every corner of the earth and to suit every price range. I can't really state one restaurant that stands out as the diversity is so great - From the trendy SoHo area just up the hill from LangKwai Fong to the floating restaraunts in Aberdeen Harbor - also don't miss the cheaper and great restaraunts on the outlying islands of Lama and Cheung Chau...of course there are the endless little cafes where the food is cheap, plentiful and good (but they don't speak English and no English menus) - dont you wish you were better at chirades - or at least practice the chicken dance before entering....if lots of people are eating there, the food is probably good, but follow the suit of the locals, wash your chopsticks in the free tea they give you !