Lok Hau Fook
In the ‘60s and ’70s, when Kowloon City was the hub of Chiu chow cuisine in Hong Kong, Lok Hau Fook was favored by influential characters from politicians to triad leaders. Movie scenes were even filmed here. While it’s somewhat quieter since the airport’s relocation in 1998, Lok Hau Fook is still the place to go for authentic Chiu chow food. Among the restaurant’s classic dishes is the mixed braised platter (pork, goose, duck, tofu and more), oyster pancake, and Chiu chow fried thin-rice noodle. It’s also well-known for its superior broths – so it might be worth trying its shark’s fin soup. Whatever you do, don’t miss the Shí Liu chicken, one of Lok Hau Fook’s signature dishes. Inside these little parcels you’ll find finely chopped chicken, Jinhua ham, Chinese mushroom and bamboo shoots. Each one is hand-finished with a chive tie.

Cook Market
This chocolate pie is the one to die for in Caracas. Its delicious, buttery and flaky baked crust is topped with an exquisite dark chocolate cream. The chocolate is dark but not too bitter and full of fruity flavors. Cook Market is a takeaway gourmet store, where ceviches, pasta, seafood and meats always seem to be prepared with grandmother recipes. There are three small tables where you can enjoy a coffee or a fresh lunch.

Elk Espresso
Elk Espresso wins friends, first of all, for being a world away from slick modern cafés of Broadbeach. Once an unremarkable shop, it is now a minimalist shopfront overseen by the stencil of a giant elk standing in splendor on the distressed paint wall. There’s a rough but timeless elegance that says “I dare to be different.” The well-chosen eclectic menu is rustic and retro with a modern twist. Changing with the seasons, brunch standouts include a completely gluten- and dairy-free passion fruit and coconut breakfast panna cotta with granola, summer fruits and cinnamon yogurt. Whether you stop in for an early morning breakfast, leisurely brunch or a decadent afternoon tea, Elk has a welcoming charisma all its own, calling you off the beach to the fern forest beyond.

Santo Bokado
Arepas are always made with corn dough, baked or fried and filled with various ingredients or stews. At Santo Bokado, a restaurant that opened its doors only a few months ago at Altamira Village, a trendy gourmet mall, their flavorful japo arepitas became famous immediately. These “little arepas" are made with the usual crunchy corn dough, but fried in tempura and filled with wakame mixed with traditional reina pepiada, a common stew made with chicken, mayonnaise, petit pois and avocado. Japo arepitas can be dipped in a jelly made with "ají dulce," a unique sweet pepper that grows only in Venezuela.

Nobelhart & Schmutzig
The one-Michelin-starred restaurant by celebrity sommelier Billy Wagner and chef Micha Schäfer is one of the most unconventional and exciting fine-dining experiences Berlin has ever seen. Using regional produce only, Chef Schäfer completely refrains from using ingredients like lemon, pepper or olive oil. All diners are seated around the massive bar that stretches around the open kitchen and the entire meal is cooked in front of your eyes. Signature dishes include burnt leek in lamb broth with onions or local fish with pickled dandelion buds.

The Holy Donut
The potato doughnuts at Holy Donut are made from scratch with all-natural ingredients like real Maine blueberries. The line's always out the door at this little shop and the various daily flavors are good. But do not miss the bacon cheddar! The fluffy potato doughnut is filled with bacon bits and cheddar cheese for the ultimate savory treat!

Scratch Baking Co.
New York and Montreal can keep arguing who among them has the better bagel, but the best bagel ever is to be found in Maine. This tiny bakery in Portland bakes their bagels every morning using a 13-year-old sourdough starter. Locals and tourists alike line up early in the morning. Come late, and they're gone!

Bravo African Restaurant
There's nothing dainty about Senegalese sauces. Consider "sauce feuille," a general name for hearty leaf-based stews prepared throughout French-speaking West Africa. Typically such dishes are fattened with palm oil and, to a lesser extent, with peanut. At Bravo, these accent but don't overwhelm the chopped, stewed cassava leaves. Especially when spooned over a broad plate of white rice, the leafy sauce is often rich and filling enough to be a meal in itself. Inevitably, however, a sauce feuille is plump with meat, too. This one shrouds numerous chunks of beef and the mild-tasting fish called croaker. (True, it's hard to tell which is which till you take a bite.) At most West African restaurants, a sauce feuille will be served only for lunch, which is just as well. On a full belly, you'll have time for a much-needed afternoon nap.

Red Door Bakery
Red Door Bakery is a must-visit just to devour one of their flaky and delicious sausage rolls or their famous creme brulee tarts. Worth every tingly sweet hint on the palate, the sausage roll pastry is perfection. Golden, buttery and flaky. And with every bite, it crumbles as the layers are so light and delicate. The piping hot filling of pork meat and sage is incredibly flavorful and juicy, which complements the buttery pastry well. Then, of course, there is that spoonful of sweetness and chilli punch from the chilli jam. That stuff is a winner! You can even purchase jars of chilli jam in store and secretly eat the good stuff by the spoonful in the comfort of your own home. They create other deliciousness in the form of pizzas, sandwiches and croissants, all of which is made by hand using the best quality ingredients available.

KoKyu Na'Mean
The sandwiches have great depth for omnivores and vegetarians as the menu is almost split half and half. Each sandwich comes with a free side, which includes Furikake Potato Chips, Spicy Kimchi Cucumbers, Ginger Roasted Brassicas and Gamja potato salad. The sandwiches are an American take on Korean Banh Mi, a Korean-style sandwich served on a roll that has a crusty outside and soft inside. Na' Mean relies heavily on pork in all its incarnations and adds sauces to each that are delicious and creative. I also got to try the Ko'boy, which is jumbo coconut shrimp, except the coconut shavings are the size of corn flakes and it even has pickled onions. Delish!