Aberdeen

• Rustico 62, Union Row, Aberdeen AB10 1SA, tel. 01224 658444. An unexpected treasure: genuinely different, interesting Italian food from the south - not the stale formulae found so often - made with the correct regional ingredients. Best be hungry too: the portions are substantial. Short but worthy wine list. Google maps.
• Manchurian 136 Causewayend, Aberden AB25 3TN, tel. 01224 645 222/226. Be sure to look at the more detailed CN/EN menu - ask for it if necessary - rather than the brief glossy one that is probably intended for Western readers. There is much more to choose from, including some really interesting and - for me - novel dishes, such as unusual vegetables and even stir-fried tripe with chiles and black beans. Google maps.

Amsterdam

• De Brakke Grond Nes 43, 1012 KD Amsterdam, tel: 020-626.00.44. Upstairs at the Flemish Cultural Centre. Attempts to reproduce dishes from some of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Belgium. Vision and execution don't quite meet, but nevertheless, worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood.
• Kantijl Spuistraat 291-293, 1012 VS Amsterdam, tel: 020-620.09.94. Good - busy! - Indonesian restaurant. Revisited 20090217: still reasonable but not so exciting. Perhaps better to choose your own dishes that to take the rijstafel set menus.
• Cafe Pacifico Warmoesstraat 31. Probably 1012 as well. Not markedly different from the London business. Pleasant without being that remarkable.
• Zina Bosboom Toussaintstraat 70, 1054 AV Amsterdam, tel 020 - 489 37 07. Closed Mondays. Pleasantly off the tourist track in a quiet part of town about 10 mins walk from Museumplein. Maroccan and Tunisian prepared to a high standard. Wine list short but well chosen. Offers a couple (each) of Maroccan and Tunisian wines. Last visit September 2007. Revisited 20090220: standard remains high and well worth the visit. Expect ca. EUR50/person for three courses with wine.
• Simpel Ferdinand Bolstraat 11, 1072 LA Amsterdam. Tel 020-672 0 672. WWW: www.simpelonline.nl. Fairly imaginative and well-presented food of no particular origin. Service slow, but perhaps that is because we were in a corner. Restrained decor. Last visit July 2008. Thanks to Thomas Quillinan.
• Lieve Herengracht 88, 1015 BS Amsterdam. Tel 020-624 96 35. WWW: www.restaurantlieve.nl. A Belgian restaurant offering several interesting options including sharing menus and gastronomic menus, wine packages (a glass of wine paired with each dish) and beer packages (likewise). Varied and imaginitive menu with several novel vegetarian options. Reservation recommended. Visited 20090224.

Barcelona

• Acontraluz calle Milanesado 19, Barcelona 08017. Tel: 203 06 58. Tres Torres area just off via Augusta. I was not so taken on the first visit (ca. 1999), but trying again recently, I was very impressed. Decor cool -- somtimes you feel restaurants in Barcelona are more concerned about the style than the food! -- but the food is well up to standard, while being quite reasonably priced. My choice may have been rather conventional, but I had a sublime roasted leg of goat, while a colleague found that his duck with codonyat of pumpkin was good, but the codonyat was too sweet. Last visit 2002. Visited again in 2003: confirmed as one of my preferred eating places in Barcelona.
• Jean Luc Figueras carrer Santa Teresa 10, Barcelona 08012. Just above and to the right of where Diagonal intersects Passeig de Gracia. Tel: 415 28 77. Fax: 218 92 62. Two Michelin stars. Menú de degustación, ca. ESP 8000.
• Mey Hofmann Argenteria (Platería 74-78, Barcelona 08003. Tel 319 58 82/89. Fax: 319 58 89. Restaurant attached to a cookery school. Specialize in architectural desserts - you have to order them at the same time as your first and second course to allow preparation time.
• 7 Portes Paseo de Isabel II 14, Barcelona 08003. Tel: 319 30 33/319 29 50. Fax: 319 30 46. Classic catalan. Noted for their arroz negro.
• Quatre Barres carrer Quintana 6 Barcelona 08002. Hard to find. I always go from Plaza Real out of the top right hand corner (ie. away from the sea) and it's on the left hand side in the second or third block, between Ferran and Boqueria. Tel: 302 50 60. No reservations, no credit cards and only one sitting. Classic catalan.
• Zure Etxea carrer Jordi Girona Salgado 10, Barcelona 08034. Tel: 203 83 90. Fax: 280 31 46. Basque.
• Petit Paris carrer Paris ?? - just below Diagonal about 500 metres or more from the junction with Passeig de Gracia. Small - booking essential - and of a high standard.
• Talaia carrer Marina 16, 080005 Barcelona (Port Olimpíc). Tel: 221 90 90. Fax: 221 89 89. Was stunning in September 1997 - as inspired, if not more, than Jean Luc Figueras - but I believe it may have changed owners since then.
• Casa Rita Avinguda Aragón (??) - about halfway up Passeig de Gracia on the right, probably before you reach the dragon house (on the left). No contact information. "Market" food (eg. calves' cheek stew). Very reasonable but good quality, with wine at almost the same price as in the supermarket.
• La Dolce Herminia Magdalenes 27, 08002 Barcelona (near the top of via Jaume I). Tel 93 317 06 76. Style much as Casa Rita (run by same organization), Quinze Nits etc., but always pleasant and reasonable.
• Ruccula World Trade Center, Moll de Barcelona, 08039 Barcelona (at the port, just by where the boats leave for Mallorca). Tel 93 508 82 68. Fax: 93 508 82 69. Highly experimental dishes, so be prepared to be both dazzled and disappointed. I had what was called pig's trotter on the menu, but it had been completely boned etc., formed into a square patty, then apparently seared in something like a toasted sandwich maker, making it crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. The contrast with the (raw) oysters was certainly novel. Quite expensive, but worth trying. Window seats preferred, as long as there is not a boat tied up. Last visit 2002.
• Negrojo Av Diagonal 640, Edifici Caja Madrid 08017 Barcelona (not far from Corte Ingles and l'Illa/metro Maria Cristina). Tel: 934 059 444. Fax: 934 059 221. Part of the Acontraluz etc. group. Food and ambience stylish and innovative, but also good value. The chocolate soup for dessert is good. Last visit 2003. Update June 2008: have now opened downstairs and named it Rojo. Features Japanese inspired dishes with all the flair that still seems to persist across this "chain" (Aqua, Tragaluz, Acontraluz, Bestial). Also remarkably reasonable, but Negro seems to have gone up a fair bit in price.
• Aqua Port Olimpíc. (Pg. Maritim Barceloneta 30, tel: 93 225 12 72). Another of the Acontraluz group. Elegant surroundings, good ingredients and small, select and proper winelist. Excellent rices. Last visit June 2008.

Bath

• Number Five, 5 Argyle St. (the bridge over the Avon between Laura Place and the centre of town). Tel: ???. Reasonably priced. Good food with some interesting ideas, although occasionally formulaic.
• The Old Green Tree, Green St.. Tel: ???. Actually a pub, rather than a restaurant, but it has some of the best pub food in Bath as well as a good selection of local ales. Food is traditional (filling!) English, such as faggots and mash and various stews. Small.

Bilbao/Bilbo

• Jolastoki Avenida de los Chopos, Esquina Leioako 24, NEGURI-GETXO. Tel: 491 20 31. Fax: 491 20 06. Beautiful house with many rooms situated some way outside Bilbao. There appears to be a metro station quite close by - probably called Neguri-Getxo. Classic Basque.
• Bermeo The restaurant of the Hotel Ercilla.
• Cubita Aixerrota Ctra de la Galea 48990 GETXO. Tel: (94) 491 17 00. Fax: (94) 460 21 12. Classic Basque. Situated on a headland overlooking the estuary of the Nervión to the north of Bilbao.

Brugge/Bruges

• De Snippe small restaurant in the back streets of Bruges in a much restored merchant's house (dining room features an interesting mural). Classic french cuisine. One Michelin star. Even better, they have 6 rooms available for bed and breakfast.

Brussels

• Au Brabançon Rue de la Commune 75, 1030 Bruxelles, tel: 02-217.71.91. Closed Saturday lunchtime and all day Sunday. Just in case you are unfamiliar with BXL postcodes, this is in a rather run-down part of town called St.Josse, just outside the petite ceinture, north-east from the centre. The fare is traditional Belgian and may offer some surprises to those who think BE cooking is merely FR derivative. Horse steaks come in small, medium and large. Drinks aren't measured: bottles get put on the table for you to serve yourself. Small. Booking recommended. Last visit 1996 (unfortunately).
• L'Etoile D'Or rue des Foulons 30, 1000 Bruxelles., tel: 02-502.60.48. Closed Saturday lunchtime and all day Sunday. Traditionally styled brasserie in a quiet part of town between the centre and midi (head down Anspachlaan towards midi and it's on the right hand side). Fare is Franco-Belgian in style, of a good standard, offering some inspired and challenging combinations (e.g. bloedpans with apple (fairly standard), steak with a sauce of fromage de Bruxelles, pear cooked in kriek (Cantillon!)). Last visit 2001.
• 't Misverstand 916, chaussée d'Alsemberg, Uccle, 1180 Bruxelles. tel: 02 376 23 98, fax: 02 322 2201, www: www.resto.be/tmisverstand. Quaint converted farm building some distance from the centre of Bruxelles with excellent Belgian cuisine. Lovely patio garden at rear. Good selection of game and beef as well as seafood. Not cheap (ca. EUR 50/person including wine), but reasonable by BXL standards with a good rapport qualité/prix.
• La Renaissance Avenue Paul Dejaer 39, 1060 Saint-Gille (opposite the town hall). Tel: +32 2 534.82.60. A brasserie, so the food is not expensive or pretentious, just good. All the usual things: moules, magret, steak, a good selection of fish and of pasta (I'm curious about tagliatelle a la Belen, but didn't have the chance to try it). Claims Italian and Portuguese influence in the dishes too and certainly there was a notable selection of PT wine available. Last visit: July 2005.
• L'Estrille du Vieux Bruxelles, 7 rue de Rollebeek (the pedestrian street that runs off the bottom of the Sablon). Conventional Franco/Belgian cuisine, done well and not over-priced (by BXL standards). Last visit: June 2008.

Budapest

• Bagolyvár Állatkerti út 2. H-1141 Budapest. tel: 36-1-351-6395. www: http://www.bagolyvar.com/angol/index.html. In fact it is next door to Gundel on the edge of a large park and indeed is owned by the same people as Gundel, but is more relaxed and not so expensive. I tried this by proxy (I have to admit): the Mathematics group of the Tuning project went there on my suggestion (I had to come back home that night) and all reports received have been very positive. Last visit April 2005.
• Hemingway 1113 Budapest, Kosztonlányi D. tér 2., Feneketlen tó. tel: 381-05-22. Pleasant location in a small park in the 9th district not far from Bela Bartók street. Fairly expensive (I paid 40 EUR for two courses, wine and water) but good, especially the Hungarian specialities such as the roast goose leg or the catfish with cheese dumplings. Last visit April 2005.

Cheltenham

• The Daffodil 18-20 Suffolk Parade, Montpellie, Cheltenham. Tel: 01242-700055. Art deco converted cinema gives space and style. Dishes of variable quality, but on recent visit, the fish was clearly the best. Very reasonable for lunch (GBP 10.00 for two courses). Live jazz on Monday evening. Website: http://www.thedaffodil.co.uk.

Cuernavaca

• Casa Hidalgo, Jardin de los Héroes No.6 Col. Centro, C.P.62000 Cuernavaca, Morelos. Located in the centre of Cuernavaca opposite the Palacio Cortes. Inventive menu combining traditional Mexican with ideas from elsewhere. I enjoyed the prawn tortillas cooked in a banana leaf, but the bone marrow casserole was rather greasy. Others in our company did better (tongue Veracruzana, hojaladre de tomate, queso y agaucate). Notable that in December they have Noche Buena (Christmas beer). Last visit December 2003.
• Gaia, boulevard Benito Juárez 102, centro Cuernavaca, Morelos C.P. 62000. tel. 312 3656. http://www.gairest.com.mx. Minimalist entrance gives way to grand interior spread over several rooms and floors. Best tho' is the veranda upstairs with its view of the garden and swimming pool complete with mosaic by Riveira. Blend of Mexican and mediterranean ideas. The fish pozole was remarkable. So too the fish a tres chiles with mandarin sauce. Bon rapport qualité-prix. Last visit December 2003.
• La Pancha - awaiting contact details from - Ulises. Spacious and grand. Mexican with influences from elsewhere, for example: lasagne de cuitlacoche
• Reposado, Netzahualcoyotl 33, col centro Cuernavaca, Morelos, C.P. 62000. tel: 777 169 72 32. reservations: reservations@lavillabonita.com. http://www.reposado.com.mx. Another stunning interior with the option of conventional dining rooms in the house, bocadillos by the pool or lounging on oversized beds on the veranda overlooking the pool. The main menu looks exciting, but we ate lightly, taking the fondue de cuitlacoche. Last visit December 2003.

Granada

• Mirador de Morayma c/Pianista Ga. Carrillo, 2; GRANADA, Albayzin. Tel: (958) 22.82.90 and 22.81.25. Not so easy to find...but worth the hunt. Amazing old house situated opposite the Alhambra (ie. the other side of the valley). Not surprisingly, the view is wonderful. Various sized rooms are available seating from 2 to 40! The bacallá and orange salad was not so great, but the brains and bulls testicles omelette is not to be dismissed. Last visit 1997 (so area code may have changed).

Genova

• da Serra Via Sampierdarena 261/R, 16149 GENOVA, tel: 010-412.903/0347-354.31.16. A bit off the beaten track in a pretty run-down part of town (seems to be an emerging theme in this list!). Lots of wonderfully fresh seafood as antipasti, with pasta (for primo) and fried/grilled for secundo. No fish based desserts, but excellent panna cotta. Nice local (Ligurian) wines too. Not haute-cuisine, but deservedly popular, so make sure you book. Last visit 2001.

La Spezia

• Trattoria dai Pironcelli, 19031 Montemarcello di Ameglia (La Spezia), Via delle Muro, 45, tel 0187-601252 (chiuso il mercoledi). A little off the beaten track, but Montemarcello is a lovely place and the food is quite good here. The recommendation is more, in fact, for the bed and breakfast accommodation offered: just three rooms. Excellent breakfast.

Liverpool

• Blue Bar, 17 Edward Pavilion, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AF. Tel +44 151 709 70 97. Probably best described as "fusion", in that many of the (inspirational) dishes combine geographically distant ideas, although there are at least as many that are regionally consistent! Exciting new takes on classic British dishes (such as roly-poly). The banana dim sum was orgasmic (my friend says). Thanks to Simon Parsons for the recommendation. Last visit 2001.
• Ziba, 15-19 Berry St., Liverpool, L1 9DF, tel +44 151 708 88 70. Modern British/French/Spanish/..., but with twists on classic British food. Excellent presentation and novel combinations of textures and tastes. Their card claims associated establishments as Eagle and Child (Bispham Green, Nr. Parbold, Lancashire: a pub), Number Seven (7 Falkner St., Liverpool 8), and Wizard (Macclesfield Road, Nether Alderley, Cheshire, SK10 4UB). Thanks to Simon Parsons for the recommendation. Last visit 2001. Close down at last visit (December 2002), but the Liverpool Echo (on-line) reports it has recently (sic) re-opened on Chapel Street (article read December 2003).

Lisbon

• Pinóquio Praça dos Restauradores, 79-80, 1250-188 Lisboa. Tel 21 346 51 06. Traditional, simple Portuguese with a good reputation for fish.

Logroño

• Entrevinos, Juan Lobo 1, 260001, Logroño. Tel: 941 25 66 35. Small place with a short but well-thought out menu - possibly stronger on desserts. Nothing radical - althought the combination of rape and salsa de avellanas was interesting - but the cooking is correct and well-presented. Fair wine list. Last visit October 2007.

London

• Cafe Pacifico, 5 Langley St. Covent Garden. London WC2. Tel +44 20 7379 7728. Definitely good, tho' I'm not as enthusiastic as Ulises. Gets very crowded. No booking on Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Their card claims they are also situated in Paris (50 Blvd. Montparnasse), Sydney (95, Riley St.) and Amsterdam (Warmoesstraat 31). Last visit 2001.
• Thai Pot, 1 Bedfordbury. Covent Garden. London WC2N 4BP. Tel +44 20 7379 4580. One of the best Thai restaurants I've tried: amazing range of dishes, with plenty out of the ordinary, compared to the common offerings. Thanks to Phil Burrell for the recommendation. Last visit 2001.

Lyon

• Le Sud, 11, place A. Poncet. Lyon. Tel + 33 0472778000. One of a group of four (guess the names of the others!) restaurants in Lyon. Sud specialises in Mediterranean cooking with wonderful tajines and couscous (tho' I'd have preferred a coarser grain personally). Quite reasonably priced, at least at lunchtime. Last visit July 2002.

Madrid

• La Gamella, Alfonso XII, 4, 28014 Madrid. Tel: 532 45 09. Small with strong decor (in Jan 1998). Spanish with a touch of American - deriving from the owner-chef who is American.

Melbourne

• Bistro I, 126 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000. Tel: 9654 33 43. Inspired Italian food with regional accents. Good range of wines. Lunch ca. AUD 35. website: http://www.bistro1.com.au. It would apear that FED at the Ian Potter Centre (modern Australian, Federation Square, corner of Flinders and Russell, Melbourne, tel: 9650 05 11, www.fed.com.au) and Italy I (823 Burke Road, Camberwell 3124, tel: 9804 09 44, www.italy1.com.au) are run by the same people and so worth investigating. Last visit July 2003.

Mexico D.F

• Casa de las Sirenas c/Guatemala 32, Zocalo. Tel + 525704-3225. Spread over three floors, the rooms are all attractive, but the bext part is the terrace with its view of Tenochitlan, the presidential palace and the Zocalo. Food is primarily Mexican with style plus some European-influenced dishes. The molcajete (starter) and gallinita mango mole (main) are good. Last visit January 2005.
• Litoral, Tamaulipas 55. Col. Condesa, 06100. México D.F. Tel +52 52862025. Metro Juanacatlan or Sevilla (but not that near). A delight: many interesting and tantalizing dishes with challenging combinations of ingredients. Last visit: Januwary 2005.
• Anti-recommendations:
  • Los Girasoles, Plaza Manuel Tolsá. Calle Tacuba 8 y 10. Centro Histórico. Tel + 52 55100630. Metro Bellas Artes. A recommendation to avoid. It's in a lot of guide books and was recommended by Ulises, but we recently (Jan 2005) learnt that the original owner has sold and left. It is now expensive, low-quality food, badly served. The cilantro soup was uninspired and the turkey (in mole) like cardboard. A great loss. Apparently La Valentina (see Ulises page) has gone the same way. Last visit: January 2005.
  • Ligaya, Nuevo León 68. Col. Condesa, 06100. México D.F. Tel + 52 52866268. Metro Juanacatlan or Sevilla (but not that near). Visited following Ulises recommendation. Reasonably priced, but lacking the inspiration that Ulises reported. Lighting poor: hard to read menu and difficult to see what you are eating. Last visit: January 2005.

Prague

• King Solomon, Siroká 8. Praha 1 - 11000. tel + 420 224818752 A strict kosher restaurant. Quite expensive although good quality. The carp was good. Last visit July 2001.

Rome

• Arancia Blu, Via dei Latini 55/65 (San Lorenzo), tel: 06.445.41.05. Vegetarian restaurant and wine bar. Innovative vegetarian cooking with excellent home made pastas. Very good wine list. Last visit June 2004.
• Piperno, Monte De'Cenci 9, tel: 06 68.80.66.29. www: http://www.euro2001.com/piperno/. Classical Roman cuisine with strong Jewish influence. The antipasti are very substantial (and the fiori di zucca are highly recommended) so like us you may only take a primo and a dolce, jumping the secondo (a pity since there are some wonderful things: cervelle d'agnello, animelle d'agnello, coda de bue). The gnocchetti (primo) and the fried croquettes of ricotta and chocolate for dessert were wonderful. Comprehensive, well-priced wine list. Last visit July 2004.

San Pedro de Atacama

• Todo Natural Excellent vegetarian restaurant along the main "strip" in San Pedro. Beware that the dining area is only under an awning with a central wood fire, so it gets chilly as the evening wears on, but if you are going to San Pedro, you'll know what to expect. Handful of decent Chilean wines. Prices reasonable. Last visit May 2004.

Santiago de Chile

• El Perseguidor Antonia de Lopez Bello 0126 (and the leading zero is significant!), Providencia. Bellavista district. Excellent wine list and remarkable food (the pescado a la piedra and the codornices ahumados are notable) with live jazz too. Interesting signing convention for the banos. http://www.elperseguidor.cl. Last visit May 2004.
• Profondo Azul address details to come. Bellavista district. Majors on excellent fish, especially the tuna. Wine list fair. Prices reasonable. Visited May 2004. Revisited August 2006: still good.
• Off the record address details to come, but just opposite El Perseguidor. Bellavista district. Last visit May 2004.
• Torres, Alameda 1570, tel 02 688 0751, http://www.confiteriatorres.cl Only had lunch here and took the menu option, rather than a la carte. Fairly classy and classically stylish, nevertheless reasonable. Last visit May 2004.
• Santuario del Rio Not in Santiago at all, but on the Camino el Volcan, Cajon del Maipo - a useful place to stop on your way back from the Banos Colinas. Beautiful location. Food reasonable but not remarkable. http://www.santuariodelrio.cl Last visit May 2004.
• PuertoFuy Av. Nueva Costanera 3969, Vitacura, Santiago. Tel: 208 8908/206 7391. Identified by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the four best restaurants in Latin America. Cuisine inspired by Ferran Adriá. The tasting menu is remarkable and exceptionally good value too at CLP 25,000. Wines reasonably priced. http://www.puertofuy.cl. Last visit August 2006.

Seattle

• Flying Fish, 2234 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121. Tel: 206-728-8595. WWW: www.flyingfishseattle.com. Mostly fish, as you might guess, of pacific origin (I'd certainly never heard of some varieties, which are apparently from Hawaii). Culinary influences from around the Pacific, but also Italy. Really imaginative combinations of tastes and textures as well as visually impressive. You can reserve through the web page. Last visit August 2001.
• Fandango, 2313 First Avenue Seattle, Washington. Tel: 206.441.1188. Not been there...but since it's run by the same people as Flying Fish - with a Latin theme American - it's probably worth a try. You can reserve through the web page for Flying Fish.

Stockholm

• Restaurangen Ostorsgatan 14, 111 57 STOCKHOLM, tel: 08-220954. Unconventional menu structure and inspired combinations of ingredients make this interesting. In effect, you construct your own "menu de dégustation" by choosing as many tastes as you wish (tho' 3 for lunch and 5 for dinner is fair) from a selection of 20. Each dish is linked with a wine recommendation (or several) and you may also take samples of wine (rather than glasses or bottles) in a complementary manner.

Utrecht

• Delphi's Neude 29, 3512 AE Utrecht. Tel: 030 231.71.47. www: http://www.restaurantdelphis.nl. Open 10:00-23:00. Presents itself as a Greek restaurant and indeed offers some good traditional dishes, but there are plenty of other offerings and indeed some curious combinations... for example, octopus (not surprising) with lentils (surprising) dressed with balsmic vinegar (bizarre) - can hardly call that even GR inspired. A note of caution: the servings are huge and a starter (or perhaps two) would normally be enough for one person. A colleague ordered fish for main course and was presented with four butterflied mackerel - nice, but just excessive. Fairly pricey at about EUR 40-45 for three courses. Last visit: July 2005.