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How to order wine There’s quantum physics, and then there’s ordering wine in a new country in a different language. Sometimes, it’s just best to leave it to the experts. When I ask the sommelier for a wine to match my river trout at a country estate in Alsace, he pours a lovely, good-value riesling that dances in the glass. I expect a long sermon on provenance and malolactic fermentation, but instead, he points to the rows of vines on the north-facing slopes beyond the garden. “It’s from there,” he says. Both trout and wine are as native as the munster cheese, served with caraway seeds (it’s an Alsace thing), and it feels like the most natural pairing in the world. If in doubt, ask for a wine that best reflects its place of origin, which is hopefully where you are, and don’t be shy about stating a ballpark budget. Ask to see the bottle even if it is poured only by the glass and take a discreet photo of the label for future reference. If you have developed certain preferences, such as a low tolerance for oak or a love of organic wines, now is the time to say. Dress to impress You can bluff your way into fancy hotels and popular restaurants by dressing smartly. (One restaurant manager I know always judges people on the quality of their shoes and allocates them to good and bad tables accordingly.) It doesn’t have to be fashionable designer gear, but something that gives you confidence and presence. For years, I had hippy-length hair and a scruffy disposition, but when I wore the one velvet jacket I owned, I could get in anywhere. When to eat oysters In the northern hemisphere, tradition dictates oysters should only be eaten in the months containing the letter “r”, from September to April. In other words, avoid the hot summer months of June, July and August when oysters can spawn and lose condition. In Australia, you can safely ignore that. Sydney Rock Oysters are available year-round, with peaks from September to March, although most oyster lovers prefer the flintier, less salty flavour available in autumn and winter. North of the equator, from Europe and America to Japan, remember your “r”s. And book yourself in for a tasting of the finest oysters in the world (outside Australia) at Gillardeau, on the Ile de Re in Normandy, or at the venerable Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill in London. Know when and when not to tip In a New York restaurant, you are expected to leave a tip of 20 per cent of the total bill – in some cases, 25 per cent. In France, a service charge is automatically added to your bill. In cafes and bars, just leaving some change is enough of a gesture of thanks. In Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Denmark, tipping is not mandatory, and can be considered offensive; turning an intrinsic act of hospitality into a transaction. (Sometimes, it is a transaction, like the time I had to tip three different bellhops just to get my suitcase from the cab to the front desk of the hotel.) If you’re unsure, always check with your hotel before you head out to dine. How to nail your restaurant list Got the flights booked? Book the restaurants next, then the hotels. Talk to friends who travel, go through the relevant guides, read local food bloggers, and put together a long list, then cross-reference to reduce it to a short list. For top-end restaurants, the online Michelin Guide is very useful. If you’re after the bragging rights of going to the hottest restaurants in the world, head for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants site. World of Mouth is an under-the-radar restaurant app that chefs swear by. Note that some of the most ordinary eating places in the world are featured on TikTok. Once you’re on the ground, keep your eyes peeled and your nose ready to pick up good cooking smells. Stroll through street markets and chat to people when you can. Ask any hospitality people – a good waiter, a chef, or staff in wine boutiques and cheese shops – for their tips. When in doubt, don’t try to bluff Instead of pretending to know what you are doing, seek help. People love to help. Ask what to do, how and when to do it, and you will learn something. Leave your pride, ego and dignity at the door, and be humble enough to immerse yourself in the mysteries of a different culture and space. It might change you. Or just bluff, and use this bucket list Here are 10 restaurants that are the best of their kind and that will give you an experience so immersed in their own culture, you could not possibly be anywhere else. I recommend them without reservation – the only problem being, you will need reservations. The Chairman, Hong Kong A tasting menu with built-in surprises that celebrates the timeless artistry of classic Cantonese cuisine.Order Whole steamed groper with mandarin peel and salted lard, and sweet and sour pig’s tails. See thechairmangroup.com Asador Etxebarri, Bizkaia, Spain Bittor (Victor) Arguinzoniz cooks baby eels, sea cucumber and Palamos prawns over the coals of specific types of wood in this elegant yet humble dining destination in Basque country.Order Aged beef chop, reduced milk ice-cream with beetroot juice. See asadoretxebarri.com Sushi Saito, Tokyo, Japan A serene eight-seat omakase counter renowned for its delicate, precise nigiri sushi. Takashi Saito turns dinner into a masterclass of craft with fresh and aged fish.Order Hokkaido sea urchin, fat-marbled otoro belly tuna. See theworlds50best.com Maido, Lima, Peru Chef Mitzuharu (Micha) Tsumura’s hot spot captured the top spot at the 2025 World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in June, for its party-time Nikkei (Japanese/Peruvian) cuisine.Order Sudado (black cod stew), sea urchin rice, 50-hour beef short rib. See maido.pe Atomix, New York, US Ellia and Junghyou Park have shone a spotlight on Korean American dining at its most refined, using set menus dictated by the seasons.Order Oiji muchim (spicy cucumber salad), jellyfish with pine nut milk, langoustine with kim chi glaze. See atomixnyc.com Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo In a magnificent setting within the historic Hotel de Paris (a trip in itself), Alain Ducasse gives new relevance to the grandeur and extravagance of classic and coastal French cuisine.Order Provencal artichokes with sea anemone, burrata and caviar; spit-roasted Quercy lamb with courgette and fennel leaf. See montecarlosbm.com/en Amisfield Restaurant, Lake Hayes, New Zealand Chef Vaughan Mabee upends the traditional winery restaurant by hunting, shooting and fishing his way to dinner. His food is a theatrical but always meaningful expression of the immediate landscape and its inhabitants.Order Baby paua; wild boar mortadella on blood crumpet with liver butter. See amisfield.co.nz The Ledbury, London, England Australian-born Brett Graham’s refined Notting Hill restaurant has finally received a three-Michelin star rating (about time, too) for the refinement of its menu and the warmth of the dining experience.Order Lobster, sancho pepper and morel mushrooms, hay-aged Anjou pigeon with Mirabelle plum, aubergine and fig. See theledbury.com Francescana at Casa Maria Luigia, Modena, Italy Mercurial chef Massimo Bottura rose to the top of the tree by reinventing the classics and having fun with it at Modena’s Osteria Francescana. Now you can try his iconic dishes (and Sunday brunch) at its countryside sibling, charmingly located within an art-filled 12-room boutique hotel, Casa Maria Luigia.Order The Crunchy Part of The Lasagne; Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart. See casamarialuigia.com Makris, Athens, Greece Athens is filled with dynamic street food and a new generation of neo-tavernas that bring Greek food to life. Chef-to-watch Petros Dimas aims higher, offering an elevated gastronomic experience rooted in Greek tradition and inspired by the plants grown at his family’s farm.Order Hellenic blue crab tartlet, sea bass with Aegean seaweed, lamb with wild herbs from Crete. See makrisathens.com
