Places & spots
Food notes from places that stuck with me. Pick a continent or explore the map; more spots will land here over time.
Nothing here yet — I would love to visit this region soon and add a few spots.
New York · Korean fried chicken
Great vibes — stylish, lively, and clearly a hotspot. The chicken nuggets with caviar was super flashy and memorable, but honestly a bit over the top. Chicken leaned slightly dry, and the triple-fry texture wasn’t really my preference. Fun experience overall, but more about the hype and atmosphere than a perfect fried chicken spot.
Kuala Lumpur · Steakhouse
Genuinely a world-class restaurant. The steaks are exceptional — perfectly cooked, top-quality cuts, and clearly handled with real precision. Service is polished without being stiff, and the staff make the whole experience feel effortless. Add in the views over Kuala Lumpur and it becomes one of those rare places where everything just works. Hard to fault at all — a true fine dining experience.
Kuala Lumpur · Troika Sky Dining
Amazing food with bold, well-executed flavours, incredible city views, excellent and attentive service, and a lively, energetic ambience all come together to create a consistently memorable dining experience. It’s the kind of place where everything feels cohesive and elevated, from the atmosphere to the pacing of the meal, without anything feeling out of place or overdone.
Sydney · Modern Australian seafood
Brilliant views, great food, and a warm, welcoming touch from a lovely chef all come together for a relaxed but memorable dining experience.
Sydney · Japanese
Small, intimate omakase experience that felt very personal from the moment we sat down. The tempura was a standout — light, precise, and beautifully executed — and the whole meal had that sense of quiet attention to detail you’d want from a first omakase. It was simple, refined, and very well done.
Sydney · Steakhouse
A place I kept coming back to, mainly for its simplicity and consistency. The menu was straightforward in the best way, and the steak was cooked perfectly for the price point — great value without trying to overcomplicate anything.
Sydney · Buffet dining
A must-visit buffet in Sydney that I keep coming back to. The seafood is genuinely unparalleled in freshness and variety, and the overall spread feels consistently high-end rather than typical buffet quality. The Peking duck is a standout and absolutely worth getting, and the dessert selection is just as strong — easily rounding out the experience.
Sydney · Middle Eastern
One of the best culinary experiences in Australia, with a refined blend of Middle Eastern and Australian influences that feels both modern and cohesive. The food is consistently thoughtful and well-executed, and the menu has a strong sense of identity without being overcomplicated. The decor is equally impressive — elegant, atmospheric, and polished, making the entire experience feel elevated from start to finish.
Sydney · Japanese
A refined omakase experience led by an expert chef, where precision and technique are on full display. Each course feels carefully considered, with a strong sense of balance and restraint throughout the meal. It’s the kind of place where you can’t really go wrong — consistently polished, subtle, and deeply satisfying from start to finish.
Sydney · Steakhouse
A grand, large-scale steakhouse done properly, with a strong focus on premium cuts and consistency. The menu offers an impressive range of steaks, all handled with precision, and the quality is reliably high across the board. Service matches the setting — polished, attentive, and professional — making it feel like a true flagship dining experience in Sydney.
Sapporo · Conveyor belt sushi
Unparalleled sushi and the long lines make sense the moment the food arrives. Incredible quality at prices that feel almost too good for what you get. A special thanks to Hideyuki for turning the standing table into a private chef experience — one of the most memorable meals I've had in Sapporo and I kept coming back for good reason.
Mount Gambier · Modern Australian
Incredible food in an equally incredible venue. Quiet, personal and deeply local, with hospitality that makes the whole experience feel special rather than rushed. Finished off with some complimentary focaccia too — a perfect touch at the end of a great meal.
Sydney · Modern Italian
Great food with portions that feel just right. Lovely decor and interior throughout, and the set menu keeps things simple without sacrificing quality. Very good value for what you get.
Sydney · Steakhouse
The owners clearly know exactly what they're doing. A steakhouse tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet serving meats that somehow feel a level above. The biggest surprise was seeing it absolutely packed despite being hidden in the middle of the industrial part of Marrickville — usually a good sign you're onto something special.
Sydney · Japanese
Simple, cheap, and effective. I’ve been coming here my whole life, and it’s a bit of a hill I’ll die on: a true gem in the middle of Chatswood. Great value across the board, especially the bento-style boxes — two chicken katsu pieces in their sushi rolls, just the right amount of sauce, fat tempura prawns and consistently better prices and selection than Sushi Hub.
Sydney · Chinese noodles
A new hidden gem in 2025 and already rivaling the status of Tamon. Free plum juice on arrival, a loyalty program that actually feels rewarding, and noodles that are genuinely incredible. Prices stay affordable despite the quality, and even the free refills go untouched because the portions are already massive. It’s the kind of place you can’t really go wrong with — though somehow you still end up biting your lip every time because it’s just that good.
Sydney · Japanese
A nice, authentic and slightly upscale Japanese restaurant that feels polished without being over the top. You really can’t go wrong with the basics here, even if nothing in particular steals the show. The standout was the popcorn lobster — simple, well-executed, and easily the most memorable part of the meal.
Sydney · Japanese
A super upscale Japanese dining spot right in the heart of the city. Everything leans Japanese, but elevated: refined presentation, polished execution, and a distinctly modern fine-dining feel without losing its roots.
Sydney · Japanese
Really special service, with a great selection of Japanese dishes and a touch of fusion woven through the menu. You can’t go wrong with the basics here, and the venue and location make the whole experience feel even more polished and enjoyable.
Sydney · Japanese
A very upscale dining experience with an amazing set menu that really shows attention to detail. Beautiful presentation across every course, and food that matches the elegance of the setting. Fancy, refined, and consistently impressive from start to finish.
Sydney · Chinese
Another cheap-eats hidden gem in Chatswood and a hill worth dying on. Arguably the best malatang around, with unbeatable $1 rice and a peanut sauce that no other place seems able to replicate. Super affordable, super local, and always packed — the kind of place that quietly outperforms much fancier spots.
Sydney · Cafe dining
Easily one of the best cafés in Eastwood. Korean-inspired twists on familiar café dishes, and everything lands well — from pastas to wraps, there’s very little that goes wrong here. The drinks menu is just as strong, and it’s almost always packed for a reason: consistent, approachable, and reliably satisfying.
London · Modern British
A world-renowned restaurant with inventive, high-quality food and a consistently lively, busy atmosphere that feels energetic from the moment you walk in. The dishes are creative and well-executed, making it easy to see why it has such a strong reputation. That said, the service can feel a bit uneven at times, which slightly takes away from an otherwise excellent dining experience.
A running Google Maps list of (almost) every restaurant I have visited. Open the full list on Google Maps or explore a curated selection of highlights from my culinary journey.